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CONNECTING THROUGH COVID-19

Aishath Reeshan Shafyu | Grade 9

This is a tale of a girl whose entire life turns upside down when a deadly pandemic takes over the world. She cannot meet up with her friends and family as she is stuck at home due to a lockdown. How will she keep up the connection she has with her family members, friends, and relatives?

"When is the lockdown going to be over?" Maya asked her mother. "I'm not so sure, dear", her mother answered. It has been a year since the COVID-19 pandemic started in the Maldives and is spreading quite rapidly. As a result, Maya cannot meet up with her friends, family, relatives or even attend physical classes at school. Since the pandemic is spreading wildly all over the Maldives, the schools are closed, and students are forced to study at home through online classes. Maya did not know what to do when she was bored until one day, her friend Aisha texted her, asking if she wanted to Skype with all their friends together. She immediately agreed.

She spent hours on Skype talking to all her friends, catching up and asking them what they have been up to for the past few months of lockdown.

"My birthday's coming up this Saturday, and my parents have allowed me to have a virtual party, and you're all invited!" Her best friend Sara told everyone attending the Skype call. Maya thanked Sara for the invitation and told her friends about what she did during the lockdown when she heard a knock on her door. It was her mother, asking her to come down for dinner. "I have to go now, friends; I'll talk to you all tomorrow; good night, everyone," she told her friends and hung up the call after everyone wished her a good night.

The next day, she woke up, took a shower, had breakfast, and then started to clean her room. Everyone has a significant place they go to when life surprises them with twists and turns. Maya's bedroom is her safe place. The great site enables her to deeply connect with her inner thoughts and a world only she can control. The walls are a soothing colour of indigo and white which install serenity to her surroundings. The smell of her cotton candy candles engulfs the room. On the left side, there is a cupboard where she stores all her trophies and medals and next to the closet is her worktable, where she does all her HomeWorks and attends online classes. The middle of the room is a full-sized bed with pale purple sheets and velveted purple comforter. When looking out the window, a glimpse of acorn trees and other things nature has to offer to bring her abundant pleasure.

During the lockdown, Maya realized that she could start reigniting the hobbies she had not got time to work on. She was keen on creating artworks and Writing Novels, but mainly, she loved reading books. She decided to start reading the book she wanted to read last month but had not got the time due to her O'level examinations. She had a long list of books that she planned on reading during the lockdown. She decided to start with the Twilight Saga series. She never watched the movie, but she loved books about vampires and other mythical fantasy creatures such as werewolves, zombies, dwarfs and more. She believes that the plot of the novels is way more enjoyable when there are more mythical creatures.

As she finished her O'level exams, it also means that she should be graduating from Grade 10. But, since the pandemic is spreading fast and cases are found at an increasing rate, the school has decided to postpone the graduation ceremony until the health protection agency and the Education ministry announce that it is safe to have ceremonies at school. They might have a virtual ceremony if cases are high. She decided to call and catch up with her childhood friends from when she studied in India with absolutely nothing to do. They decided to make a virtual book club, read the same book, and then discuss what they liked and disliked about that book.

Maya has always been keen on cooking. She loves cooking different types of dishes. She also loves to try out new flavours of food from different cultures. One afternoon, when she was surfing through the internet, she discovered an online cooking competition and decided to participate. The participants must film their auditions and send them to the number given on the notice. If accepted, the participants join a zoom call with the judges and prepare the dish decided by the judges at their own respective houses. Maya decided to tell her mother about her decision. As expected, her mother happily agreed to the idea. "I can teach you to plate the food," her mother told her. The auditions for participants do not start until the first of July. So, Maya decided to practice cooking some of her well-liked dishes to use for her selection.

While she was cooking, she received a call from Nasha, one of her closest friends. Nasha told her about a challenge that she came up with. It was to write a letter or an email to a person they know and reply. "Sounds like a great idea," she told her Nasha. "It should not be longer than 200 words," Nasha told her. "You have a deal," she said Nasha before hanging up and going to plan her letter. She took out a sheet of A4 paper and started planning the format of the email. She decided to write an email to her sister, who lived in Australia with her husband and two children. "My Dearest sister…." She began. She wrote to her sister about how excited she was to be graduating that year and how she wished her sister were there in person to see her graduate. She asked about the health of their family and how the pandemic was in that country.

