(Waves of Wisdom is a podcast by the President of Maldives Professional Speakers Association, Iyaz Waheed.)
The Teacher Who Served: From Mysore to Shaviyani
Some journeys begin in classrooms. Others begin in compassion.
After finishing school at Majeediyya, Dr. Ahmed Anwar’s path took him to Mysore, India, for teacher education. There he discovered his life’s calling: not simply to teach, but to lift those who were left behind.
“I loved teaching,” he said. “Especially the disadvantaged children.”
Those early lessons in Mysore deepened his belief that education was the great equaliser: a way to heal difference and awaken dignity.
But the road was not smooth. At times, he felt disheartened by how teachers were treated. So he joined the Foreign Ministry, gaining exposure to the world of diplomacy. Yet even there, the teacher within him kept calling.
That calling returned stronger when, at just 24 years old, he was appointed Atoll Chief of Shaviyani Atoll: an extraordinary responsibility for someone so young.
“It was an eye-opener,” he reflected. “Life was very low at that time. People weren’t thinking of happiness as a need. Houses were poorly built. Then cholera broke out. We had to attend to it.”
Instead of leading from above, he worked shoulder to shoulder with the community: cleaning, caring, rebuilding. “To work with the people: I became a part of them. That gave me strength,” he said.
In those two years, leadership ceased to be a title. It became service.
Part 2 of 5 · A Waves of Wisdom Reflection Series by The Happiness Club
Next in the series: Part 3 — “The Global Learner: From Edinburgh to Community Education.”
Smile and Let Smile 