Breeze_Issue_002_TheArtOfCelebration
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B Y C O C O C O L L E C T I O N<br />
The Art of<br />
JAN 2016 | ISSUE #<strong>002</strong><br />
CELEBRATION<br />
The Accidental<br />
Hotelier<br />
Into the<br />
Blue<br />
The Chef’s<br />
Table<br />
www.cococollection.com<br />
www.cococollection.com 1
20<br />
14<br />
The Art of Celebration<br />
Photo Essay<br />
Maldivian life is full of celebration and<br />
festivity. Here we explore its colour,<br />
energy and rituals.<br />
Santa’s Helpers<br />
Coco Family<br />
Our carpentry workshops may be out of sight<br />
but they are a hub of activity throughout the<br />
year. No less so at Christmas, when Santa<br />
recruits a few more helpers to ensure the<br />
islands brim with a festive cheer that is kind to<br />
the environment.<br />
ON THE COVER<br />
<strong>Breeze</strong> is the latest offering from Coco Collection, the trailblazing<br />
Maldivian hospitality brand. Readers will now be able to glimpse the<br />
Maldivian way of life and environment through its quarterly editions.<br />
Against the magical backdrop of the lagoon villas at Coco Palm Dhuni<br />
Kolhu, villa attendant Abdul Hameed Moosa wheels his wooden trolley<br />
in the morning sun. Designed and built in-house, these trolleys resemble<br />
the traditional Maldivian dhonis that have been used to travel these<br />
waters for centuries. These beached vessels sail amongst the trees and<br />
sandy paths of the Coco Collection islands as silently as their oceanbound<br />
ancestors did atop the waves.<br />
4<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
43<br />
38<br />
The Chef’s Table<br />
Coco Recipes<br />
Nashiu Zahir speaks to Coco Bodu Hithi<br />
Executive Chef I Wayan Sundira about his<br />
journey to becoming an executive chef.<br />
67<br />
Into the Blue<br />
Experience<br />
With its calm, shallow lagoons, sloping reefs<br />
and incredible marine life, the Maldives is<br />
the ideal place to try scuba diving for the<br />
first time. Noona Hussein discovers what it<br />
feels like to breathe underwater.<br />
A Journey to Maldives<br />
Wellness<br />
Adele Verdier-Ali is joined by her husband<br />
at the Coco Spa to experience the benefits<br />
of the Coco Collection signature couple’s<br />
ritual.<br />
Inside this <strong>Issue</strong><br />
What’s Cooking at Coco?<br />
Coco News<br />
P - 07<br />
Lady in Red<br />
Tradition<br />
P - 49<br />
The Accidental Hotelier<br />
Coco Story<br />
P - 10<br />
A Hero in Time – A book review<br />
Review<br />
P - 55<br />
Festive Gifts All Wrapped Up!<br />
Gift Guide<br />
P - 25<br />
The Voyage of Kalhofummi<br />
Folklore & Legend<br />
P - 58<br />
Philippe Laurella: A portrait of the artist<br />
Local Artists<br />
P - 28<br />
Set in Stone – a mosque from the ocean<br />
Arts & Culture<br />
P - 62<br />
Hagnaameedhoo: Where a king rests<br />
Island Culture<br />
P - 35<br />
That Shell Do Nicely<br />
Flora & Fauna<br />
P - 72<br />
Gear up!<br />
Gadgets<br />
P - 47<br />
2016 Movie Preview<br />
New Releases<br />
P - 75<br />
www.cococollection.com 5
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
January 2016 / <strong>Issue</strong> # <strong>002</strong><br />
Editorial<br />
Editor Adele Verdier-Ali<br />
Contributing Editor Mariyam Athiza Athif<br />
breeze@perspective.mv<br />
FEATURE WRITERS<br />
Nashiu Zahir<br />
Fathimath Lamya Abdulla<br />
Ahmed Mauroof Jameel<br />
Noona Hussein<br />
Aminath Ishrath<br />
Naufa Ghafoor<br />
Ibrahim Eelaf Naseer<br />
Layout Design Mohamed Solah DXYN IQ<br />
Illustrations Eagan Badeeu<br />
Production Assistant Ali Imran Mohamed<br />
ADVERTISING<br />
Mash-hood Abdulla, sales@perspective.mv<br />
Navaal Rasheed, navaal@perspective.mv<br />
CLIENT RELATIONS<br />
Aminath Ali, admin@perspective.mv<br />
COCO COLLECTION<br />
Director of Marketing Shafa Shabeer<br />
Senior Marketing Executive Lulu Aishath<br />
Marketing & PR Executive Aminath Ishrath<br />
Marketing & PR Executive Mariyam Narmeen<br />
connect@cococollection.com<br />
www.cococollection.com<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
Aryche, Mohamed Iyash, Auxam Zional,<br />
Mohamed Solah, Mahin Fayaz, Ali Anirood,<br />
Maldives National Archives, Ahmed Hassaan<br />
COVER PHOTO<br />
Photographed by Azzu (Double Dot)<br />
Model Abdul Hameed Moosa<br />
<strong>Breeze</strong> by Coco Collection is produced for<br />
Sunland Hotels by Perspective Pvt Ltd, Emerald<br />
Building 3rd Floor,Koli Umar Maniku Goalhi,<br />
Male’, Republic of Maldives.<br />
Editorial<br />
Welcome to the second edition of <strong>Breeze</strong> by Coco Collection. It seems<br />
only days ago that I sat down to write to you for the first time, and yet<br />
already the year is drawing to a close, and Christmas is only days away.<br />
Here in the capital of the Maldives, the Christmas that I grew up eagerly<br />
anticipating seems a lifetime away. No longer do I brave the frost at<br />
midnight to sing carols with the choir, nor do I clasp warm spiced wine<br />
with mittened hands at the fair.<br />
But in the Maldives, festivity is always just around the corner. Whether<br />
it’s a wedding, a birth, or National, Fishermen’s or Teachers’ Day – there<br />
is always something, or someone, to celebrate. And as Ahmed Mauroof<br />
Jameel points out in our cover story The Art of Celebration, in the Maldives<br />
it’s all about laughter, community and above all, mischief. Food and<br />
sweet treats also play their part, as Mariyam Athiza Athif explains in her<br />
story Sugar & Spice. Dressing up is also at the heart of revelries here<br />
and Aminath Ishrath explores the skill that goes into creating a traditional<br />
Maldivian dress in her article, Lady in Red.<br />
Parallel to life in the secluded local islands, the air in the resorts is always<br />
thick with the spirit of celebration, too. Often it’s the joy of recent nuptials,<br />
but sometimes it’s simply the delight of being on holiday. And never is<br />
this more tangible than in the build up to the festive season. As Nashiu<br />
Zahir reports in Santa’s Helpers, legions of workers are deployed to bring<br />
guests a very special island Christmas at the Coco Collection resorts.<br />
Then, after all the indulgence and frolics, comes a new year with all its<br />
accompanying hopes and opportunities. It’s a time when new rituals<br />
are initiated, and new habits established. In this spirit, in A Journey to<br />
Maldives, my husband and I resolve to spend more time at the spa. In the<br />
same vein, Noona Hussein sets her fears aside to try something new for<br />
Into the Blue, her account of scuba diving for the first time.<br />
And so, I remind myself that at this time of year more than any other, I<br />
have the chance to create my own traditions. And in a country where<br />
celebrating is at the heart of daily life, I think I’ll start 2016 by doing just<br />
that: celebrating life at any given opportunity. I hope you might consider<br />
doing the same.<br />
In the meantime, Happy Holidays and my very best wishes for an exciting<br />
New Year.<br />
info@perspective.mv, www.perspective.mv<br />
© Coco Collection, 2016.<br />
Printed by Printpac, PO Box 7823, Plot Ind. 055,<br />
IMPZ Dubai, United Arab Emirates.<br />
Adele Verdier-Ali<br />
6<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
What’s Cooking at Coco?<br />
2015 has been a busy year for Coco Collection, and 2016 shows no signs<br />
of slowing down. Festive cheer, international awards and phenomenal<br />
competitions: here’s the latest news from the islands!<br />
Island Festivities<br />
As per tradition, Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu is eager to<br />
share with you our Zero-Waste Christmas, where all the<br />
decorations are crafted from recyclable and biodegradable<br />
materials. At Coco Bodu Hithi, kids and adults alike are<br />
invited to get into the spirit, enjoy magic tricks by the<br />
beach and join us in opening the Gingerbread Village at<br />
Air Restaurant.<br />
Coco Spa at Coco Bodu Hithi is channeling the festive<br />
spirit with a ritual to relax the whole body. The journey<br />
begins with a silk cocoon facial to hydrate and purify the<br />
face, combined with warm stone therapy to calm back<br />
muscle tensions, a deep tissue massage to relax body<br />
knots, and a scalp massage to de stress and calm the<br />
mind. Ladies, if you would like to glam up just a bit before<br />
Christmas dinner, drop by for a complimentary session of<br />
nail painting.<br />
At Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu, Christmas is not complete<br />
without something special for the little ones. For the festive<br />
period, a mini kid’s club will be busy in the afternoon with<br />
fun games and activities so that you can enjoy some<br />
quality time alone.<br />
COCO NEWS<br />
Sifah Saeed – A dynamic Maldivian photographer<br />
Hailing from the beautiful island of Fuvahmulah in the south of Maldives, Sifah<br />
Saeed is the winner of our photography competition themed “Children of the Sea”, an<br />
invitation to creatively express how Maldivians have always depended on the sea for<br />
their livelihood.<br />
Sifah’s journey in the field of photography began when he completed a course in<br />
black and white film photography and dark room photo development in 2004. During<br />
this time, Sifah was mentored by Yassin Hameed, talented Maldivian photographer<br />
and entrepreneur that put Portrait Gallery at the top of the photography studios in<br />
Male’. To this day, Sifah credits the creative thinking of Yassin in allowing him to trust<br />
his instincts and go down the path of photography as a successful career choice.<br />
While travelling all over the Maldives, Sifah truly embraced his passion for<br />
photography which has now become an integral part of his life. Alongside his interest<br />
in capturing the natural picturesque scenery of luxury resorts, portraits and precious<br />
moments of local island life are favourite snaps from his Nikon camera. Sifah’s<br />
photography style is very much focused on capturing genuine moments, fun, bright<br />
and daring colours, immersed in natural surroundings.<br />
Sifah Saeed<br />
As with every photographer, Sifah has a wish list and at the moment, his eyes are set on the Nikon D4S. Working in<br />
the field for more than a decade and averaging 100 shoots a year, this young, hardworking artist has no plans of slowing<br />
down. He hopes to leave behind a portfolio that can be an inspiration for generations to come.<br />
www.cococollection.com 7
At the 2015 World Luxury Hotel<br />
Awards gala ceremony held at the<br />
Harbour Grand Hong Kong, Coco<br />
Collection won the award for Luxury<br />
Hotel Brand in the Maldives and the<br />
individual properties excelled with<br />
distinct awards.<br />
Coco Bodu Hithi celebrated<br />
winning the title of Luxury Water<br />
Villa Resort in the Indian Ocean,<br />
highlighting the 56 villas scattered<br />
over the lagoon of Bodu Hithi Island.<br />
At the Coco Residences, the largest<br />
over-water wing, signature privileges<br />
such as daily high tea, weekly<br />
sunset cocktails, yoga sessions, and<br />
individual butler service from a team<br />
of dedicated lifestyle hosts make for a<br />
truly timeless experience.<br />
Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu, where<br />
environmentally-conscious touches<br />
are woven into luxurious natural<br />
surroundings, took home the<br />
award for Luxury Green Hotel in the<br />
Maldives. At the forefront of initiatives<br />
to preserve the marine biodiversity<br />
of Baa Atoll, contribute to the<br />
environmental and social sustainability<br />
of the Maldives, and to educate and<br />
engage guests, associates and local<br />
communities, Coco Palm Dhuni<br />
Kolhu continuously strengthens the<br />
responsible philosophy embodied by<br />
the portfolio.<br />
More on the awards front, at the<br />
2016 Condé Nast Johansens Spa<br />
Awards for Excellence, Coco Bodu<br />
Hithi shone as the Best Destination<br />
Celebrations<br />
on International<br />
Hospitality Stages<br />
Earn rewards with your stay<br />
We are offering the opportunity<br />
for you to earn rewards and miles<br />
with a complimentary points-based<br />
loyalty program. Enroll now to begin<br />
earning points and make your stay as<br />
meaningful as it is memorable!<br />
iPrefer is your gateway to a<br />
selection of privileges and services<br />
at Coco Bodu Hithi and Coco Palm<br />
Dhuni Kolhu, or any Preferred Hotels<br />
and Resorts property that you stay at.<br />
Sign up now and members booking<br />
with eligible rates will be able to<br />
redeem points with cash-value reward<br />
certificates for free nights, dining and<br />
spa discounts. Depending on your<br />
reward tiers, enjoy privileges such<br />
Spa. Created to acknowledge,<br />
reward and celebrate excellence<br />
across the featured spas in the<br />
Luxury Spas Guide, these annual<br />
awards are a trusted mark of quality,<br />
recognised by luxury consumers<br />
and travel professionals alike. For<br />
guests at Coco Bodu Hithi, wellness<br />
is embodied as a lifestyle at the<br />
soothing Coco Spa perched on stilts<br />
over the lagoon.<br />
Exciting plans are up ahead for<br />
the collection in 2016, and we hope<br />
to inspire our guests to rekindle their<br />
love of travel with us!<br />
as priority early check-in and late<br />
check-out, complimentary internet,<br />
special welcome amenities and villa<br />
upgrades.<br />
Up next on our loyalty program,<br />
is the opportunity to earn miles with<br />
your favourite airline programmes.<br />
Book an eligible rate and present your<br />
frequent flyer card when you arrive to<br />
earn miles with 17 world class airlines<br />
including British Airways, Singapore<br />
Airlines, Qantas, Etihad and Korean<br />
Air. Furthermore, stay in a Coco<br />
Residence to earn double miles and<br />
enjoy a world of opportunities!<br />
8<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
COCO NEWS<br />
‘Tis the<br />
Season to<br />
be Giving<br />
We continue to partner with various<br />
charitable organizations throughout<br />
the year, and this holiday season has<br />
been no different. Having worked<br />
together with the below organisations<br />
and their signature events, we<br />
sincerely hope to make a difference<br />
with our support to these charitable<br />
causes.<br />
Held at London’s iconic Savoy<br />
Hotel on 25th November, the<br />
Macmillan Annual Ball is a flagship<br />
event by Macmillan Cancer Support,<br />
a charity founded in 1911. Today, the<br />
organization consists of a complete<br />
team of medical professionals,<br />
supporters, volunteers, and people<br />
affected by cancer, all united with the<br />
ambition to provide support and help<br />
In September, we surprised the<br />
online community with a campaign to<br />
name HK 2235, a juvenile hawksbill<br />
turtle identified at the house reef of<br />
Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu by our marine<br />
biologist Chiara Fumagalli. Using<br />
