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Harubee – Young Faces, Old Voices
Mohamed Shafraz Hafiz for Maldives Promotion House – A group of young men flood the stage and take their positions. There are around twenty of them. A majority of them carry with them traditional Dhivehi goatskin drums. A flourish, a sharp tap, and a song is breathed into life. It’s sleepy at first but gains momentum like a rolling boulder. The song grows louder, faster, and the crowd sways because they can’t help it.
The beat works itself into their blood. Old voices on young faces sing the bodu beru songs and by the time the crescendo arrives, frenzy inducing, the crowd is ensnared completely. A few of them leap into the space in front of the stage to express their exultation through dance. By the time their hearts slow down it’s time for the next song. This is a typical night for Harubee, Maldives’s premier bodu beru band.
Bodu beru, literally meaning “big drum”, is one of the oldest surviving aspects of Dhivehi culture. It is a form of song based on a beat hammered out on a goatskin drum of traditional design. The tempo almost invariably starts slow and builds up into a crescendo, which is sustained for a while before reaching an abrupt end.
Though they’ve earned the right to it, Harubee shuns their status as a super-band, instead choosing to celebrate their roots and the fans that make them who they are. This warmth translates into the performance as well as the energy that comes from their passion.
Not a single member of Harubee performs full-time. They all work full-time elsewhere and come together as a band only for the passion of bodu beru. Harubee’s philosophy is that performing full-time will make the music feel like a job.
Shihan (Puchu), one of the four main members of Harubee alongside Mamdhooh (Manday), Naushad (Naube), and Shamhan (Joray), explains that the four of them first came together as a band at the end of the 90’s quite circumstantially, when one of them beat a dabiya (a tin pitcher), and the others joined in with song. They soon found themselves performing free at parties purely for the love of bodu beru.
The group officially came to be known as Harubee for their performance at the 2006 Dubai Shopping Festival. Since then, Harubee has gone onto perform at tourism expos, various major events at resorts, and have appeared on National Geographic Channel and the BBC in addition to performing alongside major local artists at live events. Harubee’s first mainstream success came when they won the MNBC Bodu Beru Challenge 2010. Since then Harubee has been performing without respite. This is no small accomplishment, considering that all members work full time, and the line up always depends on who can get time off work for a performance.
Harubee cannot be talked about without mentioning the cultural relevance of the group. The art of bodu beru is one of the most representative facets of Dhivehi culture. Many of the songs circulating around the bodu beru scene are so old that their origins are lost entirely. Harubee represents a revitalising, and more importantly, a rebranding of everything bodu beru stands for. As a bodu beru group of young people who charge their performances with a new energy that somehow falls runs parallel to the timelessness of the tradition, Harubee brings a progressiveness to the art that has not only been absent but hadn’t even been conceived of before. Bodu beru is cool again precisely because it’s not the way you remember it.
The band chooses to emphasise the continuity in this progression from tradition. Harubee humbly names Hamdun Hameed as the group’s major influence. As the founding members’ school principal and prolific torchbearer of bodu beru, Hamdun heavily involved the group in Ameer Ahmed School’s bodu beru activities, coming to teach the boys who would become Harubee most of what they know.
Modernised or traditional, bodu beru is a live art, and Harubee is a live act. The group is currently recording an album, pushing the progression further with their new songs. A major challenge will be to translate their unique personality into recorded form. Unused to the restraint and the set structure of the studio environment, Harubee has to overcome these constraints and find the best way to pack their brand of improvisation and spontaneity into an aural experience.
First an explosion onto the scene, then establishing their place, now recording an album. What could possibly be next for this group of young men, who don’t practise, who don’t plan their show, yet still project an electrifying presence? “To never stop,” says Shihan. Harubee intends to overcome the fickle nature of seasonal trends. They intend to make bodu beru bigger than it already is, and to push it further than it has ever gone.
The world-renowned 5-star Deluxe All-Inclusive Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa, affiliated with The Leading Hotels of the World, has announced a partnership with tennis star and celebrated athlete Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
From November 13th to 19th, 2024, Pavlyuchenkova will host two tennis masterclasses, offering two 1-hour sessions designed to help tennis enthusiasts elevate their game.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has made a significant mark on the international tennis stage. A 2020 Olympic Games gold medalist in mixed doubles, she is also a Grand Slam singles tournament finalist and the winner of 18 WTA tournaments.
The masterclasses will provide guests with the opportunity to refine their tennis skills through personalised coaching from Pavlyuchenkova. Whether participants are seasoned players or new to the sport, they will benefit from her championship-level insights, which cover everything from serve technique to court strategy. The sessions will take place at the resort’s tennis facilities, offering a perfect backdrop of sun, sea, and lush island landscapes to complement the training experience.
“We are thrilled to welcome Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to our resort. This collaboration provides a unique opportunity for our guests to learn from one of the best in the sport, all while enjoying the unmatched luxury and beauty of our island paradise,” commented Mr. Rohit Chhettri, General Manager of Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa.