As she was an only child, Maya always felt as if she was not connected with herself. So, she decided to plan some activities which she enjoyed and had not gotten time to do. She chose to binge-watch her favourite Netflix series, "The Secrets of Sulphur Springs". It is about a boy and his family moving into a supposedly haunted hotel on the edge of a small town. In Maya's opinion, the plot is well-made, and the worldbuilding is fantastic and that watching the series is like taking a breath of fresh air. She also believes that this family-friendly series is expertly written to balance genuine scares with humorous and heartwarming content.

A few hours later, she received a phone call from the director of 'Cook Relish', the virtual cooking competition, saying that her audition had been accepted. Maya could not believe what she was hearing. However, happiness took over her face as she ran to her mother to tell her the great news. On the first day of the contest, the judges told all the contestants about the contest's aim. Which was to see that the food cooked undergoes a physical change, sometimes a chemical change and is acceptable for human consumption with pleasure. The contest duration was three weeks, and at the end of each show, the judges eliminated five contestants.

The competition was a massive success because Maya ended up winning the match, leaving the judges impressed by her cooking. She decided to cook one of her favourite dishes, chosen to be in the 'Cook Relish' official recipe book and sell it to her neighbourhood people. Soon, there was a massive demand for her famous 'Grilled chicken with Garlic Sauce' on the island. Maya earned much money from her hard work, and her mother could not be prouder.

Days passed by, and before she knew it, Maya was getting orders from other islands. The word of her famous dish spread throughout the Maldives. It was everywhere, in the news headlines, Facebook pages, Instagram stories. Her success was outstanding. Though the pandemic has not ended, Maya still safely delivers her orders. She hopes to open a restaurant of her own one day.

International Children's Day

Nelson Mandela once said, “Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation. They will be the leaders of our country, the creators of our national wealth who care for and protect our people.”

Children are the backbone of our society, our greatest treasure and our future. It is the duty of everyone around them to protect them from harm and prepare them for the real world. This why we celebrate International Children’s day, to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improve children's welfare.

History

Each country celebrates National Children’s Day on a different date. However, International Children’s Day is celebrated across the world annually on 20 November.

World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 by the United Kingdom to encourage all countries to initiate action to promote the welfare of the world’s children. On 20 November 1959, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It was also the date in in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention of the Rights of the Child.

Celebrations

This year, the COVID-19 crisis has resulted in a child rights crisis. The costs of the pandemic for children are immediate and, if unaddressed, may last a lifetime. To celebrate this year’s International Children’s Day, landmark buildings around the world will light up blue on the day to show support for child rights. Moreover, children will ‘take over’ high-visibility roles in media, politics, business, sport and entertainment normally held by adults to shine a spotlight on issues that matter to them.

Conclusion

International Children’s Day gives parents an opportunity to spend time and celebrate the day with their kids. It helps parents acknowledge the importance of spending time with children and redirect their lives as a family. It is important to take care of children, and reimagine a better future for every child.

20th November, 2020Ain Labeeg - Activities Captain

References:

Wikipedia contributors. (2020, November 16). Children's Day. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:01, November 19, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Children%27s_Day&oldid=988990068
World Children’s Day. UNICEF (2020) Retrieved, November 19, 2020, from https://www.unicef.org/world-childrens-day#wcd
World Children’s Day, November 2020. United Nations (2020) Retrieved: November 19, 2020 from: https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-childrens-day

World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children's Day and is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare.

Children’s Day is celebrated in many ways. Especially in schools, events are arranged to rejoice children’s day and several kinds of competitions are conducted. At these festivals, children are made knowledgeable of their rights and responsibilities. Picnics and various sports activities are arranged to host small children. Many kinds of programs are also conducted on radios and television which guide the children.

The main aspect of this day is to address the topic that children are the most valuable segment of the world’s population for environmental discourse, as they represent the future generation. Numerous initiatives are taken upon on Children’s day, in order to educate future adults on how to take better care of the planet, today and in the years to come.

Furthermore, activists that participate in the organization of children’s day, put an emphasis on the fact that the principles acquired and the good deeds initiated on this day, should extend to the remaining 364 days of the year. According to the official Children’s day US website, the main motto of it is “Celebrate wherever you are, do something wonderful”, which is a global encouragement for acceptance, mutual help and kindness. Thus, this day is fully dedicated to teaching good and humane actions that would benefit children, and learning to set and achieve positive goals in the long term.