Twitter and Instagram, followers were<br />
encouraged to post a chosen name<br />
and picture showing the inspiration<br />
behind the choice, where a lucky<br />
winner can enjoy seven blissful nights<br />
in a Sunset Beach Villa at Coco Palm<br />
Dhuni Kolhu.<br />
those affected to feel more in control<br />
of their lives.<br />
The traditional year-closing Winter<br />
Ball by Make A Wish Foundation<br />
took place on 28th November at the<br />
Dorchester in London. The foundation<br />
exists for the sole purpose of granting<br />
magical wishes to enrich the lives of<br />
children and young adults battling<br />
life-threatening diseases. Whether<br />
it’s starring in a movie, meeting a<br />
celebrity or going on an amazing<br />
once-in-a-lifetime holiday, the<br />
foundation makes dreams come true<br />
for these children!<br />
Over in Germany on the same<br />
evening, the Goose Dinner is an<br />
event with an exclusive charity raffle<br />
in favour of Kinderschutz Zentrum<br />
Berlin, an institution offering refuge<br />
for socially disadvantaged children<br />
suffering from various forms of abuse.<br />
Due to last year’s generous sponsors,<br />
they were able to make the children’s<br />
dream come true and built a sports<br />
field in the garden of the institution.<br />
Back in London on 5th December,<br />
the Emeralds and Ivy Ball marked<br />
its 10th anniversary in aid of Cancer<br />
Research UK and the Marie Keating<br />
Foundations. Hosted by Ronan<br />
Keating, the event is the main<br />
instrument for the foundations to work<br />
towards discovering new ways to<br />
prevent, diagnose and treat cancer,<br />
and eventually bring forward the day<br />
when all cancers are cured.<br />
We have a winner for #ShellMeMyName<br />
We had such a great time going<br />
through all the suggestions and with<br />
such wonderful inspirations, selecting<br />
a winner was way harder than we<br />
thought. After much consideration,<br />
the winning name is Nanaboozhoo,<br />
submitted by Tatiana Humphreys!<br />
Her inspiration comes from the<br />
native Indian legend “The Turtle<br />
Island” in which the turtle sacrifices<br />
itself by placing Earth on its back to<br />
save others. Nanaboozhoo is one of<br />
the main heroes in this legend. We are<br />
already planning Tatiana’s stay and<br />
it looks like she is going to celebrate<br />
Valentine’s Day with us.<br />
Through this campaign, we got to<br />
share a bit more about the sea turtle<br />
identification program in Maldives,<br />
and the work conducted by our team<br />
and partner Olive Ridley Project in<br />
protecting these critically endangered<br />
species. Stay in touch for more<br />
competitions in 2016!<br />
www.cococollection.com 9
The Accidental<br />
Hotelier<br />
Adele Verdier-Ali<br />
In this issue, we begin to tell the story of<br />
Coco Collection. Here, we trace the origins<br />
of the brand’s success to its very roots.<br />
“Let’s be very frank,” says Coco<br />
Collection Chairman and Managing<br />
Director, Mr Shabeer Ahmed as we<br />
sit down for coffee in the lounge<br />
of a glitzy Hong Kong hotel, “my<br />
becoming a hotelier was accidental.<br />
I was in the right place at the<br />
right time.” Straightforward and<br />
approachable, Mr Shabeer has a<br />
“The story<br />
begins over 35<br />
years ago when<br />
Mr Shabeer was<br />
selected by<br />
the Maldivian<br />
government to<br />
join a two-year<br />
engineering<br />
course in Japan”<br />
congenial humility when it comes to<br />
his success. Some might find this<br />
surprising considering that he is in<br />
Hong Kong to receive the latest in<br />
a long line of prestigious awards<br />
bestowed upon Coco Collection. Yet<br />
over the next hour, as he reminisces<br />
about the beginnings of the company<br />
and describes a life of 18-hour days,<br />
working two jobs and overcoming<br />
Mr Shabeer Ahmed in 1988<br />
infinite obstacles, it becomes<br />
apparent that his accomplishments<br />
have very little to do with luck. Rather,<br />
they are the fruit of a combination of<br />
foresight, enterprise and (at times)<br />
sheer, dogged will.<br />
The story begins over 35 years<br />
ago when Mr Shabeer was selected<br />
by the Maldivian government to join<br />
a two-year engineering course in<br />
10<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
COCO STORY<br />
groups would arrive and leave on the<br />
same day, with resorts operating back<br />
to back.”<br />
In comparison to the international<br />
tour operators, Sunland Travel was<br />
a small fish in the Maldivian pond.<br />
Resorts were far keener to work with<br />
tour operators that were bringing<br />
in tourists in bulk and would often<br />
give preferential treatment to those<br />
agencies. “Staying in business was<br />
difficult because I couldn’t compete<br />
with those numbers and room<br />
availability was so scarce in those<br />
days,” Mr Shabeer says.<br />
Mr. Shabeer with Kanazawa-san from Groovy Tours, Sunland Travel’s first partner<br />
Japan, fresh out of his A-level class at Shabeer explains. And so, whenever a<br />
Majeediyya School. The government plane with Japanese tourists landed,<br />
sponsorship was part of a national Mr Shabeer would go to the arrival<br />
initiative to upgrade the airport to hall and greet the relevant guests,<br />
international status, prompted by a escorting them to the awaiting dhonis<br />
mounting number of tourist arrivals. that would convey them to the resorts.<br />
Upon his return, Mr Shabeer would<br />
Very soon, this part-time meet-andgreet<br />
service expanded and Mr<br />
then utilise his knowledge in the<br />
engineering department of the airport.<br />
Shabeer decided to register a<br />
However, once there something<br />
company: Sunland Travel Pte Ltd.<br />
crucial happened that would later<br />
Alongside the ground-handling<br />
expedite his move into the tourism<br />
element of the business, he started<br />
business: he learnt Japanese.<br />
buying rooms from the other hoteliers<br />
Upon his return to the Maldives and selling them to the Japanese<br />
in 1981, he joined the engineering travel agencies. He began visiting<br />
department at the airport as planned Japan on a regular basis, travelling<br />
but kept in contact with the many the entire country to meet with travel<br />
friends he’d made in Japan. And agents in an attempt to promote<br />
a few years later in 1984, when Air the company. And all the while, Mr<br />
Lanka (now SriLankan Airlines) started Shabeer continued to work in his<br />
flying directly from Colombo to Tokyo, government role at the airport.<br />
the numbers of Japanese tourists in<br />
“The biggest difficulty during<br />
the Maldives began creeping up.<br />
those days was that I was dealing<br />
“I began to receive requests with tourists that arrived on FIT (Free<br />
from my friends in Japan - who Independent Traveller) status,” Mr<br />
were working with the General Sales Shabeer explains. “The traffic from<br />
Agents of Air Lanka - asking me to Europe on the other hand, was<br />
help with the arrival logistics,” Mr arriving via chartered flights. Huge<br />
Unlike today, during the late 80s<br />
there were very few resort islands and<br />
the government was slow to give more<br />
islands for development. So whilst<br />
demand was increasing, room stock<br />
remained the same. “It was difficult to<br />
secure rooms,” Mr Shabeer recalls,<br />
“everywhere was full, sometimes even<br />
overbooked.” When that happened,<br />
guests who had booked via smaller<br />
local operators were the first to get<br />
bumped. Nevertheless, Mr Shabeer<br />
continued undeterred and as a result<br />
“As a small local<br />
tour operator,<br />
you never knew<br />
whether you’d exist<br />
tomorrow.”<br />
of his hard work, Sunland Travel soon<br />
garnered a reputation for reliability.<br />
Ground handling continued to<br />
constitute an important part of the<br />
business, with the company handling<br />
guests from airlines such as Eva Air,<br />
flying direct to Male’ from Taipei. “In<br />
those days, all airline tickets had to be<br />
www.cococollection.com 11
“Yet the<br />
government<br />
continued to hold<br />
back on putting<br />
islands out for<br />
tender. Until one<br />
night that is, when<br />
Mr Shabeer came<br />
home to find his<br />
wife holding the<br />
newspaper.”<br />
reconfirmed,” explains Mr Shabeer,<br />
“which meant collecting the tickets<br />
from the guests when they arrive,<br />
reconfirming them with the office<br />
in Male’ and bringing them back to<br />
the airport on the day of the guests’<br />
departure. So they had to put an awful<br />
lot of trust in us.”<br />
For several years, Mr Shabeer<br />
handled all aspects of the Japanese<br />
tourist arrivals. These guests normally<br />
Mr Shabeer in Japan, during the Maldives first official roadshow<br />
arrived on late night Singapore Airlines those days, everyone who worked<br />
flights, which meant staying at the for the government wanted to work<br />
airport until very late. This was made for 20 years so that they would have<br />
even tougher by the early morning Air a pension,” he recalls, “and I also<br />
Lanka arrivals!<br />
considered it.” Ultimately though, Mr<br />
Shabeer (who had been reneging on<br />
At the same time he continued<br />
sleep to accomplish all his goals,)<br />
with his government airport position<br />
admitted that there were simply<br />
which consumed most of the day for<br />
not enough hours in the day, and<br />
some more years. “Every night after I<br />
tendered his resignation.<br />
came home from the airport, I would<br />
deal with booking confirmations and By the mid-90s, Sunland Travel was<br />
invoices, sending messages from a fairly well established but he wanted<br />
Telex machine I had installed in my to somehow secure control over beds<br />
bedroom,” he laughs.<br />
if he were to survive in the business.<br />
“As a small local tour operator, you<br />
Business continued to grow. “In<br />
never knew whether you’d exist<br />
tomorrow. And I thought, ‘If we want to<br />
continue in this business, we need to<br />
have more control over beds’.”<br />
Yet the government continued to<br />
hold back on putting islands out for<br />
tender. Until one night that is, when<br />
Mr Shabeer came home to find his<br />
wife holding the newspaper. An island<br />
had been made available for tender,<br />
the paper announced. An island that<br />
would change everything…<br />
Male’ International Airport<br />
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www.cococollection.com 13
The Art of<br />
CELEBRATION<br />
Ahmed Mauroof Jameel<br />
14<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
COVER PHOTO STORY ESSAY<br />
These arches, known as ‘gidige’ are erected for national celebrations<br />
Maldivian celebrations take<br />
many varied forms, likely<br />
owing to the fact that the<br />
archipelago is a melting pot of<br />
seafaring cultures crisscrossing<br />
the globe and the ages. Festivities<br />
incorporate anything from elaborately<br />
choreographed performances to<br />
trancelike crescendos, sombre<br />
religious experiences to island-wide<br />
water fights. While certain kinds<br />
of celebrations are dying out or<br />
changing with the times, certain<br />
aspects persist and are worth noting<br />
as they set Maldivian celebration<br />
apart.<br />
Island life creates a strong spirit of<br />
community that moulds inhabitants<br />
in certain ways. This spirit permeates<br />
celebrations despite changing times,<br />
and communities still come together<br />
in a big way for celebration.<br />
Come Ramadan, neighbourhoods<br />
and wards would compete with<br />
each other to decorate streets and<br />
communal areas, eschewing working<br />
on individual homes. Prestigious<br />
affairs held on auspicious days, like<br />
bodu maaloodhu, are usually followed<br />
by a day and night of feasting. The<br />
whole island gets involved, and<br />
matters of food and drink occur on<br />
a wholly different scale. Drinks are<br />
made in stoppered wells, and it’s<br />
common fare for attendees to eat as a<br />
group out of oversized plates carrying<br />
oversized dishes.<br />
“Maldivians love<br />
their food and<br />
festivity but<br />
there’s one thing<br />
they love more:<br />
mischief.”<br />
Maldivians love their food and<br />
festivity but there’s one thing they<br />
love more: mischief. It is common<br />
practice to play pranks on newlyweds<br />
to sabotage their wedding nights. This<br />
could involve anything from whisking<br />
the bride away or putting livestock in<br />
the bedroom. Eid celebrations usually<br />
involve island-wide water fights and<br />
koadikedun, where unmarried men<br />
have to brave a mob of the island’s<br />
womenfolk through the lagoon to<br />
reach an object hoisted on a pole.<br />
The only prize is acknowledgment of<br />
bravery, for the man who succeeds is<br />
violently scrubbed clean, powdered<br />
and paraded around the island, a<br />
prisoner of the women.<br />
Rounding out this wilder side is a<br />
sense of decorum that manifests in<br />
performances like dhandi jehun (‘the<br />
striking of sticks’). Possessed of a<br />
martial quality and a sense of gravitas,<br />
dhandi jehun can be as varied as<br />
the character of the islands but often<br />
start slow and build into something<br />
blindingly fast. They are invariably<br />
measured and elaborate. These<br />
qualities also appear in performances<br />
like fali jehun, a martial rowing<br />
performance accompanied by a beat<br />
and shanty. These more sombre<br />
forms of celebration usually mark<br />
the arrival of important dignitaries or<br />
presentation of gifts.<br />
Note that while certain aspects of<br />
celebration stand out, each island has<br />
its own way of doing things. So there’s<br />
always more to see!<br />
www.cococollection.com 15
1<br />
1 Women performing a traditional ‘dhandi jehun’ dance<br />
2 Men gather for a ‘jaafaiy’, a shared celebratory meal<br />
3 During celebrations, children throw paint and enjoy water fights<br />
4 Islanders dress up as ‘maali’, invented whimsical characters to<br />
entertain their neighbours.<br />
2<br />
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PHOTO ESSAY<br />
3<br />
4<br />
www.cococollection.com 17
1<br />
2 3<br />
18<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
PHOTO ESSAY<br />
4<br />
5<br />
1 Young men perform bodu beru drumming<br />
2 Coconut tree climbing competitions are a fun celebration ritual<br />
3 Traditional dancing to the rythyms of bodu beru<br />
4 Children and adults alike enjoy water fights throughout the islands<br />
5 Islanders preparing for a koadikedun<br />
www.cococollection.com 19
Santa’s<br />
Helpers<br />
WORDS: NASHIU ZAHIR PHOTOS: MAHIN FAYAZ<br />
Our carpentry workshops may be out of sight but they are a<br />
hub of activity throughout the year. No less so at Christmas,<br />
when Santa recruits a few more helpers to ensure the islands<br />
brim with a festive cheer that is kind to the environment.
