MUMBAI: Heartbroken fans Monday awaited the arrival of the body of Bollywood superstar Sridevi Kapoor as tributes poured in for the actress who died in Dubai of a heart attack aged just 54.
Hundreds gathered outside her Mumbai home hoping to catch a final glimpse of the star before she is cremated at a funeral service expected later Monday.
Sridevi — one of the biggest names in Hindi cinema — died late on Saturday after suffering a cardiac arrest in Dubai, where she had been attending her nephew’s wedding.
Her body was due to be flown back to Mumbai on Monday on a charter flight after authorities in the emirate allowed it to be released following a post mortem.
“We want to see her one last time,” 48-year-old Laxmi Subbaramaiah told AFP outside Sridevi’s house in the Andheri area of Mumbai — the heartland of the Bollywood film industry.
“All of my family members are big fans and we cried when we heard the news. We will wait here until her body comes back,” he said.
Vishal More, 23, said he had traveled seven hours from Jalgaon district, around 400 kilometers away from Mumbai, to bid farewell to his favorite actress.
“I’ve been waiting all morning to catch a last glimpse of Sridevi. I have watched all of her movies. She is such an inspiration,” he said.
Sridevi’s death has prompted an outpouring of grief in India from fans and fellow actors as well as condolences from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“I have always been a huge fan of her work. Equally I have been an admirer of the grace and dignity with which she conducted herself,” actor Aamir Khan wrote on Twitter.
“I join all the millions of her fans in mourning her demise. Ma’am we will always remember you with love and respect,” he added.
Fellow actor Ranveer Singh tweeted that he was “shocked and saddened to hear about the untimely demise of one of Hindi cinema’s greatest superstars.”
Actress Alia Bhatt posted on Twitter: “Nothing makes sense. I have no words.. just completely shocked. RIP Sri Devi. My icon forever. Love you.”
Sridevi, born Shree Amma Yanger Ayappan in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, appeared in around 300 films and was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award, for services to the movie industry.
She made her acting debut at the age of four and her career spanned more than four decades.
Sridevi worked in India’s regional Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam-language films before making her Bollywood debut in 1979.
She became a national icon with a string of blockbuster films including “Chandni,” “Mr India,” “Mawali” (“Scoundrel“) and “Tohfa” (“Gift“).
Sridevi famously took a 15-year-break from the silver screen after marrying film producer Boney Kapoor but returned in the 2012 hit comedy-drama “English Vinglish.” Her most recent film was last year’s “Mom.”
She was set to see Jhanvi, the eldest of her two daughters, make her Bollywood debut.
India mourns death of Bollywood actress Sridevi
India mourns death of Bollywood actress Sridevi
How science is reshaping early years education
DUBAI: As early years education comes under renewed scrutiny worldwide, one UAE-based provider is making the case that nurseries must align more closely with science.
Blossom Nursery & Preschool, which operates 32 locations across the UAE, is championing a science-backed model designed to close what it sees as a long-standing gap between research and classroom practice.
“For decades, early years education has been undervalued globally — even though science shows the first five years are the most critical for brain development,” said Lama Bechara-Jakins, CEO for the Middle East at Babilou Family and a founding figure behind Blossom’s regional growth, in an interview with Arab News.
She explained that the Sustainable Education Approach was created to address “a fundamental gap between what we know from science and what actually happens in nurseries.”
Developed by Babilou Family, the approach draws on independent analysis of research in neuroscience, epigenetics, and cognitive and social sciences, alongside established educational philosophies and feedback from educators and families across 10 countries. The result is a framework built around six pillars; emotional and physical security, natural curiosity, nature-based learning, inclusion, child rhythms, and partnering with parents.
Two research insights, Bechara-Jakins says, were particularly transformative. “Neuroscience shows that young children cannot learn until they feel safe,” she said, adding that stress and inconsistent caregiving can “literally alter the architecture of the developing brain.”
Equally significant was evidence around child rhythms, which confirmed that “pushing children academically too early is not just unhelpful — it can be counterproductive.”
Feedback from families and educators reinforced these findings. Across regions, common concerns emerged around pressure on young children, limited outdoor time and weak emotional connections in classrooms. What surprised her most was that “parents all sensed that something was missing, even if they couldn’t articulate the science behind it.”
At classroom level, the strongest body of evidence centres on secure relationships. Research shows that “secure attachments drive healthy brain development” and that children learn through trusted adults. At Blossom, this translates into practices such as assigning each child “one primary educator,” prioritising calm environments, and viewing behaviour through “a neuroscience lens — as stress signals, not misbehaviour.”
Bechara-Jakins believes curiosity and nature remain overlooked in many early years settings, despite strong evidence that both accelerate learning and reduce stress. In urban centres such as Dubai, she argues, nature-based learning is “not a luxury. It is a developmental need.”
For Blossom, this means daily outdoor time, natural materials, gardening, and sensory play — intentional choices aimed at giving children what science says they need to thrive.
