11.2 Gadu Badu

A large community stayed back in the islands. They grew desperate and sentiments towards the central government heard.

Trouble was brewing.

On 30^th December, Maldive Government Representative in Ceylon, Orchard, flew to Gan from Colombo. There came five other members with him. Among them, Milky Way happened to be known as a ‘double agent’ who looked identical to Orchard.

Orchard carried a directive from the central government that banned working for the British and on top imposed duty on all the vessels belonging to Addu claiming on equal terms to all boats in Maldive waters.

On the following afternoon, Ghaffer’s associates deliberated the matter in his courtyard. His wife, Aysha, heard them talk. “Paperwork is done. Bills are ready on his table,” one of them said. Another suggested, “We men, we must do something now.”

When they were gone, Ghaffer began to slip from door to door growing irate. Aysha, who was a cousin of Adaran, tried to calm him down, “What have you got on your mind? I know you are fuming. You do nothing of that sort. Let it go!”

Ghaffer did not pause to listen so she grabbed his collar. He removed his shirt and said, “This is dirty. I am going for a wash.” He stepped inside the backyard shower garden to fake it to his wife. He lost his cool. He gathered his mundo and jumped over the wall. He ran to Adaran’s place, the magistrate’s house, and entered the patio.

Adaran sat on a mahogany easy chair. He looked frail wearing a cardigan. His mother asked, “What are you doing without a shirt?”

Ghaffer answered, “I went to the beach and I forgot to wear a shirt, turned up here, dropped in to say hello.”

He sneaked into the magistrate’s office and saw a pile of tax bills on the table. Gaffer gathered the bills in his mundo. It was close to eight and a crowd already assembled as a public hearing was called. He came down the steps and threw them on the ground crying, “This shit is what you get tonight!”

Adaran entered the magistrate’s office with his advocates. He called upon the people and read out from a list in the light of a Tilley lamp. Ghaffer pushed through the crowd and reached the front. Adaran asked, “People! Do I make myself clear?”

Ghaffer heckled, “No!” behaving badly, “Read it again!” And before Adaran could say a word, he grabbed the page and tore it, crumpled it, dropped it and stepped on it.

Adaran spoke calmly, “Ghaffer Abdel Didi! You do not have to act in that manner,” addressing him in full name and continued to say, “I don’t pursue to receive the same treatment in a torturous dungeon again.” During an era of hardline Sultan Denur, Adaran was convicted of accepting hands from the British and jailed where he was punished severely.

Ghaffer ignored and turned to face the angered crowd. Adaran withdrew to his house escorted by his aids.

Shakir arrived on his bicycle at eight-thirty and on time according to his knowledge. Taking precaution, he approached from Iris Higun towards Nares Road. He stopped in the dark and drew the earpiece, plugged into his ear and began to listen. It seemed the meeting was over but noises were loud coming from the earphone as well from around the corner. On Nares Road, a fairly large group of people expressed dissatisfaction over an outcome. It appeared that Adaran asked the people to pay the tax bills as directed by the government.

Someone grasped him by the collar, “Here is the guy snooping on us!” he pulled hard to topple Shakir off the bike. Others ran up from Nares Road and grabbed him. First contact went rough as they slapped him in the face and pushed him to the ground. They tore his shirt and buttons flew off the placket.

They shoved him into the light under the Tilley lamps on Nares Road.

Ghaffer reached him, “You again!” He slammed a palm on his chest. The impact was harder than he intended. He realised it.

Shakir received it pressed in the lungs and hard to breathe for a while. He absorbed it and showed no expression on his face. He felt pain. He was scared but he did bravely not to show a reaction.

That Ghaffer somehow read on his face though with mistrust he said, “Don’t let him go!”

Crowd out there were gibbering in their tongue that Shakir could hardly understand particularly when spoken rapidly. Their plan was to abduct Orchard who was in Gan Island at Maranga House. They wanted to prepare the boats and call the people to get ready with any kind of tools that might come handy.

Two short guys were guarding Shakir. Even if he was tall, it was impossible to shake them off, not even one. A shout alerted and in a motion towards south, one of them drew him holding firmly to his lapel coiled in a fist. They came across a crowd running towards north. “Go to the boats!” they called.

Again, they drew him to the moorage. There was a gibbous moon on the rise. It was around ten. Another hour passed. There were shouts here and there. Scores of islanders climbed the boats. Shakir was thrust into a doni and he took a risky chance to remove the receiver from his hip pocket and dropped it into the sea. Nobody noticed it. Soon his hands were tied behind his back.

“We leave immediately,” cried a guy, “If we stay until daybreak, the English will see us looming and stop us from climbing Gan. If we go now, we have a better chance to approach undetected.”

They sent a boat to Hulu-Meedu with a group of ten men to attract supporters. And another to alert Feydu islanders that the boats from Hittadu were going to Gan. All the boats then set sail to Gan.

Adaran who wasn’t feeling well arrived at the RAF in Hittadu and informed that an angered mob were heading to harm Orchard. RAF then informed Gan. Orchard and Major W W Phyllis were speedily transferred to the RAF station in Hittadu. The mob didn’t know about it.