COCO FAMILY<br />
You expect everyone to be busy<br />
during the festive season, that is,<br />
everyone working in hospitality. This<br />
applies to all departments. At Coco<br />
Bodu Hithi, the carpentry department<br />
is a bustle of activity. Headed by<br />
Nestor Delacruz Barrozo, a Filipino<br />
with a love for the trade, the small<br />
troupe of seven carpenters are<br />
engrossed in making decorations and<br />
small but beautiful gifts for guests.<br />
Not that they do not have other work;<br />
they also conduct repairs of, and<br />
in some cases, make, the island’s<br />
beautiful wooden furniture.<br />
Head carpenter Nestor is a soft<br />
spoken man who comes from Lupi,<br />
Camarine Sur in the Philippines. He<br />
was not always into carpentry; he<br />
worked as a baker to support his<br />
family soon after quitting college.<br />
“My father fell sick,” Nestor recalls.<br />
“So he couldn’t finance my studies<br />
and I had to work.” He joined the<br />
national railway corporation after his<br />
bakery stint, working as a labourer<br />
and later as a foreman. Then, upon<br />
recommendation of a friend he learnt<br />
carpentry at a vocational institute.<br />
Nestor found out that he had a natural<br />
aptitude for it. “After I’d completed my<br />
training I worked in the Philippines<br />
and earned quite a bit,” he says. “It<br />
was good money and I really enjoyed<br />
the work.” Then in the mid 90s, he<br />
took his first job in the Maldives when<br />
he joined Makunudu resort in 1994.<br />
Then he moved to Coco Palm Dhuni<br />
Kolhu in 1998 and later in 2006, to<br />
Coco Bodu Hithi where he has made<br />
himself at home.<br />
Nestor’s team has come up with a<br />
few surprises for the guests at Coco<br />
Bodu Hithi. One is a handcrafted<br />
miniature dhoni, which will appear in<br />
all guest rooms. There is real division<br />
of labour involved in its production.<br />
One makes the hull from coconut<br />
husks, another makes the sails from<br />
the gauze-like material found in<br />
coconut palms, yet another makes<br />
the rudder and wooden components<br />
of the vessel. The completed work is<br />
a thing of beauty, a testament to the<br />
craftsmanship of Coco Bodu Hithi’s<br />
skilled carpenters.<br />
It was not always that easy to<br />
create a dhoni, Nestor muses,<br />
mentioning that it took him three days<br />
to make one on the first attempt. But<br />
then he was working on his own and<br />
now he and his team can produce<br />
over ten of them per day.<br />
Another little Christmas titbit is the<br />
small Christmas tree; Nestor and his<br />
www.cococollection.com 21
colleagues make them using fallen<br />
twigs of trees. The little pieces of<br />
wood are arranged in a criss-cross<br />
pattern and decorated with tiny<br />
ornaments. Nestor reckons the team<br />
can churn out about 15 of these<br />
beauties a day. They are to brighten<br />
up each guest room as well, small but<br />
delightful tokens of the season.<br />
The air is no less frenzied at Coco<br />
Palm Dhuni Kolhu, the Baa Atoll<br />
property of Coco Collection. When I<br />
visit I meet A.K Ali and a team of six<br />
other carpenters who have their noses<br />
to the grindstone, making gifts for the<br />
season.<br />
Assistant Head Carpenter Ali,<br />
who comes from a small town in<br />
Tamil Nadu, India, has been involved<br />
in carpentry for most of his life,<br />
unlike Nestor who took it up in his<br />
mid-thirties. After eight years of<br />
school, he got into the trade because<br />
it was something he had a passion for<br />
at an early age. “My neighbourhood<br />
had a few carpentry workshops,” he<br />
says. “I got into it in my teens and<br />
I haven’t looked back since.” Ali is<br />
a man of many talents; although<br />
carpentry is his passion, he knows<br />
how to fix things, he’s something of a<br />
mechanic, a mason and a plumber all<br />
rolled into one. In fact, his introduction<br />
to Coco Collection was as a<br />
construction worker, working in Coco<br />
Palm Dhuni Kolhu back in 1995. Then<br />
he joined the carpentry crew at Coco<br />
Palm Dhuni Kolhu the following year.<br />
“The small troupe of seven<br />
carpenters is engrossed in<br />
making decorations and<br />
small but beautiful gifts for<br />
guests.”<br />
The carpentry workshop in<br />
Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu is large<br />
and crowded with planks of wood,<br />
furniture and odds and ends. This<br />
is where Ali and his team do their<br />
business. “We repair all the resort’s<br />
furniture here,” he says. “Not only that,<br />
we make many things from scratch<br />
here, too.” An array of wooden items<br />
required by the resort are made to<br />
specifications at the workshop. These<br />
include major works like furniture<br />
(including parasols) and signage. The<br />
carpenters also make smaller wooden<br />
items like the new in-room phone<br />
directories with their twiggy bases and<br />
smartly painted text, small wooden<br />
labels for the food at the buffet, and<br />
wooden key-tags.<br />
Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu’s gifts and<br />
decorations look impressive. Take<br />
the ginger-bread house for instance.<br />
It is meticulously designed and<br />
accompanied by a small tower. Their<br />
roofs come off, so that their interiors<br />
can be decorated. These houses and<br />
the towers will appear in the resort’s<br />
main restaurant during the festive<br />
season, where they will be decorated<br />
with frosting, biscuits and lights. A real<br />
treat for the eyes, Ali assures and it is<br />
not hard to believe him.<br />
The Christmas decorations also<br />
include wreaths that will be hung in<br />
each of the resort’s 98 rooms. Though<br />
made of scrap plywood a lot of care<br />
went to their making. Decorated<br />
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COCO FAMILY<br />
Head Carpenter Nestor Delacruz Barrozo<br />
www.cococollection.com 23
COCO FAMILY<br />
with wood shavings and bits of coral<br />
(taken from the beach, not the reef),<br />
they also feature three bamboo<br />
components, giving them a slightly<br />
oriental twist.<br />
A new year’s gift for each room<br />
is also in the making. Ali reveals a<br />
silhouette of a dhoni with palm trees<br />
sprouting from the middle, whose<br />
fronds bear the New Year greeting.<br />
They too are made by recycling left<br />
over bits of wood. The palm trees are<br />
decorated in fine sand while the dhoni<br />
sports dark brown sawdust.<br />
You may not notice them, or<br />
even be aware of their existence;<br />
carpenters are for the most part<br />
invisible, much of their work is done<br />
behind the scenes. But they are an<br />
integral part of the Coco family, and<br />
during the season of festivities, they<br />
go the extra mile to contribute to the<br />
spirit of the season. They are also<br />
unsung advocates of re-using and<br />
recycling; most the seasons’ gifts are<br />
not imported but made from local<br />
materials and leftover wood. So think<br />
of Nestor, Ali and their team when you<br />
see that special trinket in your room.<br />
DHONI TROLLEY<br />
The dhoni housekeeping trolley is a particular triumph of Coco Palm<br />
Dhuni Kolhu’s carpentry team. Elegantly designed to accommodate all<br />
housekeeping items, the dhoni trolleys feature a small hut whose roofs act as<br />
flaps so that items can be stored and retrieved. At the prow of the trolley is<br />
another flap covering more storage space.<br />
The brainchild of Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu’s erstwhile head carpenter<br />
Ibrahim Zahir, the trolleys are iconic symbols of the Coco Collection resorts.<br />
Representing an ideal Maldivian-ness, they are multifaceted signifiers of what<br />
it means to be Maldivian: unique, artistic, resourceful, pragmatic.<br />
24<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
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GIFT GUIDE<br />
Festive Gifts<br />
All Wrapped Up!<br />
Mariyam Athiza Athif<br />
The festive season is here. And<br />
while it’s a time for celebrating<br />
the ones you love and enjoying<br />
hearty home cooked meals with them,<br />
it’s also a time for gift shopping,<br />
sometimes on crunch mode. It might<br />
be a daunting task to figure out what<br />
to get for friends and relatives who<br />
seem to have it all, especially while<br />
you are so far away from home.<br />
To help you out, we’ve prepared<br />
the ultimate guide to help you find<br />
creative and uniquely Maldivian gift<br />
ideas for everyone on your list. The<br />
following are authentic souvenirs<br />
carefully crafted by the local folks from<br />
all over the Maldives. They are little<br />
reflections of the unique culture and<br />
beauty of the country that you can<br />
take back home to share with your<br />
friends and family.<br />
www.cococollection.com 25
FOR DAD<br />
Miniature dhoni<br />
The Maldivian traditional dhoni boat encompasses the knowledge and<br />
skill of the carpenters who traditionally built them without any drawings or<br />
plans. Gift your dad with a miniature version of this handsome vessel and<br />
share with him the numerous Maldivian adventures you had in the sea.<br />
FOR A SISTER<br />
Bottle of white<br />
Maldivian sand<br />
Your feet have been grazing the<br />
soft, white and sandy beaches<br />
throughout your holiday in the<br />
Maldives. Get your sister one<br />
of these little bottles of sand<br />
and instil in her a desire for<br />
escapades and exploration.<br />
FOR MOM<br />
Lacquer vase<br />
Skilfully hand carved with intricate<br />
designs in red, black and yellow,<br />
an authentic Maldivian lacquer<br />
vase is the absolute gift for your<br />
mum especially if she’s into<br />
ornamenting and collecting. The<br />
finest lacquer work is said to be<br />
found on Thulhaadhoo in Baa<br />
Atoll where the abstract hand<br />
carved patterns can be found on<br />
wooden pots and jewellery boxes<br />
in addition to the vases of varying<br />
sizes.<br />
FOR A BROTHER<br />
Wooden turtle<br />
Traditionally, wood carving was a craft that allowed locals to make utensils<br />
such as pots and spoons. The craft has evolved over the years to produce<br />
an assortment of items that include quirky salt and pepper shakers to<br />
miniature models of marine animals. If you’ve gone diving in the Maldives,<br />
it’s likely that you’ve met a turtle. So gift your brother with a miniature turtle<br />
and tell him all about the magnificent animal.<br />
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GIFT GUIDE<br />
FOR AN UNCLE<br />
Roanu<br />
FOR GRANDMA<br />
Raa bandhi<br />
Gift your uncle with this sturdy rope that’s both practical and ornamental.<br />
Roanu or coir rope is made from the husk of ripe coconuts and the process<br />
of making roanu is locally known as roanu veshun. The coconut husks are<br />
first buried in the beach for a few weeks so that the waves would soak<br />
them. Then, the fibre within the husks are removed and sundried before it<br />
is spun between skilful hands. If a rope doesn’t feel like much of a present,<br />
you can also go for a small roanu floor mat.<br />
Traditionally, the flower bud of<br />
the coconut tree is cut at the tip<br />
before it blossoms and the raa<br />
bandhi is hung right beneath it<br />
to collect its sap which used to<br />
be a much enjoyed drink, both<br />
sweet and pungent. Gift your<br />
grandma with this traditional<br />
toddy collecting pot. If she’s<br />
into gardening, she could use<br />
it as a hanging container, and if<br />
not it would also be a beautiful<br />
decorative item that she could<br />
hang in her porch, kitchen or<br />
anywhere else in her home.<br />
FOR AN AUNT<br />
Thundu kunaa placemats<br />
FOR GRANDPA<br />
An Ovvalhugondi<br />
Ovvalhugondi is a traditional<br />
board game. The board itself<br />
is carved out of wood and the<br />
game is played with cowry shells<br />
or madhoshi, the bright red<br />
seeds of the coral wood tree. Gift<br />
your grandpa with one of these,<br />
and maybe enjoy a few games<br />
with him as well.<br />
Thundu kunaa are mats traditionally used for sleeping, seating<br />
and praying. While a full sized mat might not be a convenient<br />
choice, the same intricately woven mats are now made in<br />
placemat sizes. The mats are hand woven to traditional<br />
designs although weavers sometimes introduce slight hints of<br />
individuality. Weavers also often cultivate their own grass, which<br />
they sun dry, and make their own dyes by using leaves and roots.<br />
www.cococollection.com 27
Philippe Laurella<br />
Portrait of the Artist<br />
Adele Verdier-Ali sits down with a man of many talents.<br />
Male’, the capital of Maldives, is<br />
a small place. Over 100,000<br />
people are crammed into two<br />
square kilometres. Sharing narrow<br />
pavements, walking the same roads,<br />
convening in the same coffee shops –<br />
day in, day out. So if you look slightly<br />
different in this surging sea of faces,<br />
you’re going to get noticed, and<br />
recognised. It will come as no surprise<br />
then, that Philippe Laurella, with his<br />
shock of unruly brilliant white hair,<br />
Hawaiian shirts and trusty briefcase<br />
forever in one hand, is a man who’s<br />
hard to miss.<br />
Sporadically, throughout my five<br />
years in the Maldives, I’ve spotted<br />
Philippe in these congested streets.<br />
And as is the way in the Maldives,<br />
the information reached me as if<br />
by osmosis, that Philippe, a French<br />
national, was a designer and builder<br />
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BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
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LOCAL ARTISTS<br />
of boats.<br />
In fact, more than that, Philippe is<br />
famous amongst locals and expats<br />
alike for being the first man to build<br />
and captain a liveaboard safari vessel<br />
in the country. So upon finally sitting<br />
down with Philippe, it is with some<br />
surprise that he describes himself<br />
as a painter. But I am getting ahead<br />
of myself. Let’s rewind somewhat. A<br />
great deal, in fact….<br />
It’s the late 1970s and lure of the<br />
East still tightly grips the longhaired<br />
hippies of Western Europe.<br />
Disillusioned youngsters are seeping<br />
out of the continent in their droves,<br />
in search of enlightenment and<br />
adventure. Laurella, 30 years old and<br />
at the tail end of an unsuccessful<br />
marriage, decides to sell his printing<br />
press company and join them. He<br />
purchases a ticket for the ‘magic bus’,<br />
and sets off for Kathmandu.<br />
Several months later, he had<br />
spanned the sub-continent and found<br />