Children’s Day is not a common day, it is an exceptional day recorded to give awareness to the rights of the coming generations. Around the globe, the value of Children’s Day increases more and more because of the emerging prosperity. Therefore, not only the children but also their parents must give full information about the basic rights of children and try to make them aware of this subject.

20th November, 2020Zaafy Fiyaz - Human Rights Club President

References

Universally, Children's Day is celebrated on 20th November, every year. This date was chosen as a day to celebrate childhood, first established in 1954 with the intention of promoting international togetherness, spreading awareness worldwide and to improve children welfare. The date is quite important as it was when in 1959 the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.

In order to celebrate children's day teachers organize games, competitions and other fun activities to encourage children. There can be theme events in which children are asked to dress and wear colourful clothes. Often schools take children out to the zoo, museums, picnics, trekking, etc. Apart from schools, government and non-government organizations conduct various activities and events to make the innocent and fragile hearts smile and cheer. TV channels also broadcast shows based on children’s day. Furthermore, many schools and governments concentrate on making the children more aware about the children's rights and their responsibilities.

Thus, while this day was globally instituted to provide children with basic Rights, maybe one can make a difference to a child's life by doing something special. Parties and celebrations happen all the time, but how about taking the fortunate children to homes that shelter street children and have them befriend those kids, donating clothes, toys, stationery, books, etc.

Celebrating Children's Day is about giving children the right to enjoy and grow into healthy and educated citizens of the country, and if you can teach your child the value of sharing with others what they are lucky to have, then not only your child will grow into a responsible human being, but also another child who otherwise could have ended up being a delinquent, had it not been for your thoughtfulness. Hence, every parent should make their child well informed about their responsibility towards the community and other children, with that we can indeed make our world a better place.

But amidst all this pomp and glory, we should not lose sight of the real message, that is providing our children with a safe and loving environment in which to grow, as well as giving them ample and equal opportunities through which they can take great strides and contribute to the progress of the nation. This day serves as a reminder to each and every one of us, to renew our commitment to the welfare of children and teach them to live by disciplined standards.

20th November, 2020Dhahaau Naseer - School Captain

The Day Maldives Embraced Islam

Nowadays, no matter where you look, every island in the Maldives exhibits the strong presence of Islamic faith. From the magnificent mosques to the arabesque buildings, it is quite obvious that the Maldives is a 100% Muslim country.

However, this small island nation has not always been populated by Muslims. In fact, until the year 1153, Buddhism was the predominant religion in the Maldives. While it is unclear how Islam was introduced to Maldives, historical writings show that Maldivians denounced Buddhism and accepted Islam as their religion in the month of Rabeeul-Aakhir 548 AH, after the last Buddhist king of the Maldives decided to convert to Islam and adopted the Muslim title of Sultan.

History of the Holiday

Although the Maldives converted to Islam in the early 12^th century, the day Maldives embraced Islam was not celebrated until 1954. Following a declaration made by the cabinet, the day was first observed on Rabeeul-Aakhir 2, 1374 AH (November 28, 1954), during the early rule of Sultan Mohammed Fareed.

However, the celebrations ended in 1387 and was not celebrated again until 33 years later, when former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom reinstated it to promote religious unity among the citizens. The decision was made at a cabinet meeting held on Muharram 29, 1421 AH (May 4, 2000) and since then, the day Maldives embraced Islam is commemorated annually on Rabeeul-Aakhir 2.

Click to Read Articles on the Day in Dhivehi

Idol of the Buddha found buried in Thoddu island ruins (1/3)

Small Buddhist statues found from during Thor Heyerdahl's Expedition to Maldives in 1983-1984 (2/3)

Railing pattern used around temple base on Thoddu island ruins (3/3)

Legend of the Conversion

Over the years, there have been many theories and stories about how Maldives converted to Islam. According to the most famous legend, long ago, an evil demon named ‘Rannamaari’ emerged from the sea on the first of every month, and the only way it would leave the islanders alone was through the sacrifice of a virgin girl.

So to evade the wrath of the monster, the islanders would select a girl every month to be sacrificed for the demon, only to discover her body on the beach the following morning.

This continued until one day a Muslim traveller named Yousuf Shamsuddin-al Tabrezi (Abul Barakat Yousuf Al Barbary) arrived in Male’ and coincidentally stayed in the house of the next virgin girl selected. He saw the family weeping in sorrow and asked what was going on, learning about the incidents.

