With Interests In Ship-Building, Marine Biology, Green Energy & Agriculture, This School Dropout Defies Labels & Disciplines

Ali Manikfan, 84, lives in a small rented house at Perumanna on the outskirts of Kozhikode. It does not even have enough mantle-space for the national and international trophies he has accumulated over a lifetime of free-wheeling experimentation and creativity. With his long white robe, intense sage-like gaze and white beard, the tall and lean Manikfan seems to be a perfect embodiment of the Jungian archetype of Wise Old Man. A voracious autodidact, Manikfan is an expert of various proficiencies in areas as diverse as marine biology, traditional ship-building, astronomy, ecology and agriculture, apart from being a polygot with command over 14 languages, including Sanskrit and Persian.

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