himself in a south-Indian harbour,<br />
boarding a ship to the Maldives<br />
where he thought he would spend a<br />
few days. He ended up staying 18<br />
months. What came later is a story<br />
that he’s told many times.<br />
After a short trip to France to<br />
settle some business affairs, he<br />
returned to the Maldives and it has<br />
been his home ever since. With no<br />
formal education in the subject,<br />
Philippe, through flair, practice and<br />
experimentation, soon became one<br />
of the most renowned boat builders in<br />
the country, designing all manner of<br />
vessels throughout his career.<br />
But now, four decades later, his<br />
drive to design boats is waning.<br />
“Building boats is a physical job, and<br />
I’m 74,” he says over a cup of coffee<br />
in his airy apartment (which turns out<br />
to be 50 metres from my own), “so<br />
these days I prefer to paint.” This is<br />
www.cococollection.com 29
not to say that Philippe aspires to the<br />
life of a leisurely pensioner, whiling<br />
away his twilight years at his easel.<br />
Far from it! Instead, he approaches<br />
painting with an energy and<br />
enthusiasm that is frankly exhausting.<br />
“People dream of being retired, and<br />
of doing nothing,” he exclaims with<br />
disdain, “but that path leads directly<br />
to the grave! We have to be active!”<br />
His paintings radiate with this<br />
vigour and liveliness. Almost all of<br />
his canvases depict wildlife found<br />
in the Maldives, most notably the<br />
indigenous fish and birds. From his<br />
paintbrush they swarm and swirl<br />
across his large canvases, painted in<br />
gouache and watercolour. Repetition<br />
and patterns feature predominantly,<br />
as does movement. There is a certain<br />
naivety to his pieces that makes<br />
them reminiscent of folk art, yet at the<br />
same time each species he depicts
LOCAL ARTISTS<br />
is anatomically precise, and detailed.<br />
Invariably, his paintings are cheerful<br />
in mood, and as animated as their<br />
creator.<br />
Yet despite his obvious passion<br />
for the arts, I’m surprised to learn that<br />
Laurella started painting fairly late in<br />
life. “It was a rainy day in 1998 and I<br />
had nothing to do,” he recalls. “So I<br />
picked up a paintbrush to pass the<br />
time and discovered I could paint.”<br />
The finding didn’t surprise him a great<br />
deal though, as he comes from a<br />
family of artists, writers, painters and<br />
musicians who ensured he lived a<br />
colourful childhood.<br />
From then on, parallel to his career<br />
in boat building, Laurella painted<br />
abundantly. Whenever, he held an<br />
exhibition it would sell out within<br />
days. For a few years, he sold pieces<br />
www.cococollection.com 31
y hanging them on the wall of an<br />
Italian restaurant called Twin Peaks<br />
in Male’. “I sold 800 paintings from<br />
Twin Peaks,” he recalls. “One day<br />
a British businessman bought 35<br />
pieces at once! The only problem was<br />
that he wanted them in Hong Kong<br />
within three days, but I managed.” He<br />
also sold limited edition prints from<br />
souvenir shops, which proved very<br />
popular with divers and underwater<br />
enthusiasts who snapped up his<br />
vibrant scenes.<br />
Despite this, it was never an<br />
avenue Laurella could pursue fulltime.<br />
“Painting could never pay all the bills,”<br />
he admits, “which is why I’ve always<br />
built boats.”<br />
Nowadays however, this appears<br />
to be changing. Recently, upon seeing<br />
limited edition prints of Laurella’s
LOCAL ARTISTS<br />
www.cococollection.com 33
LOCAL ARTISTS<br />
work in a local shop, an American<br />
tourist contacted him and ultimately<br />
negotiated the purchase of the<br />
copyright to Philippe’s complete<br />
works, effective exclusively in the<br />
United States. On the back of this,<br />
Philippe is now preparing for an<br />
extensive exhibition in Miami. Another<br />
is scheduled to be held in Australia.<br />
He is also in talks with high-end<br />
printers in France to produce a range<br />
of more exclusive limited editions,<br />
which he believes will be more<br />
lucrative than selling originals.<br />
And so, it appears that the<br />
Maldivian boating industry could be<br />
ceding its greatest icon to the art<br />
world. “I’ve already got enough work<br />
for the next ten years,” he laughs, “so<br />
why would I carry on building boats if I<br />
can quietly make my paintings?”<br />
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ISLAND CULTURE<br />
HAGNAAMEEDHOO<br />
Where a king rests<br />
Nashiu Zahir<br />
In the 17th century, a Maldivian king<br />
was slain whilst fleeing a gang of<br />
marauding Malabar pirates. His body,<br />
along with his ship, washed ashore<br />
on the beaches of Hagnaameedhoo<br />
in South Ari Atoll. Today he still lies<br />
entombed alongside his manservant in<br />
the grounds of the island mosque.<br />
www.cococollection.com 35
Quick Facts<br />
Location: Alif Dhaal Atoll<br />
(Latitude 3.849193, Longitude 72.954177)<br />
Distance from INIA: 74 kilometres<br />
Population: 700 approx.<br />
Health Centres: 1<br />
Schools: 2<br />
Cafés and Restaurants: 4<br />
The king’s tomb sits inside the mosque compound<br />
In the 17th century, a king was<br />
slain whilst fleeing marauding Malabar<br />
pirates. His body, along with his ship,<br />
washed ashore on the shores of<br />
Hagnaameedhoo in South Ari Atoll.<br />
Today, the sleepy island provides a<br />
glimpse into a bygone era.<br />
Why would anyone want to go to<br />
Hagnaameedhoo? The question is<br />
put to me while I am in the midst of<br />
planning my trip to the island. I have<br />
never been to South Ari Atoll, and<br />
Hagnaameedhoo is accessible (the<br />
speedboat ride from Male’ takes<br />
just over an hour). There is good<br />
snorkelling to be had in its vicinity.<br />
Plus it has a history; the body of a<br />
king is buried there, marked by a<br />
tomb. Why not, I think.<br />
So I find a guesthouse, the Local<br />
Island Inn, and I find out from a friend<br />
that a company called HMIH Travels<br />
operates regular speedboat transfers<br />
to and from Hagnaameedhoo, four<br />
days a week. I ring up their hotline<br />
and book a seat. I was set for the trip.<br />
I arrive on the island around<br />
5:15pm after a relaxing journey<br />
across a placid November sea. I am<br />
greeted at the jetty by the guesthouse<br />
“What to make of<br />
Hagnaameedhoo<br />
then? Its languid<br />
nature, its welcoming<br />
people, its history<br />
and off-the-beatentrack<br />
charm make it a<br />
special place.”<br />
manager’s brother, Adil Adam, the<br />
guesthouse manager. He tells me<br />
everyone calls him Santana, a token<br />
of the time he spent as a DJ in<br />
resorts.<br />
I follow him, catching snippets of<br />
rural life; men and women in joalis,<br />
enjoying conversation and the late<br />
afternoon breeze. A group of children<br />
squeal past ahead of their entourage<br />
of parents. Political party insignia and<br />
slogans adorn the walls of buildings.<br />
Most are single storied, some old<br />
and rambling with coral walls, others<br />
brightly painted, flashes of colour in<br />
an otherwise dull street. There is little<br />
noise besides the occasional caw of<br />
a crow.<br />
After checking in, I want to catch<br />
the sunset on the beach. Santana tells<br />
me that some guesthouses on the<br />
island had got together to make a little<br />
private beach area in the west side of<br />
the island. The beach is empty when<br />
I arrive, and I enjoy a fine sunset in<br />
welcome solitude.<br />
The next morning after breakfast,<br />
Santana suggests that I go snorkelling<br />
around Ali Koi Rah. It is a nearby islet<br />
36<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
ISLAND CULTURE<br />
that guests frequent for sunbathing,<br />
and for a taste of that coveted desert<br />
island experience. I am entrusted to a<br />
young man, Arsal, who guides me to<br />
a small speedboat. The sea is calm<br />
but even the smallest wave makes<br />
itself felt.<br />
Arsal says something over the<br />
growl of the engine and points to the<br />
horizon. The islet appears a fleck of<br />
white in the distance, growing larger<br />
as we approach it. But not by much.<br />
Arsal takes the boat right to the shore<br />
and I jump off. The only vegetation<br />
there is clusters of grass and shrubs.<br />
All around is snowy sand surrounded<br />
by swathes of blue-green lagoon. It is<br />
deserving of the word pristine.<br />
The water is so inviting that I want<br />
to dive right in. Arsal suggests I try<br />
the reef slope instead and we board<br />
the boat. Soon we are on the outskirts<br />
of the reef. I don the mask and fins<br />
that Santana provided and take the<br />
plunge.<br />
It is a veritable garden beneath<br />
the waves, sculpted to perfection by<br />
nature, a cornucopia of multihued<br />
corals with fish darting in and out<br />
of crevices. Banner fish, fusilier,<br />
triggerfish, and swarms of sprats with<br />
sunlight glinting off their silvery scales<br />
have made this reef their home. It is a<br />
truly beguiling sight, with the power to<br />
captivate for hours on end.<br />
That afternoon I visit the tomb<br />
of Sultan Ibrahim III (Kalaafaan). It<br />
is a stone’s throw from the harbour<br />
area, and easy to spot because of<br />
the white flags surrounding his burial<br />
plot. The compound includes another<br />
tomb, that of Jamal Kalo who fought<br />
beside the sultan and died with him.<br />
It also houses an ancient mosque<br />
whose interior boasts fine Maldivian<br />
craftsmanship.<br />
Sultan Ibrahim III Kalaafaan of the Utheemu Dynasty was the son of the legendary Ghazee<br />
Muhammad Thakurufaan al-Auzam, who drove away the Portuguese from the Maldives and became<br />
king. Kalaafaan reigned from 1585-1609.<br />
The French explorer François Pyrard, who was in the Maldives during Kalaafaan’s reign says this: ...he<br />
was in nowise inclined to war, but solely to letters, sciences and manufactures and he was also much given<br />
to women, as, indeed, was nothing remarkable in that land. (Pyrard VI. P252)<br />
Renowned Maldivian historian and judge Hassan Tajuddeen (1661-1727) is more respectful and<br />
says of Kalaafaan in his Tarikh Deeba Mahal: He was a sensible generous King, an awe-inspiring,<br />
magnificent, equitable and just Sultan; a learned scholar.<br />
Sultan Kalaafaan was aboard his vessel fleeing from Malabar pirates – from the southern region of<br />
India, lying between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea – when he was slain. He was acting upon<br />
advice by judge Mohamed Fandiyaaru Kaleygefan that it was better to run and hide than to fight. The<br />
Sultan was believed to have been killed with a lance thrown at him by his pursuers. His abandoned ship<br />
washed ashore on Hagnaameedhoo and his wives and nobles entombed him by the mosque. We know this<br />
from an ancient document relating to the death of the king, written in Dives script.<br />
In the past successive kings and<br />
queens had spent considerably<br />
on the maintenance of the tomb;<br />
this is evidenced by the Kalaafaan<br />
Manuscripts, documents, some<br />
centuries old, regarding the upkeep<br />
of the tomb. Even as recently as<br />
1930, the then prime minister Abdul<br />
Majeed Didi’s Grant prescribed to<br />
the inhabitants of Hagnaameedhoo<br />
a yearly payment of six thousand<br />
coconuts, eighteen bundles of coir<br />
rope, sixty bottles of coconut oil, two<br />
hundred pieces of cadjans and five<br />
fowls. A small fortune, in other words.<br />
However, Ali Moosa, who looked<br />
after the tomb for over two decades,<br />
says that there is no one overseeing<br />
its affairs anymore, at least not in an<br />
official capacity. But he hopes that<br />
the interest in the tomb sparked by<br />
tourists will help keep it from falling<br />
into neglect. It’s part of our cultural<br />
heritage and an integral part of the<br />
island’s identity, he says. “We have to<br />
preserve it for future generations.”<br />
What to make of Hagnaameedhoo<br />
then? Its languid nature, its welcoming<br />
people, its proximity to beautiful reefs<br />
and islets, its history and off-thebeaten-track<br />
charm make it a special<br />
place. The latter aspect however is<br />
something that may well be lost in<br />
the near future; Santana reckons that<br />
several new guesthouses are going<br />
to open up in 2016. And when that<br />
happens, this quiet, little-known slice<br />
of paradise will metamorphose into<br />
something bolder. But until then, it is<br />
what it is.<br />
www.cococollection.com 37
The Chef’s Table<br />
Nashiu Zahir<br />
speaks to<br />
Coco Bodu<br />
Hithi Executive<br />
Chef I Wayan<br />
Sundira about<br />
his journey to<br />
becoming an<br />
executive chef.<br />
I<br />
Wayan Sudira, or Wayan as he is<br />
popularly known, is the executive<br />
chef at Coco Bodu Hithi. He was<br />
born in Bali, Indonesia to a modest<br />
family of farmers. In fact, he was<br />
something of a farmer himself when<br />
he was very young, working in the<br />
fields until he finished junior high<br />
school.<br />
A preternaturally driven young<br />
person, he put himself through<br />
high school with proceeds from his<br />
work on the farm. In high school he<br />
happened to attend a presentation<br />
on hospitality. “It was given by a<br />
BPLP representative at my school,”<br />
he recalls (BPLP is a prominent<br />
hospitality institute in Bali). “I was<br />
immediately taken with it. It seemed<br />
like a very promising career.”<br />
After high school, Wayan’s parents<br />
supported his year at the hospitality<br />
institute, where he learnt English and<br />
F & B production. “We had theory<br />
classes one week and we’d put our<br />
ideas into practice the next,” says<br />
Wayan. “It was a very interesting<br />
period in my life in many ways.”<br />
His first job was in a hotel in Ujung<br />
Padang, where he worked as a<br />
kitchen helper. After four years, Wayan<br />
was promoted to chef de partie.<br />
He moved around Indonesia for a<br />
few years, working in West Timor and<br />
later Lombok where he held chef de<br />
partie positions.<br />
He returned to Bali in 1988, where<br />
he joined the team at Sheraton<br />
during its pre-opening. There he had<br />
a fortuitous and defining encounter<br />
with an Australian chef, Willie Wilson.<br />
“He was the executive chef; a very<br />
charismatic, confident person and an<br />
excellent teacher,” Wayan reminisces.<br />
“I learnt a lot from him and soon<br />
I realised I wanted to be like him<br />
someday. I wanted to be an executive<br />
chef.”