He then decided to disguise himself as the virgin girl and went to the temple instead. The following morning, the islanders found him alive, reciting the verses of the Quran. After that, Abul Barakat Al Barbary asked the King to embrace Islam in order to keep the country safe from the Demon’s return, telling him that it was the powers in the Holy Quran that saved him. The King, impressed and thankful, converted to Islam and ordered the whole nation to do the same.

However, this story is dismissed by the young generation today as a myth. Some believe that the demon could have been the codename for a fierce sea pirate while others say that the King himself may have been pretending to be the demon in order to prey on young girls. There are also a few others who believe that the story is completely fabricated and that Islam spread throughout the Maldives naturally due to the amount of Muslim traders staying there.

Even though there are many different versions of this story, it is officially believed that Yousuf Shamsuddin-al Tabrezi was the one who properly introduced Islam to Maldives and converted most of the citizens.

Historical records show that Yousuf Shamsuddin-al Tabrezi stayed in the Maldives for the rest of his life. His tomb is called Medhu Ziyaaraiy and stands within the grounds of Old Friday Mosque in the capital Malé, the first of its kind to be built on the islands.

Conclusion

Maldives has gone from a predominantly Buddhist country to a 100% Islamic country. In fact, the Islamic constitution in Maldives is so prevalent now that it forbids anyone who does not adhere to Islamic custom becoming citizens of the Maldives. The day Maldives embraced Islam is celebrated annually on the first of Rabeeul-Aakhir to promote religious unity.

17th November, 2020Ain Labeeg - Activities Captain

References:

Maldives Embraced Islam Day. (n.d.) Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary, Fourth Edition. (2010). Retrieved November 15 2020 from https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Maldives+Embraced+Islam+Day
Wikipedia contributors. (2020, November 14). Islam in the Maldives. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 12:58, November 15, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Islam_in_the_Maldives&oldid=988718223
Maldives Marks 863^rd Anniversary of Embracing Islam. PSM News (2017, January 1) Retrieved, November 15, 2020, from https://psmnews.mv/en/20015
Maldives has been a nation unified by faith since embracing Islam: Ex-President Gayoom. Raajje.mv (2018, December 9) Retrieved, November 15, 2020, from https://raajje.mv/46114

Victory Day 2020

The Red Thursday

A Brief History

Maldivians, who have never heard the sound of gunfire unless from the movies were startled on 3rd of November in the year 1988. The peaceful atmosphere was thrown into utmost chaos by the coup d’ état attempt on President Maumoon’s government, wounding hundreds and destruction of several properties.

04:00 AM – The infiltration

Two T-50 ships, together roughly carrying 80 insurgents neared the main harbour of Male’. On board, the chief commander for the attack; Vasanthi along with the traitor; Abdulla Luthufi who planned the coup d’état resided the ship. Around 4:00 AM the ships settled at the main harbour. Disguised as visitors, the insurgents began unloading their weaponries and moving to secure important locations in Male’.

04:15 AM – The attack begins

Vasanthi and his troop of mercenaries sneaked past the Marine Drive Road to the east as soon as the ship settled at the harbour and moved past the main gate of NSS (National Security Service) and disembarked near Air Maldives. Roughly 15 minutes after infiltration, the assassins began attacking the main gate of Maldivian military base (NSS), not having the slightest idea of the capability our heroes beheld.

The Impulse

The two soldiers assembled on duty at the guard posts of the main gate; Private Hussain Adam and Private Adam Muhammed noticed the assassin’s intentions and began firing bullets in response. Although they had just enough time to go back into the HQ, they remained in their posts to buy time for other soldiers to mobilise their formation. In the process, numerous amount of bullets struck Hussain Adam’s body, painting the guard post he stood with his blood. Despite the pain he kept pleading for more ammo till his last breath.

The Reason We Mark This Day

With 11 civilians and 8 local soldiers martyred, the traitors failed to overpower our country with the help of concerted Indian Army. Today, we mark the 32nd year since the attack in reminiscence of the heroes who gave their lives for the nation and to console those affected by the calamity. In this present moment, we must grasp the love for our nation and exceptional bravery by our heroes to remind our self that the air we breathe is passed on to our generation by them and their unmovable faith.

