Tribute To Craftsmen

(ފޮތް ގޮނޑި) Quran Holder or Book Holder is indeed an ingenious device. The classic ones are made out of one-piece of wood with no metal hinges at all. This has fascinated me perhaps my whole life! As my knife skills improved and as I grew bolder (handicraft-wise) I wanted to make one myself. Yes, it is very easy to buy one as these are readily available in Bookshops all over Maldives. But I love to try my hands on a new craft before reaching for my wallet.

The above is an experiment I tried with carrots! Please do not be so surprised, for carrot is a perfect medium to whittle flowers, goldfish and as I learnt to my amusement, miniature book holders also! I have photographed these two miniature carrot book holders (each is made of one piece of carrot) on my favourite teapot to show their size. Although it is easy to guess the size when you know this is made of carrot! For it can only be as wide as the thickness of a carrot! But for those of us who were bitten by the photography bug , we will make any excuse to photograph anything and everything!

It is widely accepted that you truly appreciate someone’s craft only when you try to do that for yourself. Whenever I get the chance I cannot help but marvel at the difficult grooves carved to make the foldable hinges in a block of wood! The intricate decorations the wood workers carve on these elaborately made masterpieces just make me watch each Quran Holder with renewed amazement. They say familiarity breeds contempt, but for me it is the opposite, I am only sorry people do not stop to look consciously at these beautiful works of art and only associate these with our youngest and the oldest! How right was Dr. Wayne W Dyer when he named one of his best books “ You'll See It When You Believe It ”

Tribute To A Flower

We are so easily prejudiced by a smell or just by the appearance of a familiar insect, an animal, a shrub or even a flower, just to name a few on an endless list!.

I must confess that the smell of the Perry Winkle މަލިކު ރުވާ(Vinca Minor) was not my favourite, to say the least. I tucked my opinion on this beautiful flower at the back of my head till I saw a full one-page advertisement on this Madagascar native, in Time magazine! Now why would some NGO spend that much money on such a common flower, I thought. Some of my friends say with amusement that ‘Sameer will read anything and everything’. To prove these close friends right, I read the whole page! The advertisement was immensely informative and ignited my curiosity!

The folk healers of Madagascar and Cuba have been taking full advantage of this colourful ‘pharmacy’ for ages! They treat diabetes, eye irritations among many, It is water boiled with Perry Winkle flowers. Indian doctors also knew this flower had soothing properties in cases of Bee or Wasp stings. Traditional doctors of Hawaii used this flower to stop bleeding in large wounds. Modern day doctors have found cancer fighting properties in this remarkable flower! And as is the vogue, now the talk is that this flower (the white) helps you reduce your access weight! But do not take a handful when your travel, airline officials will not be amused!

With the magic of Google and countless informative Blogs, I could go on! But just keep in mind that because of our own prejudice, we so often look down on people, plants, insects and even some inventions. Very often a few years later we marvel at their wisdom, and also their medicinal properties or usefulness! Countless prophets, wise men and writers and painters lived with us and were ridiculed, tortured and persecuted by their closest of people. The ‘weed’ you trod on or simply throw away may be the life saving miracle of the future!

Tribute To Icons From Home

There are icons that remind you of home. If you are abroad, just a fleeting look at these icons will make your mind race home and engulf you in an overpowering surge of nostalgia. The Stilt Fishermen of Sri Lanka, the colourful Karachi Busses or the Feluccas (traditional wooden boats) on the Nile or the Red Buses of London not to mention the Floating Markets of Bangkok! As for us, just a glimpse of the elegant and very distinctive inverted S shaped tiller on a rudder of a Maldive Dhoni will bring floods of memories to every expatriate Maldivian .

It was the full moon of Muharram 1433 Hejira last night. As only with full moons an eclipse also excited many of us. I tried to photograph this phenomenon but heavy clouds, drizzles and a literary meeting kept me from accomplishing this wish!

When I woke up it was a splendid full moon just an hour from bidding good bye to Maldives and I couldn’t resist the temptations to ‘take a shot’ at it!

I dedicate this picture of a very graceful tiller on a rudder and the still strong moon and the golden beams to all Maldivians abroad, and especially our students. Our students' dreams and longings are very dear to me, for my two older children are also pursuing their goals in overseas universities.