The eco-friendly, luxury resort Nova Maldives, renowned for its dedication to sustainability, has unveiled an upgraded coral restoration initiative focused on its house reef. This new project expands upon the resort’s existing coral plantation program, enabling guests to actively participate in protecting the local marine ecosystem.
To improve the survival rates of newly planted coral colonies and address the challenges posed by rising ocean temperatures, Nova has introduced an innovative, depth-adjustable coral nursery. In the coming weeks, the resort’s marine biology team will lead multiple planting sessions to affix resilient coral fragments collected from nearby waters onto the nursery structures. These coral “seeds” will thrive in the protected nursery before being transplanted to designated repopulation sites on Nova’s house reef, contributing to the local reef ecosystem.
Coral bleaching, a process that causes corals to lose their vibrant colours and turn white, occurs when corals expel the symbiotic algae essential for their survival, often due to thermal stress from rising ocean temperatures linked to climate change.
“This April, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed a recurrence of the 2016 warming event, leading to our oceans’ fourth bleaching event,” explained Toby Corren, Resident Marine Biologist at Nova Maldives. “Our new nursery is designed to reduce mortality rates among young coral buds during their early growth stages, providing them a greater chance to thrive and mature. We aim to cultivate the next generation of corals and support the rich marine ecosystem for which the Maldives is famous.”
This initiative enhances the existing coral plantation program, which allows guests to plant their own coral frames to support the island’s marine environment. Nova’s marine biologist closely monitors the growth of these frames, providing guests with bi-annual updates to track their corals’ progress long after their visit.
Since its opening in 2022, Nova has implemented several conservation initiatives each year. This year, the resort collaborated with renowned Maldivian diving instructor Afaa Abdulla to host educational sessions on whale shark biology, manta ray conservation, and coral bleaching, raising awareness during World Ocean’s Day. Additionally, an event was held on the nearby island of Dhanghethi, where local schoolchildren learned about the crucial marine environment surrounding their home.
Recognised as an accredited “Safe Manta Tour Operator” by Swim with Mantas, Nova has also partnered with the Maldivian Whale Shark Research Program (MWSRP) to promote their vital conservation efforts through joint excursions and workshops. At Nova, guests can swim alongside these gentle giants year-round, making it a must-do experience for anyone visiting the island
Fuvahmulah Island in the Maldives has been recognised as the location of the largest documented aggregation of tiger sharks globally, according to a recent study published on Nature.com.
Over six years, researchers led by Lennart Vossgaetter from the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research in Germany identified 239 individual tiger sharks through non-invasive photo identification methods. This represents the highest number of individual tiger sharks recorded in a single, geographically confined area.
The research revealed that tiger sharks around Fuvahmulah exhibit strong site fidelity, especially adult females, which remain in the area for extended periods during gestation. The waters surrounding the island provide critical habitat for these sharks, offering warm temperatures and a consistent food supply from discarded fish waste, making it ideal for reproduction.
Positive Outlook for Tiger Shark Conservation
The study highlighted Fuvahmulah as a vital site for tiger shark conservation in the Indian Ocean, housing the world’s largest known aggregation. The protected status of sharks in Maldivian waters contributes to the island being a “bright spot” for conservation efforts. Researchers emphasise that the island’s waters are essential for supporting female tiger sharks during gestation, serving as a crucial refuge that helps sustain their population.
However, the researchers also pointed out the necessity for further studies on the geographic connectivity of Fuvahmulah’s tiger sharks. Telemetry research could determine whether these sharks primarily inhabit the protected waters of the Maldives shark sanctuary or venture beyond its limits. Such insights are essential for understanding their movements and enhancing conservation strategies.
Balancing Tourism and Conservation
The study also raised concerns about the absence of formal regulations governing shark tourism in the Maldives, which has become a significant economic driver for local communities. The researchers noted that shark diving at sites like Fuvahmulah’s “Tiger Harbour” is currently unregulated, lacking official guidelines for shark provisioning for tourism purposes. Existing codes of conduct at diving sites are voluntary and vary by dive center.
Drawing inspiration from successful management strategies employed in other shark diving destinations, such as locally managed marine protected areas (MPAs) in Fiji, the researchers recommended establishing formal regulations to oversee shark provisioning and diving practices in Fuvahmulah. They argued that adopting sustainable practices is crucial to ensure the long-term conservation of tiger sharks and the economic benefits derived from shark tourism.
To prevent future conflicts between tourism and conservation, the study advocates for incorporating stakeholder interests into local management plans, promoting sustainable ecotourism practices in one of the world’s largest shark sanctuaries.
About Fuvahmulah Island
Fuvahmulah is the second southern-most atoll in the Maldives, situated 500 km from the capital, Male. The island, home to a population of 9000, is accessible via daily scheduled flights operated by the national carrier, Maldivian. Several dive centres are located near the harbour, accommodating the growing number of tourists who visit for tiger shark diving.
In addition to its fame as the “Tiger Shark Island”, Fuvahmulah is also known for its long, white sandy pebble beach, locally called “Thoondu”, on the northeast coast. The beach, with its natural beach breaks, is a popular destination for surfing.
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