presented at the 5th World Autism Awareness Day, 3rd April, 2012, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh organized by Bangladesh Society for Child Neurology, Development & Disability

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen.

Assalamwa Laikum

My name is Aadil Hoque

I was born in Bristol in England on 13th December 1989
Here is my picture when I was a baby with my Nanu, my sister Shaoli and Ammu.

I came back home to Bangladesh when I was nine months old. I lived in Mymensingh.
I had a lot of tantrums and I messed my pants.
When I was 4 years old, I went to Oxford, England with Shaoli, Ammu and Nanu.
Many people helped me, especially my teachers Judy Holdsworth, Anton Keyte, Emily Cohen and Dan Federowich.
I still had tantrums. I remember cutting my hand when I hit the window in my playroom.
I used to travel by train with Judy and Ammu to see Dr. Michael Tettenborn, who helps autistic children.
Ammu and Dad even took me to the Option Institute in America.
One day I saw a picture of the Ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamun in a history book.
I liked to call myself “King Tut”.
My teachers and Ammu taught me about Ancient Egypt from books and museum trips. I visited the Ashmolean museum in Oxford, British museum in London and the Louvre museum in Paris.
I learned to speak, read, write and draw. My tantrums got better.
I used to draw on a magnetic board.
Then I began drawing on paper.
When I was 10 years old I came back home to Bangladesh.
I first lived in Matuail where Dad was a Pediatrician.
When I was 11, I moved to my home in Dhanmondi where Nanu lives.
I was more gentle with Shaoli. Sometimes I had tantrums.
I began school at SWAC. You  can see me with my teacher Mahbub Sir.
I enjoyed painting Ancient Egyptian pictures with oil and acrylic paint on canvas and watercolour on paper.
When I was 15 I got a gold medal from the Egyptian Ministry of Culture for my painting “ Golden  Cleopatra”.
In Bangladesh I have had many exhibitions including Arial Centre, Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, British  Council, Shilpangan Gallery and Drik Gallery.
In May 2007, I went to Egypt with my uncle Timmy, Shaoli and Ammu.

We traveled by cruise boat on the River Nile and visited temples at Karnak, Luxor and Island of Philae.
You can see my drawing of Hatshepsut with goddess Hathor. I drew this in Hatshepsut’s Temple at Deir al Bahri.
We went to the Valley of the Kings to see KV 62, the tomb of King Tutankhamun.
We traveled through the Sahara Desert in a sandstorm to the Temple of Rameses at Abu Simbel.
In Cairo I saw King Tutankhamun’s  treasures on the first floor of the Egyptian Museum.
I also met my hero the most famous Egyptologist and archeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass. He is in charge of the pyramids and sphinx, and all the treasures, temples and museums in Egypt. Dr. Zahi was very happy to see my portrait of him in my Bengal Gallery catalogue. He said to me “You look like King Tut!”
Here in Dhaka I go the British Council Library every Saturday. I love visiting exhibitions and dining at restaurants.
At home I like to sing Nazrul geeti and Rabindra sangeet. I go to the “Shurer Jadu and Ronger Jadu” music class and art class at Chhayanaut every Thursday.

When I paint I listen to European classical music by Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and other composers.
I like to read books on Ancient Egypt, Greek and Roman civilizations, art and music. I have hundreds of books in my home library.
Most of all I like to paint! Here are some of my artworks.

Thank You