Modern technology has narrowed the gap I felt when I was in another continent for too long! Letters that took a fortnight has been replaced with text messages that crisscross the globe in lightning speed. Instant chatting and emails & also Social Networks have eased what homesick students go through daily. However,the sounds, smells & tastes of home is what many of us think as we succumb to another night abroad!

Tribute To A Footprint

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND

Come to Maldives; the coral islands welcome you,

Leave your worries and hectic lives behind you,

Bring your friends; Maldives is a secret no more!

Mighty Indian Ocean will embrace you,

Our warm waters will clear your minds, recharging you,

Our coral gardens will enchant you,

Every colourful fish has a duty towards you,

Darting in and out of the rainbow corals,

Welcoming you to their watery world, asking you,

“Is it more beautiful on dry land above,

Or here, in the colourful silence of the coral gardens?”

Graceful palms will sway nonstop over you,

Soft breezes will play with your hair, caressing your earlobes,

Gentle waves and gentler ripples will massage you,

The sun will kiss your skin and tickle you brown,

Throw your shoes; walk barefoot on our shores,

Feel the soft white sand between your toes,

The sugar white grains will ease out your worries,

Take home memories of this tropical heaven,

Leave nothing, but tell tale footprints in the sand,

But alas, the tide never falters in her duties, not here!

Only when you leave, footprints are gently washed away!

Welcoming the next guest to the virgin beaches of Paradise!

= A. Sameer= September 9^th 2001

Tribute To A Coincidence

I am still so humbled at this coincidence! Few days ago I wrote about Dragonfly migration to Maldives and how Dr. Charles Anderson 'stumbled upon' what may be the longest insect migration in the World! He also talks about Raptors following this insect swarm to the South with the North Eastern Monsoons!

Recently we went to Kulhudhoofushi, Vaikaradhoo and also Nolhivaranfaru and we had to return by sea as we could not get plane tickets. On the way to Male' we stopped at Naifaru which is almost the midpoint in our journey from North to Male'. While the speed launch was being refueled my father and others went for a short walk into the island and suddenly he showed me this Raptor! In my previous article about Dragonflies I had written that '' my Dad is the most intellectually curious Octogenarian an average Joe will ever meet!" And true to my words, out of all of us it was him who pointed to me this Amur Falcon eating a garden lizard! Dr Anderson's words flashed in front of me!

" But dragonflies are not the only creatures that make the crossing. There is more to the story. I'm also interested in birds. And I'm familiar with this fellow. This is a rather special bird. It's a falcon. It's called the eastern red-footed falcon, obviously. But it's also called the Amur Falcon. And it's called the Amur Falcon because it breeds in Amurland.Which is an area along the Amur River, which is up here. It's the border, much of it is the border between China and Russia, up here in the far east."

While I am not 100% sure of the identity of this peregrine, I know it is not one of ' ours' ! I am almost sure this majestic bird of prey must have followed the Dragonflies all the way from North East of our continent and stopped at Naifaru (to refuel) just like us!

I have always envied my colleagues and friends in other countries who can photograph so many varieties of wild birds and animals since we hardly have any of these at all! Even as I write this it is hard to fathom that I got this with my short lens! The Falcon was sitting and eating this lizard at a leisurely pace and I took about ten shots knowing this is a chance that may never repeat!

Thank You!

Tribute To My Tripod

This is The Silent One; it would be fair to call it the Patient One too. In the early hours of many mornings my Three Legged One has been my only companion. Many a times human companions have found it uninteresting or quite simply, a burden to leave the warmth collected over 6 hours of bed warming and go out into the open to record un tangible and fleeing shadows and light.

My Faithful One has never buckled under the weight of a camera or a self assigned workload!.
Animals have four legs, and just because my Faithful One has three, it is not a semi beast or three quarters a monster. Certainly my Three Legged One is not one quarter close to an unruly feline or a mammal or a rodent.

Millipedes and centipedes are far superior to my tripod if you count the legs and forget the poise and stance and lithe aluminum bearing! Though my Aluminum One can rise to certain occasions and lower itself if the circumstance calls for kneelings, prostratings or even tip toeing, always the needs are obliged with minimum fuss or bickering! Isn't that a clear sign of civilized mannerism of the cultured and the disciplined? No doubt about that!

How can one thank a three legged companion who is always “Ever Ready”? Who never argues with you? You just type something and blogl it to kindhearted souls who will read this to the very end ! :- ) thanks for tolerating me!