COCO RECIPES<br />
Fresh local tuna tartar, one of Chef Wayan’s favourite dishes<br />
After a decade of hard work he<br />
accomplished this goal, becoming<br />
the executive chef at Soka Hotel<br />
in Cambodia where he stayed for<br />
two years. Then followed a stint in<br />
the Caribbean, where Wayan was,<br />
title-wise, a notch down as chef de<br />
cuisine. But it was a lucrative position<br />
and one that he enjoyed immensely.<br />
He later moved back to Indonesia,<br />
joining Montigo Resorts, Nongsa.<br />
While there, he was tempted by<br />
the suggestion of some friends to<br />
consider a move to the Maldives. “I’d<br />
heard good things about the place;<br />
that it was remarkably beautiful and<br />
had some of the best hospitality<br />
brands in the world,” he says. “The<br />
Maldives had been on my mind for a<br />
while, even then.”<br />
So in 2013, he joined the Coco<br />
family at Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu.<br />
“My first thought was simply ‘wow’,”<br />
he laughs. “I was thrilled with the<br />
place. It was so lush and green with<br />
a spectacular beach and lagoon.<br />
Also I was at a point in my life when<br />
“When guests<br />
compliment me<br />
or my team on<br />
the food, there’s<br />
nothing in the<br />
world that can<br />
quite match that<br />
feeling.”<br />
I was tired of the bustle of big cities,<br />
especially their traffic. At Coco Palm<br />
Dhuni Kolhu I could concentrate on<br />
my work and not have to worry about<br />
commuting back and forth.”<br />
He transferred to Coco Bodu<br />
Hithi just over a year ago, where he<br />
is the executive chef, supervising a<br />
team of nearly 70 staff. “Coco Bodu<br />
Hithi has everything,” he says. “It’s a<br />
sophisticated resort set in a beautiful<br />
island landscape. The management<br />
is attentive and respectful to the staff.<br />
Plus I have a great team with me who<br />
are willing to do what it takes to set<br />
the bar higher. And our guests are<br />
delighted to be here, because all<br />
departments have that team spirit and<br />
work towards the same goal.”<br />
When asked about what he likes<br />
best about his work he replies: “There<br />
are those moments that I cherish,<br />
when guests compliment me or my<br />
team on the food. There’s nothing in<br />
the world that can quite match that<br />
feeling.”<br />
www.cococollection.com 39
COCO RECIPES<br />
At Coco Bodu Hithi, Chef I Wayan Sundira cooks up an array of tantalising<br />
dishes daily. Here are just two of his favourites - try them out at home!<br />
GRILLED REEF FISH ON EGGPLANT,<br />
SAFFRON RICE WITH MALDIVIAN<br />
CHILLI AND RED ONION SALSA<br />
1 PORTION<br />
Ingredients<br />
180 grams Reef fish fillet skin off<br />
15 grams Lemon juice<br />
5 grams Salt<br />
5g grams Black pepper crushed<br />
15 ml Olive oil<br />
75 grams Saffron rice<br />
30 grams Blanched asparagus<br />
30 grams Grilled eggplant<br />
25 grams Maldivian chilli and red onion salsa<br />
20 grams Red chilli sambal<br />
5 grams Coriander<br />
Method of Preparation<br />
1 Marinate fish fillet with salt, pepper and olive oil<br />
2 Grill the fish till done<br />
3 Marinate the eggplant with salt, pepper and olive oil, and then<br />
grill till soft<br />
4 On the serving plate, place chilli sambal and grilled eggplant<br />
5 Put the fish on the eggplant<br />
6 Add saffron rice and maldivian chilli and onion salsa<br />
7 Garnish with fresh coriander leaves<br />
FRESH LOCAL TUNA TARTAR,<br />
TRUFFLE CHIPOTLE CHILLI<br />
SAUCE, SALMON ROE AND CRISPY<br />
TORTILLA<br />
1 PORTION<br />
Ingredients<br />
100 grams Fresh local tuna<br />
10 grams White boiled egg<br />
5 grams Chopped onion<br />
15 ml Lemon juice<br />
10 grams Chopped red bell pepper<br />
5 grams Miso paste<br />
10 ml Truffle oil<br />
10 ml Kikkoman soya<br />
5 grams Chipotle chilli powder<br />
5 grams Micro herbs<br />
30 grams Crispy tortilla<br />
5 grams Salmon roe<br />
Method of Preparation<br />
1 Dice tuna loin and keep aside<br />
2 Put diced tuna in a clean bowl, add all ingredients except<br />
micro herbs and tortilla<br />
3 Toss gently and smoothly till mixed well<br />
4 Place the tuna mixture in a ring and press gently<br />
5 Take out the ring and transfer to the serving plate<br />
6 Garnish with micro herb and salmon roe<br />
7 Serve with crispy tortilla<br />
40<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
MALDIVIAN CUISINE<br />
Sugar &<br />
Spice<br />
Mariyam Athiza Athif<br />
In a country where island gardens are bountiful with tropical<br />
fruit and where local markets entice buyers with sweet spices<br />
and cinnamon, it’s no surprise to find an array of tempting<br />
desserts in every kitchen. Here Mariyam Athiza Athif describes<br />
the Maldives’ sweetest treats.<br />
For Maldivians, meals don’t<br />
necessarily end with a dessert<br />
unless it’s a very special<br />
occasion; a satisfied hunger<br />
is rather indicated by the chewing of<br />
areca nuts and betel leaves. Desserts<br />
on the other hand are at many<br />
times devoured just for the sake of<br />
satisfying a sweet tooth.<br />
A large portion of Maldivian<br />
desserts are prepared for the<br />
customary afternoon tea as foni<br />
hedhikaa or sweet short eats. They<br />
are had together with the savoury<br />
ones, championed by a sweetened<br />
cup of black tea. Sweet eats are<br />
also prepared as nibbles that are<br />
to be had whenever and wherever,<br />
and sometimes containers of these<br />
tidbits are exchanged between<br />
households, reinforcing friendships<br />
and bonds. The preparation itself is<br />
also sometimes a relaxing communal<br />
activity. Groups of women would sit<br />
out in open areas, especially during<br />
the late afternoon, telling stories and<br />
jokes, while their hands lazily made<br />
the goodies they would later take<br />
home.<br />
Maldivian desserts are chock-full<br />
of regional influences enduring<br />
hints of the visitors who had arrived<br />
in the country and mingled with<br />
the local folks during the times of<br />
the past. Similar to the desserts of<br />
neighbouring India and Sri Lanka,<br />
most Maldivian desserts are laced<br />
with spices such as cardamom and<br />
cinnamon and aromatized by the use<br />
of rose and jasmine water similarly<br />
to the desserts of Middle Eastern<br />
cuisine.<br />
Although many Maldivian desserts<br />
are parallel to those of neighbouring<br />
countries, what makes them unique<br />
is the hefty use of local ingredients.<br />
Coconut is one that’s used<br />
abundantly and in many forms while<br />
local fruits and vegetables such as<br />
breadfruit, cassava, banana, taro and<br />
pumpkin make regular appearances.<br />
Maldivian desserts, though fragrant<br />
and spiced, are simply affairs mostly<br />
fried or baked, and below are just<br />
a handful of them in an attempt to<br />
convey the gist of the delectable list.<br />
www.cococollection.com 41
MALDIVIAN CUISINE<br />
Zileybi<br />
This is the Maldivian version<br />
of the popular sweet of South<br />
Asian, Middle Eastern, and<br />
African cuisine Jalebi. They are<br />
fried goodies made from wheat<br />
flour and are coated with a<br />
sugar syrup that’s infused with<br />
cinnamon, cardamom and rose<br />
water. What’s unique about the<br />
Zileybi of the Maldives is that it<br />
is always made bright red, dyed<br />
with food colouring.<br />
Hunihakuru<br />
Either fried or steamed, this<br />
is the super sweet Maldivian<br />
dumpling. The sugary filling is<br />
made with grated young coconuts<br />
or gabulhi, jasmine water,<br />
cinnamon and cardamom.<br />
Bambukeyo<br />
bondibai<br />
Maldivian cuisine has many<br />
versions of unique porridges<br />
called bondibai and bambukeyo<br />
bondibai made from breadfruit<br />
is a popular one. The<br />
breadfruits are diced and<br />
cooked in coconut milk with<br />
sugar, jasmine water, rampa<br />
leaves, and rose water.<br />
Ulhaali<br />
This is one of the prettiest<br />
of Maldivian desserts and<br />
its preparation is a bit more<br />
intricate when compared to<br />
the rest. A dough is made with<br />
flour, sugar, eggs and coconut<br />
milk and then it’s rolled and cut<br />
into thin strips. The strips are<br />
once again rolled between the<br />
hands to make them long and<br />
cylindrical, and then are twirled<br />
to make beautiful circular lattice<br />
type designs that are finished off<br />
by being deep fried.<br />
Addu bondi<br />
The famous Addu bondi of<br />
Addu Atoll is a scrumptious<br />
sweet wrapped in a banana<br />
leaf. It’s traditionally made by<br />
mixing the thick honey like<br />
syrup obtained from toddy<br />
called dhiyaa hakuru with grated<br />
gabulhi, and similar to most<br />
Maldivians desserts, it’s made<br />
fragrant by the use of jasmine<br />
water.<br />
Githeyo<br />
boakibaa<br />
Githeyo boakibaa is a rice<br />
cake and ghee is the special<br />
ingredient. The sugar rich cake<br />
is flavoured with cinnamon,<br />
cardamom, rampa leaves and<br />
jasmine water, and the sprinkling<br />
of roasted sea almonds<br />
or kanamadhu and fried onions<br />
on the top makes it an extra<br />
fragrant affair.<br />
42<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
EXPERIENCE<br />
Into the BLUE<br />
Noona Hussein<br />
With its calm, shallow lagoons,<br />
sloping reefs and incredible marine<br />
life, the Maldives is the ideal place<br />
to try scuba diving for the first time.<br />
Noona Hussein discovers what it<br />
feels like to breathe underwater.<br />
www.cococollection.com 43
“I turn, and there she is! A possibly four<br />
feet, white tip reef shark, swimming<br />
lazily towards us.”<br />
I<br />
am what some would call a quiet,<br />
pensive person. I am the type<br />
whose idea of living dangerously<br />
would mean wearing beige to a white<br />
party. So when my editor announced<br />
that she was looking for someone<br />
to experience scuba diving to write<br />
about it, I not only surprised my<br />
colleagues, but I surprised myself by<br />
volunteering so enthusiastically.<br />
I was to complete a PADI Discover<br />
Scuba Diving programme with the<br />
dive centre at Coco Bodu Hithi, Dive<br />
Ocean.<br />
A few days later I arrive at the<br />
dive centre. I fill out the basic forms,<br />
and watch a twenty minute video<br />
explaining the skills I would need to<br />
master that day. After watching the<br />
video, I meet Taka, the Japanese<br />
base leader at the dive school. Having<br />
started diving in 2007, Taka has<br />
been a PADI certified instructor for 6<br />
years. As this would be my first ever<br />
dive, I am even more excited that my<br />
instructor is a woman who, after much<br />
time talking with her, I would come to<br />
greatly admire, I must admit.<br />
We sit for a few minutes chatting<br />
about diving, and she explains the<br />
basics of what I would be expected<br />
to do, and teaches me a few basic<br />
hand signals. After a few minutes of<br />
chatting, I feel completely at ease with<br />
Taka.<br />
After a kind assistant helps me pick<br />
out a wetsuit, fins and mask, Taka and<br />
I walk to the south of the island near<br />
the water sports centre, where she<br />
assures me I will get to interact and<br />
see plenty of fish and beautiful corals.<br />
Noona Hussein<br />
44<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong><br />
Noona Hussein
EXPERIENCE<br />
Taka helps me with my tank, BCD,<br />
regulator and everything else before<br />
going in the water. By now, my heart<br />
rate begins increasing by the minute,<br />
but this doesn’t stop me, and I follow<br />
her in, slowly but surely.<br />
We sit in the shallow waters<br />
to practice the basic exercises.<br />
Signalling me to follow her moves,<br />
she sinks under the shallow waters<br />
with the mask and regulator in place. I<br />
follow, and my first breath underwater<br />
is like a wake-up call. It is all so easy!<br />
I had never imagined it to be so<br />
calming and soothing, but it is! I feel<br />
ecstatic.<br />
Afterwards, skills complete,<br />
and still in the shallow waters,<br />
Taka congratulates me and I smile<br />
excitedly. I am now more confident for<br />
the dive.<br />
Slipping down underwater,<br />
releasing air from my BCD, Taka<br />
and I swim slowly. The drop off is<br />
a few feet away and I can already<br />
see small colourful fish darting<br />
about. Since Bodu Hithi is extremely<br />
eco-conscious, I am not surprised<br />
to see some coral farming projects<br />
underway in their lagoon. Taka swims<br />
alongside of me, every so often<br />
checking to see if I am alright.<br />
I am curiously examining a soft<br />
coral and the gentle way it moves with<br />
the slow currents when I see Taka<br />
signalling me to look on my right side.<br />
I turn, and there she is! A possibly four<br />
feet, white tip reef shark, swimming<br />
lazily towards us. I can’t seem to<br />
move, my heart is beating excitedly,<br />
and the slinky gorgeous fish just<br />
swims past us - proud, and graceful.<br />
I look back over to Taka, feeling a little<br />
overwhelmed, signaling her that I was<br />
okay.<br />
Our dive is coming to an end,<br />
and Taka signals me that it is time to<br />
ascend. Coming up, and inflating our<br />
BCDs, I remove my mask and I just<br />
beam from ear to ear, unable to find<br />
the words to describe the incredible<br />
rush I had just experienced. I jokingly<br />
say: “Oh wow, why have I never done<br />
this before?!” And she laughs.<br />
Even now, days later, I still smile to<br />
myself, thinking about that memorable<br />
dive, that beautiful day when I<br />
stopped saying ‘I will’, and I just went<br />
ahead and did it. All thanks to the<br />
fantastic crew at Coco Bodu Hithi.<br />
www.cococollection.com 45
EXPERIENCE<br />
Skills<br />
During a DSD, participants are expected to learn three skills:<br />
CLEARING THE REGULATOR: remove the regulator from your mouth, while blowing<br />
little bubbles out. Replace it, and then firmly blow the water out of the regulator, by either<br />
placing tongue against the opening of the regulator and blowing out, or pressing the<br />
purge button on the regulator.<br />
RETRIEVING THE REGULATOR: Once again, remove the regulator from your mouth<br />
and let it dangle by your side. Keeping your right arm on right thigh, dip slowly to the<br />
right, stretching right arm out, where the regulator automatically comes within reach.<br />
Place it in your mouth, then proceed with clearing it, as mentioned above.<br />
MASK CLEARING: Lift the mask’s seal so as a little bit of water enters the mask. Hold<br />
both sides of the mask (your temples), look up, and slightly press the skin on the mask<br />
where it meets your forehead, whilst exhaling from your nose. The water will rush out.<br />
46<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
GADGETS<br />
Gear up!<br />
Mariyam Athiza Athif<br />
So you’ve got your mask, fins and snorkel and you’re ready to take the plunge. But<br />
before you hit the ocean, why not snap up a gadget or two to really make the most<br />
of your time in the water.<br />
Blue or More Hands Free View, tap and<br />
swipe<br />
Tusa Corrective Lenses<br />
Stop squinting and snorkel safer with<br />
corrected vision underwater. Tusa<br />
Corrective lenses can be inserted into<br />
M-212 Ceos, M-28 Geminus, TM-7500<br />
Splendive II and M-40 Splendive IV<br />
masks. Lenses are manufactured<br />
from tempered glass and come in<br />
a variety of diopters for maximum<br />
flexibility and improved vision.<br />
8MP Underwater Digital<br />
Camera Mask<br />
Liquid Image Explorer Series 8MP<br />
Underwater Digital Camera Mask has<br />
an integrated waterproof digital video<br />
camera and a built in 8.0 megapixel<br />
digital camera. The camera mask<br />
can operate up to a depth of 15<br />
feet making this ideal for snapping<br />
pictures and making videos while<br />
snorkelling. Lenses are made of<br />
tempered glass and have integrated<br />
crosshairs that help you to line up<br />
shots. You simply have to press the<br />
shutter button to record pictures or<br />
videos.<br />
GoPro Hero4 Silver<br />
Hero4 Silver is the first-ever GoPro to<br />
feature a built-in touch display. Just<br />
view, tap and swipe the screen to<br />
control the camera, play back footage<br />
and adjust settings. Hero4 Silver is<br />
waterproof to 40 metres and features<br />
1080p60 and 720p120 video, 12MP<br />
photos up to 30 frames per second,<br />
built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and<br />
Protune for photos and videos.<br />
www.cococollection.com 47
GADGETS<br />
Breathe Like Normal<br />
Seamless functionality<br />
Tribord Easybreath<br />
Snorkelling Mask<br />
Easybreath is the first ever full face mask that<br />
allows you to breathe with your nose and mouth<br />
just like you would do on land. The innovative mask<br />
also allows snorkellers an unobstructed 180° field<br />
of vision, and is prevented from fogging up by a<br />
double air-flow system. To ensure that water does<br />
not enter via the snorkel, the Easybreath mask is<br />
equipped with a mechanism that plugs the top of<br />
the snorkel when immersed in water.<br />
Ikelite Underwater<br />
Housing<br />
Ikelite manufactures housings for a wide range of<br />
compact underwater and DSLR cameras. The housings<br />
are built by hand and individually tested for fit, function<br />
and waterproof integrity. Ikelite’s signature clear<br />
construction lets you see that the housing is watertight<br />
and dry before you enter the water, and provides a full<br />
view of the camera while you’re in the water.<br />
Move like a fish<br />
Underwater selfies<br />
Seabob<br />
Whether on the surface or at depth, with Seabob<br />
underwater scooters, now it’s actually possible<br />
to move through the water like a fish. The<br />
hydrodynamic shape makes it highly agile in the<br />
water. And to steer and to dive, all you have to do is<br />
shift your body weight. Seabob underwater scooters<br />
have various power level settings making it suitable<br />
for both relaxation and adventure.<br />
GoPole Evo<br />
This extension pole made for GoPro cameras is perfect<br />
for capturing selfies underwater as its transparent<br />
design makes it disappear in pictures. The 2-stage<br />
telescoping body extends from 14” to 24” and comes<br />
with a secure wrist strap attachment. It also has a Wi-Fi<br />
remote clip allowing you effortless control of the camera.<br />
GoPole Evo is also a floatation device making it easier<br />
for you to find your camera in case you lose your grip.<br />
48<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
TRADITION<br />
Lady<br />
inRed<br />
Often bright red and with a<br />
distinctive embroidered yoke, the<br />
national Dhivehi libaas dress is<br />
a work of art in itself. Aminath<br />
Ishrath explores the history of<br />
this traditional garment.
