Male' Road Project wins the best in the world

Happy Eid Mubarik to all! What did you do for Eid?

I have been to my atoll for Eid play. It was not as fun as it used to be. Everyone was talking about politics. Anni also visited my island. He showed us many dreams, many dreams which I can't even dream in a dream.

One of the dreams we always had was to pave all roads of my island, so that we can drive our motorcycles faster in the bodumagu. Riding motorcycle has been part of my life as I have lived in Male' most of my life. I take carerof a friend's motorcycle, in exchange he lets me ride it when he works in the resort.

When I grew up in Male', I always knew that Male' Municipality's road project was in competition with the Electricity Board, Water Supply and Telecom Ministry. I have always known that Municipality would be the winner. Hon. Minister Umaru Zahir is a good person who rides a male Raleigh bicycle like an ordinary man. Municipality finished paving the roads with concrete; a technology which no other country has dared to try on the roads.

The losers at Water supply, Electricity Board and Telecom Ministry had to destroy the concrete and lay the pipes and cables for water, electricity, and telephones in three different turns. Well, this process took most of my years in MES school. And as soon as the last road was finished cementing after burying the Electricity cables for the 2nd time, Municipalty developed a new technology. Which they found out later that it is used in other countries in populated continents such as Asia, America, Africa, Australia and Europe. This technology involves importing brick from a company in Singapore (owned by a Maldivian).

To lay the bricks, the Multi Million Rufiyaa cement roads had to be destroyed and replaced with even more expensive high-tech bricks. Like the previous time the Electricity Board (now called STELCO), Water Supply (now MWSC) and Telecom Ministry (now Dhiraagu) was in a race with them. And as before Municipality won. STELCO, MWSC and Dhiraagu had to remove the bricks in separate turns to do their job.

During most of my life in Male', the 2 square kilometer city seemed 10 times as large. The road blocks lead me to travel around male', (sometimes take a boat), to go to the house next block. Fast motorcyclers can only survive in cities as this.

This is the story of Male' road project. It is one of the best road projects in the world. I'm sure it would be a bit better for my Island.

Making love to my car

The house I stayed has a car made in Japan. I am very proud to be the person who cleans it up everyday before my boss goes to work. I would never have got any opportunity to feel this close to owning my own car if I stayed in my atoll.

A picture of god

What if God is one of us?

Mariyam Nisha broke my heart

In the house we had a great time. There was a T.V, we watch from behind the heads of our house people. For few moments I thought I was in heaven. Even in Heaven, I doubt I would ever see Ismail Wajeeh dancing with Mariyam Nisha. It was so good that I thought that I would never even sleep on my foldable bed with my head towards my atoll.

Found confort as a slave in Male'...

I stayed as a slave in a house in Maafannu near the cemetery. My enslavers were very kind and loving. They are a friend of my Uncle Miruzaa. My uncle lives in Male', a carpenter, a mason, a painter, a foreman, a jack of all. He has many contacts in male', who let me, my brothers and my sister stay in different houses as slaves.

Slave is may be a hard term here. We were not owned by the house for lifetime. Some of the works I did include as small things as polishing my Master's shoes and going to the shop next door to buy a kilogram of lemon, to tiring things as Valhu Dhiya Hikkun (cleaning the well), and cleaning the roof before mansoon rain. These are just regular jobs, in certain occasions I had to do many awkward kind of works as well. I will tell about these later.

1987, coming to male'

With great hope and desire I came Male' with my family, and Adhambe. With sand on our feet, with smiles on our face. We are one step higher then those who we left behind.