The slum dwellers of Male

She must be still a few months away from 28, but she was married at least eight times to seven men. These men came and left her life for reasons little known to anyone except Maaiy Raskalaange and her mother - a sixty something, arms-akimbo-fishwife type woman. Their vestige in her life was six children whose whereabouts still remain somewhat a mystery to her. Although she had her schooling only up to grade 6, she is not mentally challenged. A friend of your author sometimes gets to answer phone calls she makes to a distant relative from the Centre for the mentally challenged in Guraidhoo – yes, that is where she is staying now. She is definitely not demented but her mother has somehow managed to convince the Ministry officials that she indeed is – ostensibly in an attempt to get rid of her!

Another distant relative of your author’s someone, is 31. Her husband, a heroin addict has had intermittent interactions with her during his time away from the prison sentences to father 8 children from the marriage. She lives along with her 8 children with her mother and her 4 children, fathered by two different men, in two match box sized slum-like rooms.

These are true stories of real people just like you. It is little wonder that rhetoric like “furathama badhalu”, “magu chart” and “islaahee agenda” has little appeal to them.