“The women’s costume is exceedingly becoming. Round the waist, and reaching<br />
down to the ankles, is worn a cloth (mostly of native manufacture), coarse in<br />
texture, of a dark chocolate colour, with a border of parallel black and white<br />
stripes. Over this they wear a kind of loose shirt, or gown, of silk, with short sleeves,<br />
reaching nearly to the knees, which is not made to fit to the neck and shoulders, but<br />
is gathered in round them; the openings for the neck and arms are ornamented with<br />
embroidery in gold, silver, and silk thread.”<br />
This excerpt is from German doctor and explorer, Carl Wilhelm Rosset’s account of his visit to Male’ in 1885. Here,<br />
Rosset indicated one of the earliest known versions of traditional attire worn by Maldivian women, the Dhivehi libaas.<br />
Renowned for many intricate crafts, Maldivian women have been known to be exceptionally skilled at a special type<br />
of embroidery known as kasabu boavalhu, an elaborate piece of work adorning the neckline of the Dhivehi libaas, a<br />
long robe-like dress of cotton or taffeta. François Pyrard’s travel memoirs of his time in the Maldives indicate that various<br />
versions of this dress have been in use since the 1600s. While the libaas can still be seen worn by older generations in<br />
some parts of the Maldives, the art of the embroidery process itself is a fading one.<br />
A Maldivian family photographed in 1883 in traditional dress<br />
A woman wears the traditional fattaru necklace<br />
The tools<br />
The gathaa fai is the base<br />
instrument, shaped out of wood like<br />
a short flower vase concaved in the<br />
middle and hollowed out to store the<br />
rest of the tools. Measuring around<br />
7.5 inches in height and decorated<br />
with lacquer work and carved designs,<br />
this base can be regarded as the<br />
embroidery loom. Gathaa faige boa<br />
is a round cushion made out of cloth,<br />
resting on top of the hollowed base,<br />
and is used to pin on the threads.<br />
The foalibai measure about<br />
5 inches in length and hold the<br />
cotton, silk and metallic threads<br />
while weaving. Since heavy foalibai<br />
are preferred to make the weaving<br />
process easier, they are usually<br />
carved out of fish teeth or sturdy wood<br />
that is lacquered. Up to 34 of these<br />
pieces can be used at one time to<br />
weave different styles of ribbons.<br />
The final tool is the baalees, a<br />
pillow shaped tool measuring 2 inches<br />
in length and also made out of fish<br />
teeth or wood. It is slightly concaved<br />
in the middle to wind the thread onto<br />
it, and can be seen functioning as a<br />
bobbin in this work.<br />
50<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
TRADITION<br />
A woman weaves using a gathaa faige boa<br />
Women often sat together as they worked<br />
Although often red, the Dhivehi libaas can be found<br />
in a variety of colours<br />
The ribbons<br />
The ribbons that are woven using<br />
the tools are categorized into three<br />
categories known as hiru, bagiyaa<br />
and rodhigandu. Hiru has four distinct<br />
silver and gold weavings measuring<br />
a certain width and bagiyaa is further<br />
categorized into two different styles<br />
using silver, gold and colored threads.<br />
Rodhigandu is the most intricate of<br />
the weavings, incorporating silk of<br />
lively colours such as reds, blues and<br />
greens into the classic silver threads.<br />
The use of very fine vibrant threads<br />
ensures a perfect finish to each<br />
weaved ribbon line.<br />
Once the ribbons have been<br />
weaved, there is a specific order in<br />
which they are hand stitched onto<br />
the neckline. A classic embroidered<br />
neckline must be at least four inches<br />
in width and the first line to be stitched<br />
closest to the neck is always a hiru,<br />
followed by a bagiyaa and repeated<br />
until it reaches the middle of the<br />
neckline. The middle is adorned<br />
with the colourful rodhigandu, after<br />
which the previous hiru and bagiyaa<br />
ribbons are repeated. At the end, two<br />
thin bagiyaa ribbons complete the<br />
striking embroidered neckline, kasabu<br />
boavalhu.
“The attire is still worn by women mainly during<br />
special functions and ceremonies. However, younger<br />
generations are drawing inspiration from the past<br />
and recreating versions of the kasabu libaas for<br />
ceremonies, runways and photo shoots.”
TRADITION
TRADITION<br />
The evolution<br />
The libaas with the kasabu<br />
boavalhu was worn by Maldivian<br />
women from the 1800s, and even<br />
from the 1600s, a version of this dress<br />
is said to have been worn. Different<br />
atolls had their signature touches to<br />
the embroidery process and the dress<br />
itself. While the ladies of Huvadhoo<br />
Atoll in the South used to incorporate<br />
more coloured threads into the<br />
weaving, those in Addu Atoll stuck<br />
more to the classic silver and gold.<br />
The early 1900s are said to be<br />
the golden era of the Dhivehi libaas.<br />
Along with the embroidered neckline<br />
on vibrant coloured dresses, the look<br />
is completed with a wide hand woven<br />
Still evolving<br />
ribbon lining the hemline of the sleeve<br />
(kinaaree), a heavy gold necklace<br />
resembling a chain of coins (fattaru<br />
bai), silver and gold bangles crafted<br />
by blacksmiths (ulhaa bai), a finely<br />
woven sarong (feyli) and a specially<br />
adorned kerchief worn on the hair<br />
(rumaa falhi).<br />
The Maldives endured great<br />
hardship in WW2 and trade<br />
opportunities with neighbouring<br />
Ceylon and Bombay were reduced.<br />
Along with basic necessities,<br />
Maldivians faced a severe shortage<br />
of goods such as silks and threads.<br />
With this shortage, the gilded kasabu<br />
boavalhu evolved into the fothi<br />
boavalhu, a piece of patterned cotton<br />
cloth placed around the neckline like<br />
a mini cape.<br />
After the end of the war, certain<br />
parts of the Maldives still faced<br />
extreme famine. However, the<br />
southern atolls with fertile soils<br />
were able to depend on fruits and<br />
vegetables such as yams, sweet<br />
potatoes and breadfruit. It is here in<br />
the South that the embroidery work<br />
was revived once more and even to<br />
this day, older generations can be<br />
seen wearing the kasabu or fothi<br />
boavalhu libaas.<br />
The attire is still worn by women<br />
mainly during special functions<br />
and ceremonies. However, younger<br />
generations are drawing inspiration<br />
from the past and recreating versions<br />
of the kasabu libaas for ceremonies,<br />
runways and photo shoots.<br />
Saadha Ali is a Maldivian<br />
seamstress and fashion designer with<br />
a bachelor’s degree in fashion design<br />
from the UK, whose mother is quite<br />
skilled at this authentic embroidery<br />
process. Even today, Saadha’s<br />
mother, who learnt the art from her<br />
father, continues to create the kasabu<br />
Dhivehi libaas for many clients.<br />
Meanwhile, Saadha is choosing<br />
to venture into the contemporary<br />
side as she creates versions of the<br />
modern day Dhivehi libaas. Her<br />
work pays respect to the authentic<br />
embroidery style as she re-creates<br />
the iru, bagiyaa and rodhigandu with<br />
ready-made materials, ribbons and<br />
lace stitched onto a more form-fitting<br />
version of the dress.<br />
Skilled at weaving particular types<br />
of the ribbon on an authentic gathaa<br />
fai, Saadha has been exposed to the<br />
art since she was a young girl. It is<br />
evident that these crafts are passed<br />
down from older generations to those<br />
who have a keen eye for the intricate<br />
work and a passion to keep the<br />
traditions alive.<br />
54<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
REVIEW<br />
A<br />
HERO<br />
IN TIME<br />
A BOOK REVIEW<br />
By Ibrahim Eelaf Naseer<br />
Royston Ellis’ swashbuckling account of the<br />
liberation of the Maldives from the hands of<br />
Portuguese colonisers takes readers back to a time<br />
of heroes and villains.<br />
The legend of Mohamed<br />
Thakurufaan is one that no<br />
Maldivian is unacquainted<br />
with. In fact, his bravery in restoring<br />
Maldivian sovereignty after a fifteenyear<br />
long Portuguese occupation in<br />
the 16th century is commemorated<br />
every year on National Day. However,<br />
save for a few historical documents<br />
and two local books written many<br />
decades ago, few accounts existed<br />
detailing the stirring saga of his life<br />
and ordeals. Most of what is known to<br />
Maldivians - and to the rare inquisitive<br />
traveller - has been passed down<br />
by word of mouth over generations.<br />
And with every re-telling, the story<br />
has passed through the bottleneck of<br />
quaint imagination, emerging in the<br />
form of hyperbolic heroism that instills<br />
fondness in the hearts of Maldivians<br />
www.cococollection.com 55
Utheem Gan’duvaru is the house where the Thakurufaan brothers lived, and can still be visited today<br />
to this day. Although these variations<br />
are likely to have blurred the lines<br />
between historic fact and fiction,<br />
the spirit of this tale is one that has<br />
stood the test of time. After all, what<br />
historical tale isn’t a tad embellished<br />
and apocryphal?<br />
Nevertheless, former Maldivian<br />
President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom<br />
wanted to capture the essence of<br />
Mohamed Thakurufaan’s endeavours<br />
in the form of historical fiction. He<br />
approached English novelist, travel<br />
writer and beats poet, Royston Ellis<br />
to execute this idea. And in the year<br />
2000, A Hero in Time was published in<br />
Singapore in the form of a 256-page<br />
novel, immortalising the tumultuous<br />
history of the Portuguese occupation,<br />
and the conviction, courage and<br />
determination of a small group of<br />
patriots that ousted these occupiers.<br />
The book is divided into three<br />
main sections, with parts one and<br />
two based in northern Maldives in the<br />
island of Utheem, where Mohamed<br />
Thakurufaan and his compatriots<br />
resided, and part three shifting<br />
between the islands of Minicoy and<br />
“Ellis is invested<br />
in painting a vivid<br />
picture of 16th<br />
century island life,<br />
stimulating nostalgia<br />
in the reader for a<br />
much simpler time.”<br />
the capital, Male’. From the get go,<br />
it is clear that Ellis is invested in<br />
painting a vivid picture of 16th century<br />
island life, stimulating nostalgia in the<br />
reader for a much simpler time. His<br />
integration of Maldivian lingo proves<br />
useful in portraying Maldivian culture<br />
and traditions. For the uninitiated,<br />
a helpful glossary of the words is<br />
provided at the back. Overall though,<br />
the narrative is simple, and easy to<br />
read. The lack of adornment lends<br />
the novel the directness of a folktale,<br />
enabling the characters’ dialogues to<br />
take centre stage instead. This makes<br />
A Hero in Time a compelling and<br />
powerful read.<br />
The novel begins with a prologue<br />
whereby Ellis illuminates the many<br />
adversities experienced by the locals<br />
during the Portuguese occupation.<br />
It was undoubtedly a time of many<br />
injustices, run by the Portuguese<br />
leader Andre Andrade, or Andhiri<br />
Andhirin (depths of the darkness)<br />
as he was referred to by the locals.<br />
“It was death for any citizen of<br />
the Dhivehi Realm who showed<br />
resistance to the Portuguese way<br />
56<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
REVIEW<br />
Details of carvings in the Kan’dhuvalhu Miskiiy, the ancient mosque in Utheem<br />
of life,” the prologue reads. As the<br />
narrative develops and the reader<br />
learns of the protagonists’ suffering<br />
and the hopelessness of the Maldivian<br />
people, Ellis elicits sympathy for a<br />
population in the pits of despair.<br />
Although the book begins<br />
slightly sluggishly, it does gain<br />
momentum towards the end with an<br />
adrenaline-inducing battle between<br />
the protagonists led by Mohamed<br />
Thakurufaan, and the Portuguese.<br />
As I was reading, I could not help<br />
but imagine a visually stimulating<br />
theatrical adaptation of this tale.<br />
Ellis has definitely established a<br />
memorable assortment of characters,<br />
which he has intentionally portrayed<br />
as either paragons of virtue or<br />
black-hearted villains. This, I believe,<br />
maintains the romanticised spirit of<br />
the tale, to that which almost every<br />
Maldivian has grown to love.<br />
To this day, there are not many<br />
books of this sort, which decidedly<br />
positions A Hero in Time as the<br />
cornerstone of English novels written<br />
about the country. Royston Ellis has<br />
maintained that he attempted to keep<br />
the narrative as historically accurate<br />
as possible, whilst simultaneously<br />
drawing on his own ingenious<br />
imagination to bring the tale to life. I<br />
