Ali Manikfan

M. Ali Manikfan is a self-taught researcher whose curiosity has carried him from the reefs of Minicoy to boat-building, astronomy and farming. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2021 in the field of grassroots innovation, from Lakshadweep ^[1].

Learning without school

Manikfan was born on Minicoy Island on 16 March 1938 ^[2]. The island had no schools then, and his first lessons came from his mother, Kumari Fathima Manika ^[2]. At ten he went to Kannur on the mainland to study, but left after the seventh standard and returned home ^[2].

He went on to teach himself many languages. Apart from Divehi (Mahl), the language he grew up with, he learned thirteen others, among them Arabic, Latin, French, Russian, German, Sinhalese, Persian, Sanskrit and Urdu ^[2]. His trips between Minicoy and Kannur on sailing ships also taught him how to navigate at sea ^[2].

A fish in his name

While working with the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute on Minicoy, he found many marine creatures new to science ^[2]. One fish he collected was named Abudefduf manikfani by Dr S. Jones, the institute’s director, in recognition of his sharp eye and knowledge of sea life ^[2].

The sewn ship

Manikfan led the building of a traditional sailing vessel for the Irish adventurer Tim Severin, who sailed it from Oman to China ^[2]. The ship was made entirely by hand, its planks stitched together with coir rope and not a single metal nail; it is now on public display in Muscat ^[2].

Calendars and farming

He has also worked on the lunar calendar, running projects in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka aimed at helping Muslims mark festivals on common dates, and travelled to Saudi Arabia to discuss the subject ^[2].

On 15 acres of barren land he bought at Valliyur in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, he experimented with gentle, nature-friendly farming ^[2]. He generated his own power from a windmill of his own design and built a house from materials found locally ^[2]. At the time of the award he was living in Kozhikode, Kerala ^[2].