03rd November, 2020Fainaan Faisal - DLA President

A Harrowing Experience

The 1988 Maldives coup d'état was the attempt by a group of Maldivians led by businessman Abdullah Luthufi and assisted by armed mercenaries of a Tamil secessionist organization from Sri Lanka, the People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), to overthrow the government in the island republic of Maldives.

They attacked the Headquarters of the then National Security Services and held Male and the rest of the country in absolute terror for more than 24 hours. The attack killed 19 Maldivians, including several men in the Maldivian armed forces before it was frustrated and repulsed. The attack has been considered the most severe assault on the nation's sovereignty and security in modern times.

03rd November, 2020Reeshan Shafeeu
Ref. https://en.sun.mv/581

Coup D'état of 1988

On the 11^th of November 1978, not long after president Ibrahim Nasir exiled himself in Singapore, president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom swore into office. At the time the country was at its peak of political instability. Three attempted coup d'états took place over the years that followed. Once in 1980, once in 1983, and the finally in 1988.

Victory day is celebrated every year all throughout the Maldives on the 3^rd of November to commemorate the defeat of the third and most serious attempted terrorist attack.

The attack had been led by Maldivian businessman Abdullah Luthufi, who had collaborated with around 160 Tamil mercenaries from Sri Lanka belonging to the Peoples Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam.

About half of the terrorists, disguised as tourists, had infiltrated the capital prior to the date of the attack, whereas the other half only landed in male a few hours before dawn on the 3^rd of November.

Soon the attackers had gained power over many important buildings in the Male’: including the airport, government buildings, TV and radio stations, in turn seizing control over the capital.

However, before the mercenaries made their way to the Presidential Palace, president Gayoom had escaped and taken refuge in the Defence Ministers home where he sought international aid.

The president requested India for support and within the next 16 hours, an operation nicknamed ‘cactus’ was underway in the Indian Army. About 1600 Indian paratroopers landed in Male’ restoring order in the three hours that followed.

Many civilians, including 8 National Security Service officers, died on that day. One of the more notable out of all is Martyr Corporal Hussain Adam, whose heroic actions played a pivotal role in ensuring the defeat of the insurgents.

Today, the current police headquarters is named after Martyr Adam and November 3^rd is celebrated to honour those who died defending the country.

After all, if not for them our flag - with the colour red, for the blood the they shed, and the colours green and white for the peace, prosperity, and the gift of Islamic faith that they fought to sustain - would not be waving high above our heads in its full glory.

May Allah give them a place in Jannah. Aameen!

Note: Coup d'état - A non-constitutional change of governmental leadership carried out with the use or threatened use of violence

03rd November, 2020Mishal Mushahid - ELA President

A Day to Remember

Victory Day is celebrated every year in the Maldives on 3rd November. Today, we remember the haunting memories of 3rd November 1988 and honour the patriotic and brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country and to whom the country will always remain indebted to. This is a fictional story based on this day, hoping to relive once again and visualize the adversity and bloodshed brought by this historic day.

Last night, I shut my eyes to sleep without knowing that the next day I would wake up to a nightmare of terror. A loud deafening bang jolted me up from my sleep, its vibration and intensity ringing in my ears. I was not quite sure what I had heard or where it had come from. Still, in a daze, I went to the living room to make sense of what was going on. Looking at the morning paper, I glanced at my distraught mother as I sipped my tea. She made mention of some outer conflict and insisted I do not go out. After some more questioning regarding the matter, I complied.

To my ears, the sounds of chaos and bullets grew louder and more intense as time passed. This was not right. This was my nation's cry for help, and here I was hiding away selfishly, confined within the safety of my house. Some may say it was stupid of me to go out, however, that is exactly what I did. Something stupid.

That was when it hit me, the sheer volume and impact of what was happening. We were really under attack. Our tiny little nation was fighting with armed forces for the sake of its safety. There was chaos everywhere, people hustling and bustling, not a single face devoid of anxiety and fear. I asked around a bit and rushed to the area where a man had supposedly been shot and had collapsed.

I saw him lying on the floor, no sign of movement. Blood has a strange colour, strikingly red yet shockingly dark. I had never seen so much blood ever leave a body. With some difficulty, I managed to lift the unconscious man and support him on my shoulder, carrying him away to find some medical help. Needless to say, it was the longest trip of my life.

03rd November, 2020Lees A. Haadhy - ELA Vice President

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