urge any traveller interested in delving<br />
into the nation’s history to pick up<br />
this book. It is available to purchase<br />
on Amazon, as well as from major<br />
bookstores across Male’ City, such as<br />
Asrafee and Novelty.<br />
www.cococollection.com 57
The Voyage of<br />
Kalhofummi<br />
WORDS: AHMED MAUROOF JAMEEL ILLUSTRATIONS: EAGAN BADEEU<br />
58<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
FOLKLORE & LEGEND<br />
www.cococollection.com 59
In 1558 the Portuguese conquered the Maldives and set up a<br />
trading post under the leadership of Andhiri Andhirin. His cruelty<br />
and greed would undo the occupiers. When the Thakurufaanu<br />
brothers Ali, Mohamed, Hassan, and their ward Dhandehaylu built<br />
a boat unlike any other, Andhiri Andhirin sent men to slay the<br />
brothers and steal the boat.<br />
This sparked rebellion. Kalhofummi, the very boat Andhiri<br />
Andhirin coveted, would be used to attack the occupiers in the<br />
dead of night, disappearing with its crew before sunrise. The<br />
Kalhofummi’s successes birthed many legends. This is but a telling<br />
of one...<br />
60<br />
BY COCO COLLECTION<br />
JAN2016 | ISSUE <strong>002</strong>
FOLKLORE & LEGEND<br />
Their luck had run out. The brothers had finally been<br />
spotted and forced to flee. Kalhofummi was steady and<br />
silent as it sliced through the sea. But enemy boats were in<br />
pursuit and Ali clutched a nasty gunshot wound.<br />
Hassan handed Dhandeheylu the tiller to sit by Ali’s<br />
side.<br />
‘Little Hassan, always grim,’ said Ali.<br />
‘Tell that to him,’ said Hassan, nodding at Dhandeheylu.<br />
Ali managed a smile, thinking of their first meeting,<br />
Dhandeheylu a dirty little thing roaming the street.<br />
‘You have parents, boy?’ Ali had asked.<br />
‘Wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,’ Dhandeheylu had replied.<br />
‘They still alive?’<br />
‘Wouldn’t be here if they were.’<br />
‘Got the guts to earn proper food, boy?’<br />
‘Anything for food and a roof.’<br />
‘Well, we don’t take in scoundrels,’ said Ali. ‘Clean him<br />
up.’<br />
The boy had howled as Hassan and Mohamed<br />
scrubbed him clean. But they had fed him and given him<br />
a place to sleep, though it was under a roof of stars on<br />
board their first ship. Dhandeheylu surprised them with his<br />
tirelessness, sharp eye for good timber, and a tendency to<br />
wield Kalhofummi’s mast as a weapon.<br />
But he had never been this quiet. He kept glancing at<br />
Ali’s wound.<br />
‘Can’t we go faster?’ asked Hassan, seeing the lights of<br />
ships behind them grow brighter.<br />
‘Is Kalhofummi holding up?’ asked Ali.<br />
‘Did you taste salt? Are we underwater? Then, yes,’ said<br />
Dhandeheylu.<br />
Mohamed chuckled.<br />
‘Well, she still needs another coat of shark oil,’ muttered<br />
Ali.<br />
Mohamed rapped Kalhofummi’s smooth wood. It was a<br />
solid sound.<br />
‘It should be you who does that, big brother,’ he said,<br />
‘the one among us who actually pays attention to details.’<br />
The boat lurched as it struck something.<br />
‘Oafs,’ muttered Ali. ‘We’re heading straight towards that<br />
island.’<br />
It was true. There was a scruffy little islet directly ahead,<br />
the lagoon around it deadly. Dark heads of coral hung<br />
beneath the surface, spelling death to any boat hull.<br />
The pursuers were so close the Kalhofummi crew could<br />
hear their voices.<br />
‘They know we’re trapped,’ said Hassan.<br />
‘Give me the tiller,’ said Ali. ‘I’ll lead them away. You<br />
escape.’<br />
Nobody spoke. Kalhofummi continued to hurtle towards<br />
the island with neither creak nor groan.<br />
It was Mohamed who took the tiller.<br />
‘What are you doing?’ asked Ali.<br />
‘I’ll worry about that,’ said Mohamed. ‘You plan our next<br />
move. Shall we spirit our families away to Maliku until we<br />
free Maldives?’<br />
‘You’re steering us aground!’<br />
Kalhofummi stayed on its course.<br />
“The pursuers fell out of sight as<br />
Kalhofummi skipped over the<br />
waves, sliced through the water,<br />
sliced through the shore, and with<br />
a terrible crack, clove through the<br />
land itself.”<br />
‘Mohamed! I thought you’d be the responsible one<br />
when I’m gone.’<br />
‘You’re still here, Ali,’ said Mohamed. ‘Just remember<br />
a nameless boat out on its first journey. Remember one<br />
kalhu-oh, that magnificent fish leaping over the waves as it<br />
flew towards us. Remember Kalhofummi’s namesake.’<br />
The pursuers fell out of sight as Kalhofummi skipped<br />
over the waves, sliced through the water, sliced through<br />
the shore, and with a terrible crack, clove through the land<br />
itself.<br />
Even as the broken island fell behind him, Ali couldn’t<br />
believe what had happened. He had felt trees whipping at<br />
his face as they cut through the jungle, the splash as they<br />
returned to water. Kalhofummi had cut through the island.<br />
‘That’s one way of doing it,’ said Dhandeheylu.<br />
Mohamed nodded at Ali’s wound, as if nothing<br />
remarkable had happened.<br />
‘I know a good medicine man.’<br />
Kalhofummi, mostly unharmed, maintained its silent,<br />
confident course. For the first time since they had started<br />
their rebellion, the crew could believe anything was<br />
possible.<br />
www.cococollection.com 61
SET IN<br />
STONE<br />
A mosque from the ocean<br />
Fathimath Lamya Abdulla
ARTS & CULTURE<br />
In the heart of Male’ there lies a coral<br />
stone mosque. Built for a sultan and<br />
adorned with intricate carving and<br />
fine lacquer calligraphy, this 17th<br />
century heritage site is a place of<br />
worship, beauty and history.
Wood and stone carving, laquer work and calligraphy inside the Hukuru Miskiiy<br />
One of the monumental stops<br />
on any tour of the capital of<br />
the Maldives is the Hukuru<br />
Miskiiy, the Friday Mosque. Not<br />
that far from the Muleeaage – the<br />
Presidential Residence – is the ancient<br />
Friday Mosque, built in the year 1656.<br />
Eight years after Sultan Ibrahim<br />
Iskandhar I, also known as Siri Kula<br />
Kameeba Kattiri Bovana Maha Radun,<br />
ascended to the throne he ordered<br />
the construction of a new Friday<br />
Mosque, as the one that existed<br />
then was not sufficient enough to<br />
accommodate all those that called<br />
upon there to offer their prayers.<br />
The demolished mosque was the<br />
very first Friday Mosque in the nation,<br />
established by the very first Muslim<br />
Sultan of Maldives, Mohamed Bin<br />
Abdulla, after he converted to Islam in<br />
1153 A.D.<br />
The new Friday Mosque took about<br />
a year and half to complete, even<br />
with the most talented carpenters<br />
and masons of the country working<br />
on the project. Both the old and the<br />
new Friday Mosque had thatched<br />
roofs when they were initially built.<br />
However, the new mosque underwent<br />
renovations on two counts in which<br />
“The corals collected<br />
from various places<br />
in the Maldives were<br />
hewn together so<br />
tightly that even a<br />
needle couldn’t pass<br />
through it.”<br />
this aspect was altered. First, in the<br />
year 1912 A.D, Sultan Mohamed<br />
Shamsuddin Iskandhar III replaced<br />
the thatched roof with corrugated<br />
iron sheets. Later on in 1964, the<br />
corrugated iron sheets were replaced<br />
by aluminum sheets and the roof<br />
structure was reconstructed with teak.<br />
The stone and wood carvings were<br />
done by local masons and carpenters,<br />
a feat so marvelously impressive in<br />
terms of its architectural ingenuity that<br />
Dutch Captain, Fredrick de Houtman<br />
complimented it on various counts.<br />
What surprised him most was the<br />
Maldivian way of building houses, the<br />
way corals were put together without<br />
mortar, or lime or any other building<br />
material. The corals collected from<br />
various places in the Maldives were<br />
hewn together so tightly that even a<br />
needle couldn’t pass through it.<br />
One of the most distinctive features<br />
of the Hukuru Miskiiy is the intricate<br />
carvings on the coral stones, and the<br />
various types of wood used for the<br />
pillars, doors and window frames.<br />
Furthermore, the mosque had great<br />
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ARTS & CULTURE<br />
coral stones that had been skillfully<br />
carved and engraved. The inscriptions<br />
and the carved designs that<br />
decorated the interior of the mosque<br />
were in Arabic and Dhivehi, written<br />
in the old Maldivian Script<br />
Dhives Akuru.<br />
The Arabic inscriptions<br />
are mainly quotations from<br />
the Holy Quran and Sayings<br />
of Prophet Mohamed (Peace<br />
Be Upon Him). Historical<br />
facts about the mosque were<br />
also inscribed in Arabic. The<br />
Dhivehi inscriptions in Dhives<br />
Akuru mostly described the<br />
duties of the imams, and<br />
other members holding<br />
various offices in the mosque<br />
such as dhoshun and malims.<br />
The coral stones inside<br />
and outside the Hukuru Miskiiy<br />
have been beautifully carved with<br />
abstract geometrical designs,<br />
that archeological experts say are<br />
influenced from 11th century Islamic<br />
art. The most commonly used colours<br />
for the lacquer works are red, blue,<br />
green, and gold.<br />
After Sultan Ibrahim Iskandhar<br />
I returned from his pilgrimage to<br />
Mecca in 1668 A.D, he ordered the<br />
construction of a minaret and a<br />
southern gateway to the mosque. The<br />
minaret was completed in 1675, and<br />
resembled the minarets of Mecca of<br />
that time.<br />
The southern gateway<br />
was constructed with four<br />
roofs covering an area of<br />
approximately 360 square<br />
feet, with two dhaalaas on<br />
either side. It is regarded<br />
as the first “institute” or<br />
“classroom” established<br />
in the Maldives to carry<br />
out formal education as<br />
the Sultan ordered the<br />
Holy Quran be taught<br />
to children there. Over<br />
time however, major<br />
changes were made to<br />
the compound with it<br />
eventually being demolished in 1964<br />
A.D.<br />
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ARTS & CULTURE<br />
The ceiling of the Hukuru Miskiiy<br />
As the times of the five daily<br />
prayers in Islam are calculated<br />
according to the distance of the<br />
shadow of a vertical object, a sundial<br />
was built for this very reason. It was<br />
located on the road in front of the<br />
mosque, which eventually got worn<br />
out over time. Another one was<br />
built in the year 1917 A.D. by Sultan<br />
Mohamed Shamsuddin Iskandhar III.<br />
This clock has survived till today.<br />
A short distance from the main<br />
entrance to the mosque, on the<br />
southern side is the ziyaarai, or the<br />
monumental tomb of Sultan Ibrahim<br />
Iskandhar I. He was well known for<br />
his educational reforms and military<br />
expertise, and is remembered as one<br />
of the greatest kings of the Maldives.<br />
Beside his tomb, there are many<br />
other tombs within the compound<br />
of the mosque belonging to various<br />
princes, ministers and sultans who<br />
had served the country in the past. In<br />
fact, the beautiful carvings on these<br />
tombstones are legible even today.<br />
This highly historical and ancient<br />
mosque in the island nation<br />
of Maldives has made the list of<br />
UNESCO’s World Heritage site, and<br />
is considered to be one of the oldest<br />
buildings in Male’.<br />
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WELLNESS<br />
A Journey to<br />
Maldives<br />
Adele Verdier-Ali is joined by her husband at the Coco Spa<br />
to experience the benefits of the Coco Collection signature<br />
couple’s ritual.<br />
There’s something so exquisitely<br />
indulgent about treating yourself to<br />
a massage. Slipping off to a spa in<br />
the middle of the day, switching off<br />
your phone and putting the world<br />
on hold: nothing better captures the<br />
spirit of being on holiday. Reminding<br />
yourself of what you would be doing<br />
if you were at work right now, and<br />
inwardly laughing at how far away the<br />
office feels as you pad towards your<br />
treatment room in newly acquired<br />
cotton slippers – I know of no better<br />
form of me-time. Stresses, deadlines,<br />
to-do lists – I leave them all at the<br />
door. Today however, as I walk along<br />
the curved jetty that leads to the<br />
spectacular over-water Coco Spa at<br />
Coco Bodu Hithi in the mid-afternoon<br />
sun, there’s one thing that I haven’t<br />
left behind.<br />
My husband. Normally, right<br />
about now I’d be waving him off<br />
for his last scuba dive of the day<br />
before disappearing for a few hours’<br />
pampering, but this time we decide<br />
to try something different. His lower
“Two large conch shells are placed against my ears<br />
and I am unexpectedly transported to memories of<br />
childhood, and the endless afternoons I spent listening<br />
to my grandmother’s shell collection, hearing the call<br />
of the sea.”
