My Friend Malik
 |
| Mohamed Malik |
I've met so many people from different
parts of this country when I studied in MNU (Maldives National University).
That’s one of the best things about studying in MNU. Different people from
different islands would join and if you are training to become a teacher, then
the chances of meeting someone from each atoll would be very high in your group
or class. I've met so many kind, cool, smart and amazing people from
MNU that I would never ever forget.
One of them includes Malik. He has straight
black hair and he is fair. I bet all the girls in the class were jealous of his
beautiful unblemished skin. Seriously, for a guy his skin was really pretty and
his face reminds me of Fair and Lovely commercials shown on Hindi channels.
Yup, his face is as smooth as a baby’s bottom. However, I always thought that
he was mad or angry! Always!!! He had this piercing angry eyes which always
happened to be glaring. When he enters the class, his eyes would sweep over the
entire class and he would have this smirk on his face. It would look like he is
sneaking in and he has got a time bomb or something in his pocket that could go
off any second! So I used to avoid him at all costs until I learned that he is
actually a very nice guy.
I remember many incidents from our Phonetics
and Phonology class. Our lecturer was Ms. Yooliya. She is really sweet, kind
and funny. When Ms. Yooli walks into the class, I bet the grumpiest and most
bitter people cannot resist her charm. Yes, we would be grinning from ear to
ear as we go along learning to pronounce words and other things. We loved
her class because learning was so much fun with Ms. Yooli.
For our first assignment, we were
asked to choose an audio clip and write using phonetics symbols. And for those
of us who were struggling, Ms. Yooli said that we could get help from our
friends who have already studied this subject. Well, Malik told me that he had
a friend who got an HD (Higher Distinction) and this friend was going to help him.
Apparently, this friend was doing much more
than helping. We heard about it from a very irritated Ms. Yooli a couple of
days later. Malik and this friend met at a café to give some very innocent
tips. They were seated on the second floor, in the open area because it was a
lovely day and the breeze was just lovely they didn't want
to sit in the dark stale AC area. Boy, he was pleased as punch because he
was sure that he would get full marks from the assignment.
Meanwhile in the building in front of this
café, on the second floor lived Ms. Yooli. On this exact day Malik’s friend was
helping him with his assignment Ms. Yooli happened to come and stand near the
window and spotted both of them. Yes, she caught them red handed. She quickly
fished the mobile phone from her pocket and dialed Malik’s number. As Malik
sipped away on his Lavazza and looked pleased, he was quite shocked as he
pulled out his mobile phone from his pocket. Ms. Yooli told us that the first
thing he did was look around! Hahaa! And then when he answered his phone, Ms.
Yooli said that he wouldn’t have needed the phone to hear her ask him what he
was doing! We had a jolly good time in class. Yes, Ms. Yooli told us about the
incident over and over and we all laughed.
We also had to do a mid-semester exam too. I
sat in the second row and my desk was near the teacher’s desk. Guess who was
sitting in front of me. Yes, it was Malik. Half way through the exam, he got
permission and left the class. He returned a while later and when Ms. Yooli turned
her back, Malik turned back and something! I don’t remember what he said, but I
think he said that he left the exam hall because he was bored. And then I asked
him whether the paper was easy or difficult, very quietly of course. You won’t
believe what he did next! He lifted up his paper and actually started showing
me his answers. I was so scared that I nearly pooped into my pants. Luckily Ms.
Yooli didn’t catch us!
After a few months, I saw Malik with a huge
afro! Well, I’m talking about his Facebook display picture. When I inquired
about it, I was told another great tale that I must tell my readers about. Yes,
hold your horses, I’m about to share what happened to Malik and his afro.
To start with, the afro was actually a wig! Yes
a wig! He was quite pleased with himself when he bought the wig because it fit
his head perfectly and looked quite natural and went well with his face and
all. So he wore the wig quite proudly and looked tough when he walked on the streets
feeling like a Paatey! Unfortunately his cover was blown in the most
heartbreaking manner.
Wearing his menacing Paatey wig and equipped
with a dangerous smile on his face, Malik walked towards Dine
More restaurant knowing that people were looking at him. It was a bit
windy and his afro danced beautifully on top of his head. Suddenly a gust
of strong breeze that must have come straight from the ocean caught his hair
and pulled it off his head. He would have felt less embarrassed if he didn't have
to chase or to be more precise, run after it like you do to catch a wild
chicken. He had to run for quite a distance before he was able to catch it. By
then there wasn't a single living being who hadn't observed
this spectacle with a bemused smile on their faces and he didn't have
the courage to wear it again.
Later I learned that he is not angry all the
time, he just looks angry and people assume that he is a short tempered guy
because he speaks his mind. Unlike most cowardly people,
he doesn't refrain from speaking the
truth. He doesn't try to win anyone’s approval, he
just doesn't give a damn about what people thought
of him. Which is in fact something very rare nowadays! I believe we
need more men like Malik to run schools so that they would speak out the truth
instead of being a puppy who would obey their masters every demand even if it
was wrong.
Malik is actually a very nice guy too. I needed
a wig and when I mentioned that I needed one, he offered to bring it by to JS.
I especially like his status updates on FB, yup, they always crack me
up! Now he is the principal of a school and I have no doubt that he is the kind
of principal who could do the impossible and help the schools in rural areas to
develop. He is also one of the best photographers I know. He is a talented guy.
Yes, Malik rocks! He is one of the coolest friends and one of the most unique
and interesting person that I have met from MNU.
