Raivaru

By: Zueshan Ali

“To watch thee sleep peaceful in mine arms,

Having drunk on loves' cunning charms.

From pleasures most beautiful I myself woke

So I might again these desires in thee evoke”.

The ‘Raivaru’ (short verse) is one of the oldest forms of poetry in the Maldives, and has been defined by a Maldivian linguist called Hussein Salaahuddin as “a form of poetry used since the ancient times to express desires, thoughts and emotions”. The origin of ‘Raivaru’ is still unknown; giving it an air of enigma. Though there is no set record of when ‘Raivaru’ came into being, it is speculated to have been in use even in the seventeenth century during the reign of Sultan Kalaafaanu.

‘Raivaru’ evolved from ‘Bandhi’ and ‘Kaa’ (oldest forms of poetry in the Maldives). ‘Raivaru’ was famous for its usage in communication, entertainment, teaching, advising, complimenting and even for mockery. In the early days, it was common for the women to recite ‘Raivaru’ in the woods while collecting coconuts and firewood. They used these exotic rhymes to keep track of one another while at work and it was used for small talk and gossip as well. ‘Raivaru’ was also well reputed among teachers. They used it to not only give their pupils teachings of the books but about life in general. Mothers recited ‘Raivaru’ to put their babies to sleep. Men used to tease ladies of their preference with verses of ‘Raivaru’, while ladies flirted back in a subtle manner. ‘Raivaru’ was also a famous source of entertainment among men. They used to recite ‘Raivaru’ while sitting on the benches (Holhu Ashi) under huge trees. These gatherings were also common ground for mocking each other on literary levels.

The ‘Raivaru’ was also used in politics. Learned men recited verses in the court of the Sultans, praising them in order to gain their favor. It was also used to criticize them in ways that they wouldn’t understand. Also, the ‘Raivaru’ was recited for the amusement of the Sultans; like the English poetry was used in the Elizabethan times. This is once again suggestive of how ancient the ‘Raivaru’ is.

Although a form of poetry, the ‘Raivaru’ did not have a set structure or form. Rather, it was a scatter of words and phrases bound together by the last line. ‘Raivaru’ had a tune in which it was recited, giving it a lyrical quality. The length of ‘Raivaru’ varied; while some were as short as three lines, some went on till twelve or more. With a complicated word structure, this meant that some ‘Raivaru’ proved to be not only difficult to recite, but difficult to understand as well. The only thing that the early ‘Raivaru’ required was to fit the spoken language form.

Yet, with the birth of great linguists, the ‘Raivaru’ was reformed. The length of ‘Raivaru’ was revised to three, six and twelve lines; the rest being labeled as “haasaru” which means “meaningless chatter”. The ‘Raivaru’ was revised to its present day form by Edhuru Umaru Maafaiy Kaleygefaanu. Today, only six and three line ‘Raivaru’ with a rhyming scale and word structure is accepted. This too, is mostly considered difficult to comprehend.

Although ‘Raivaru’ is taught today, it does not extend beyond the walls of the secondary educational institutions. Students do not find it amusing or rich anymore. People no longer write ‘Raivaru’, thus this ancient form of art is at risk of dying out. With the introduction of English language into schools, some people believe that the native language got challenged by another sophisticated language. Others speculate English poetry being introduced to students to be the reason for ‘Raivaru’ losing its importance. In today’s’ modernizing society, ‘Raivaru’ has failed to make an impression on the young generation.

While the younger generation feels no obligation towards preserving ‘Raivaru’, the opinion of the elders differs. They believe that ‘Raivaru’ should be passed down from generation to generation in order to keep this art from becoming extinct. Although grandparents are seen encouraging their children to participate in ‘Raivaru’ competitions at school and teaching them ‘Raivaru’ and giving them tips on how to perform it; the children do not feel the need to give more importance to such trivial things.

However, one of the major reasons for ‘Raivaru’ losing its popularity was the newly introduced sexual content in it. It was commonly used to express one’s sexual desires openly. ‘Raivaru’, once used as a mean of education, was later used to sexually harass women. Men recited explicit verses describing their urges, which failed to impress not only women, but society as a whole. This type of ‘Raivaru’ is known as “Bereki Raivaru”. People lost the respect they had for ‘Raivaru’ when met with such crude displays of affection out in the public. It was considered so by the learned men and was thus given up.

While the government is putting in an effort to preserve this eloquent bit of our heritage, the efforts are falling in too little too late. People no longer see ‘Raivaru’ as a creative, passionate and exquisite form of poetry. However, the role of ‘Raivaru’ in the early Maldivian way of life was symbolic of the Maldivians’ individualism and great passion for poetry.

“Knowledge once learned and taught,

From past to present in writing brought,

When met with art newly made,

Into history slowly did fade”…