WELLNESS<br />
www.cococollection.com 69
ack has been grumbling recently<br />
and over the past few months work<br />
commitments have kept us both<br />
preoccupied. Like so many couples,<br />
whenever we are together, we seem<br />
to be tired. So as we browsed<br />
through the spa menu in anticipation<br />
of our latest visit, and I prepared to<br />
pre-book a few treatments, it didn’t<br />
take much convincing to decide<br />
upon A Journey to Maldives, the<br />
spa’s signature couple’s treatment.<br />
A two-hour experience, the ritual is<br />
designed around the use of local,<br />
natural products, the most unique<br />
usage being that of indigenous<br />
cowrie shells during the massage.<br />
Soothing, romantic and invigorating –<br />
it promised to solve all our woes.<br />
And in fact, on the day of the<br />
treatment, the ritual’s effects begin to<br />
work before we even arrive at the spa.<br />
As we stroll along the island’s sandy<br />
pathway, a blanket of thick tropical<br />
vegetation providing protection from<br />
a fireball sun, we are truly together,<br />
without phones or distractions. We<br />
discuss the elements we are most<br />
looking forward to, wonder what a<br />
massage with shells might feel like,<br />
tease one another about falling asleep<br />
and snoring. We feel excited, and<br />
finally, we don’t feel tired.<br />
We are welcomed by Pop, a<br />
cheerful Thai receptionist, who leads<br />
us to a day bed, overlooking the<br />
lagoon, where she offers us an iced<br />
ginger tea. We curl like two cats and<br />
enjoy its spicy-sweet flavour and<br />
the view of the reef break. Soon, our<br />
therapists come to collect us. Kai,<br />
from Thailand and Tini from Bali make<br />
us feel instantly at ease. They lead us<br />
to a treatment room, with two beds,<br />
a large, sunken bath and a view of<br />
the ocean that stretches for miles.<br />
After footbaths of spices and salt, we<br />
settle onto our massage tables. Two<br />
large conch shells are placed against<br />
my ears and I am unexpectedly<br />
transported to memories of childhood,<br />
and the endless afternoons I spent<br />
listening to my grandmother’s shell<br />
collection, hearing the call of the<br />
sea. This gentle beginning signals<br />
that this Journey to Maldives would<br />
not simply be a token offering of<br />
disjointed Maldivian ingredients, but<br />
a real connection with the ocean and<br />
its surrounding coastline. I sink into<br />
relaxation as if into its still waters.<br />
The full body massage itself is a<br />
combination of Balinese techniques<br />
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WELLNESS<br />
- at first dry and then with virgin<br />
coconut oil - and smooth kneading<br />
with the glossy, domed shells. I must<br />
admit that I had been sceptical about<br />
the use of shells, but they were much<br />
more than just a gimmick. Slightly<br />
cold, they provide a pleasant contrast<br />
to the warmth of the oil. What’s more,<br />
Tini applies them with consistent<br />
pressure and firm, brisk movements,<br />
and I am surprised at the force they<br />
can withstand.<br />
As this section of the treatments<br />
ends, and we lie still for a moment,<br />
I lift a corner of my eye mask and<br />
open one eye. I see my better half<br />
completely still. “Are you enjoying it?” I<br />
ask. A far off ‘mmm’ is all I receive as<br />
a response, and it’s enough to assure<br />
me that he is.<br />
Next as I receive a coconut and<br />
vanilla scrub, he is cocooned in a<br />
spiced Boreh wrap. The mix, which<br />
warms on the body, relieves body<br />
aches and muscle pain. Whilst we<br />
allow the effects of these treatments<br />
to unfold, we are treated to face and<br />
scalp massages. When the scrub has<br />
dried on my skin, Tini brushes the<br />
mixture off vigorously, leaving my skin<br />
so smooth that I could still feel the<br />
difference days later.<br />
We are led to the shower to rinse<br />
off and my husband’s spice mix<br />
makes him smell of the comforting<br />
masala chai that they sell in the<br />
local markets here. When we step<br />
out, the large bath has been filled<br />
with lemon, galangal, betel leaves,<br />
spices and fuchsia hibiscus petals,<br />
plucked from the island’s shrubbery.<br />
Fresh coconuts await us, harvested<br />
from a nearby tree. We slide into the<br />
steaming water and we are left to<br />
enjoy the ocean view.<br />
Salt, coconut, shells, flowers and<br />
spice. These are the rudiments of the<br />
Maldivian way of life. Together in A<br />
Journey to Maldives they combine to<br />
provide a doorway to harmony, and<br />
to connection – both with the country<br />
and with one another.<br />
“Can we do this more often?” my<br />
husband asks as we watch the dusk<br />
paint the clouds parchment gold.<br />
I get the feeling that my ‘me time’<br />
has been replaced by ‘us time’. And<br />
that’s perfectly fine by me.<br />
www.cococollection.com 71
That Shell<br />
do Nicely<br />
WORDS: NASHIU ZAHIR ILLUSTRATIONS: EAGAN BADEEU<br />
Shells hold a place at the heart of the Maldives. Much<br />
more than just ornamental, for centuries these ocean<br />
beauties have been central to trade, community and<br />
even magic.<br />
A couple of notes on seashells –<br />
they are the exoskeletons (shells if<br />
you will) of living creatures. The ones<br />
you pick on the beach were once<br />
alive, housing the delicate invertebrate<br />
life-forms within. Most of the shells<br />
that you will come across on the shore<br />
are actually those of marine molluscs.<br />
They either rotted away or fell prey to<br />
predators that feasted on their flesh.<br />
For centuries, shells have figured<br />
prominently in the local culture of<br />
the Maldives. The Maldivian cowrie<br />
shell (Cypraea moneta) was used as<br />
currency in South Asia, China, South<br />
East Asia and large parts of Africa.<br />
Trading ships from across the region<br />
would come to the Maldives to stock<br />
up on these shells – with some even<br />
referring to the country as the Cowrie<br />
“For centuries,<br />
shells have figured<br />
prominently in the<br />
local culture of the<br />
Maldives.”<br />
Islands. The use of this particular<br />
species of cowrie has a lengthy<br />
history, with shells dating as far back<br />
as 2000BC being found in China and<br />
the Middle East. How apt, then, that<br />
this small shell appears on the rufiyaa,<br />
the local currency.<br />
Another shell that made it big in the<br />
country is the triton, which was used<br />
to summon island folk to important<br />
gatherings. Also noteworthy is the<br />
rare left handed conch, a shell that<br />
is believed to have mystical powers<br />
and used in performing fanditha,<br />
(local magic). That these shells<br />
fetch enormous prices even today is<br />
perhaps an indicator of the extent of<br />
superstitious belief in the Maldives.<br />
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FLORA & FAUNA<br />
The following are just a small selection of the many<br />
species of seashell found in Maldivian waters, and<br />
along its shores:<br />
Triton<br />
Triton shells are actually marine snails. These warm water<br />
predators are beautiful to behold, with spired, decorated shells.<br />
They are found in tropical waters and can grow up to two feet.<br />
Maldivians have used tritons as ‘trumpets’, much like island<br />
folk in other lands such as Indonesia.<br />
Pearly Nautilus<br />
These are ancient creatures that date back 500<br />
million years and distant cousins to squids, cuttlefish<br />
and octopi. Like them, nautiluses use jet propulsion<br />
to navigate through the water. They rarely exceed 20<br />
centimetres, and are only found in the Indo-Pacific,<br />
where they inhabit the deep slopes of coral reefs. Their<br />
smooth spiral shells were greatly prized by ancient<br />
Greeks, who saw them as a symbol of perfection, and<br />
they continue to fascinate today.<br />
Money Cowrie<br />
These are small, irregular-shaped shells found in abundance<br />
in tropical waters. They may be seen on or beneath rocks<br />
in shallow water and on exposed reefs at low tide. Their<br />
diet consists of algae, marine vegetation and dead corals.<br />
This species of cowrie is so named as it used to function as<br />
currency, and as such, its use dates back to 2000BC.<br />
Eyed Cowrie<br />
This is a striking species of cowrie, having shiny<br />
shells that characterise the species, plus intricate ‘eye’<br />
designs on top, from which this species gets its name.<br />
They are distributed across the Indian Ocean. They<br />
can be found in shallow water beneath dead coral or in<br />
deep water in caves and under ledges. They can grow<br />
up to 8 centimetres, and feed on algae, sponges, tiny<br />
fish and molluscs.<br />
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FLORA & FAUNA<br />
Spider Conch<br />
Spider conches are large<br />
sea-dwelling snails with a striking<br />
appearance, marked by a flared outer<br />
lip and spiky protrusions. They can<br />
grow up to 29 centimetres and are<br />
found in abundance in the Indo-West<br />
Pacific. Spider conches prefer<br />
mangrove areas, reef flats and can<br />
also be found among coral rubble in<br />
shallow waters. They are herbivorous<br />
creatures and feed on red algae.<br />
Tiger Cowrie<br />
This is a shiny, egg shaped shell,<br />
with a brown and white mottled<br />
colouration. Found among coral<br />
reefs in the Indo-Pacific region, it can<br />
grow up to 15 centimetres. Although<br />
juvenile shells eat algae, adults are<br />
carnivorous and feed on soft corals<br />
and invertebrates.<br />
Textile Cone<br />
Textile cones belong to the<br />
Conidae group of molluscs; they are<br />
highly decorated sea snails. They can<br />
be found in the waters of the Red Sea,<br />
Indo-Pacific, Australia, New Zealand,<br />
French Polynesia and the Indian<br />
Ocean from Eastern Africa to Hawaii.<br />
Be cautious with them, their venom<br />
can be lethal to humans. They feed by<br />
injecting their prey with a conotoxin,<br />
by way of a microscopic needle-like<br />
appendage.<br />
Noble Harp<br />
These are predatory sea snails<br />
belonging to the family Harpidae.<br />
Their transversal shell ribs resemble a<br />
harp’s strings, hence the name. They<br />
have an attractive colouration, white<br />
with cream and brown banding. The<br />
noble harps are distributed across the<br />
Indo-Pacific, and prefer shallow and<br />
deep sands. They can grow up to 7<br />
centimetres.<br />
Orange<br />
Spotted Mitra<br />
These are a remarkably colourful<br />
species of predatory marine molluscs.<br />
They are common in the tropical<br />
Indo-Pacific waters, where they live<br />
in intertidal zones, in sand and coral<br />
areas or on the stony seabed. They<br />
can grow up to 6 centimetres.<br />
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NEW RELEASES<br />
2016 Movie Preview<br />
Naufa Ghafoor<br />
2016 approaches with the promise of exciting new movies. Whether it’s<br />
with family, friends or in isolation, these movies are guaranteed to be<br />
worth the watch.<br />
Finding Dory Raees Dad’s Army<br />
Pixar Animation Studios is producing<br />
a movie for our favorite blue fish who<br />
is forgetful yet never fails to remind<br />
us to “just keep swimming!” Finding<br />
Dory is a sequel to Finding Nemo and<br />
is directed and written by Andrew<br />
Stanton, who directed the original<br />
movie as well. The movie is scheduled<br />
to be released in June 2016 by Walt<br />
Disney Studios.<br />
Plot: The film takes up six months<br />
after Nemo was found, with Dory<br />
(Ellen DeGeneres) recalling childhood<br />
memories regarding something about<br />
the jewel of Monterey, California. Find<br />
out if Dory, Nemo (Hayden Rolence)<br />
and Marlin (Albert Brooks) can once<br />
again overcome all obstacles and find<br />
her long lost family.<br />
Under the banners of Excel<br />
Entertainment and Red Chillies<br />
Entertainment, Raees is to be<br />
released on Eid 2016. The movie<br />
is directed by Rahul Dholakia and<br />
produced by Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh<br />
Sidhwani and Gauri Khan.<br />
Plot: Shahrukh Khan, one of the<br />
most famous and beloved actors<br />
of Bollywood, plays the role of a<br />
bootlegger who has the mind of a<br />
miser when it comes to business and<br />
that of a daredevil when it comes to<br />
being brave. His business is then<br />
seriously challenged by a tough cop,<br />
Ghulam Patel (Nawazuddin Siddiqui).<br />
What lengths will this madman go<br />
to, to stop the cop ruining his entire<br />
business?<br />
Dad’s Army is an upcoming 2016<br />
movie which is based on the BBC<br />
television sit-com of the same name.<br />
It is a British war-comedy film directed<br />
by Oliver Parker and written by<br />
Hamish McColl. The movie has a cast<br />
containing some of the most famous<br />
British actors such as Bill Nighy<br />
(Sergeant Wilson), Michael Gambon<br />
(Private Godfrey) and Toby Jones<br />
(Captain Mainwaring).<br />
Plot: The action is set during 1944<br />
when World War II was about to reach<br />
its end. A dazzling journalist is sent<br />
to report on the Walmington-on-Sea<br />
Home Guard platoon just before they<br />
discover that there is a German spy<br />
hiding in the town. Evidently chaos,<br />
confusion and comedy ensue as<br />
the brave army men desperately<br />
try to defend their country from its<br />
anonymous opponent.<br />
Batman VS Superman<br />
Directed by Zack Snyder with the screenplay written by Chris Terrio and David S.<br />
Goyer, DC Comics is putting two of their most popular characters, Batman and<br />
Superman, face to face in one movie for the first time ever.<br />
Plot: Batman (Ben Affleck), fearing that the actions of Superman (Henry Cavill)<br />
are left unchecked, decides to face the god-like superhero himself. While the<br />
world struggles to decide what sort of a hero it really needs, a new threat quickly<br />
arises placing the world in greater danger than ever known to mankind. Will the<br />
two heroes resolve their conflicts and be able to save the world?<br />
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The Island NATION<br />
All you need to know about the world’s lowest-lying nation<br />
Archipegalo<br />
and islands<br />
Geographical coordinates<br />
3°15’N 73°00’E<br />
Total area<br />
90,000 sqkm<br />
Area of land<br />
298 sqkm<br />
Total no. of islands<br />
1,190 islands<br />
Archipelago<br />
Length: 823 km, Width: 130 km<br />
Total no. of administrative atolls<br />
19 atolls, 189 islands<br />
Highest natural elevation<br />
7.8 ft (2.4 metres)<br />
Average natural elevation<br />
5.9 ft (1.8 metres)<br />
Monsoons<br />
Southwest: May-Oct, Northeast: Nov-Apr<br />
Average daily sunshine<br />
8 hours<br />
Average annual rainfall<br />
1793.3 mm<br />
Humidity<br />
79%<br />
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MAP OF MALDIVES<br />
Haa Alifu Atoll<br />
The<br />
Nation<br />
Raa Atoll<br />
Coco Palm<br />
Dhuni Kolhu<br />
Baa Atoll<br />
Alif Alif<br />
Atoll<br />
Alif Dhaalu<br />
Atoll<br />
Faafu Atoll<br />
Dhaalu Atoll<br />
Haa Dhaalu Atoll<br />
Shaviyani Atoll<br />
Noonu Atoll<br />
Lhaviyani Atoll<br />
Kaafu Atoll<br />
Coco<br />
Bodu Hithi<br />
Male’<br />
Vaavu Atoll<br />
Meemu Atoll<br />
Capital city<br />
Male’ (1.77 sqkm, 4°10’N 73°30’E)<br />
Independence<br />
26th July 1965 (from the United Kingdom)<br />
Religion<br />
Islam (Sunni)<br />
Population<br />
341,356 (2014 census)<br />
Maldives standard time<br />
GMT +5<br />
Languages<br />
Dhivehi is the national language. English is widely<br />
spoken as a second language.<br />
Literacy rate<br />
98.2% (10-45 yrs)<br />
Currency<br />
Maldivian Rufiya (MVR/RF, USD 1 = RF 15.42)<br />
Thaa Atoll<br />
Gaafu Dhaal<br />
Atoll<br />
Laamu Atoll<br />
Gaafu Alif Atoll<br />
Global<br />
Connections<br />
Entry<br />
No prior visa arrangements required. A tourist<br />
visa of 30 days will be given to visitors with valid<br />
travel documents, upon arrival.<br />
Calling code<br />
+960<br />
Internet TLD<br />
.mv<br />
EQUATOR<br />
Seenu Atoll<br />
Nyaviyani<br />
Atoll<br />
www.cococollection.com 77