A Soldier, War Veteran and Proud Son of Maliku
Among the men of Maliku who dedicated an important part of their lives to the service of the nation, B.G. Ibrahim of Boduvauganduvar, popularly and affectionately known as Boduvaubebe, holds a special place. His life journey—from an exceptionally athletic young man in Maliku to a soldier of the Indian Army, a war veteran, a disciplined government employee and a respected elder—reflects courage, determination and an enduring commitment to duty.
This account of his life and service has been drawn from a script prepared by F.G. Mohammed, Retired Information Assistant-cum-Photographer, who also recorded details shared during his interactions with B.G. Ibrahim and his family.
Boduvaubebe was remembered from his school days as a young man of unusual physical strength and exceptional sporting ability. He excelled in individual sporting events and was regarded as the unchallenged champion of his school. Jumping events were among his particular strengths, and his performances in the high jump were remembered as extraordinary.
His physical abilities also became well known among the people of Maliku. On several occasions he entertained gatherings with demonstrations of his athletic and acrobatic skills. One particularly remembered feat involved a football suspended from the ceiling. As the ball was gradually raised higher, he would leap and touch it with his toe, drawing applause and excitement from the spectators.
His sporting achievements brought him numerous prizes, including prizes presented during the period of Administrator Shri Murkoth Ramunny. But his youth was also marked by personal hardship. According to the source account, he lost both his parents at a young age and was brought up with the care of his paternal grandmother and aunt.
An interesting episode from his school years reveals the determination that would later characterize his life. When students from Minicoy were advised to go to Kavaratti for further education after Standard VII, Ibrahim was concerned about young girls having to undertake the long journey by a small vessel. He boldly expressed his objection before the Administrator and supported the demand for Standard VIII to be introduced in Minicoy. When this did not materialize, he discontinued his own studies.
In 1962, Administrator Shri Murkoth Ramunny offered Ibrahim a position as a fieldman at the agricultural farm. The source records that Ibrahim did not find the occupation sufficiently challenging. Encouraged by Mr. Ramunny, he instead chose a very different path.
On 8 January 1964, at the age of approximately 22, the young and courageous Ibrahim joined the Indian Army through a special recruitment and was enrolled in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME).
His military career would place him within important periods of modern Indian history.
According to the account, Boduvaubebe participated in the Indo-Pak conflict of 1965 and again served during the 1971 war associated with the Liberation of Bangladesh. His military character was recorded as “Exemplary.”
During his service in the Indian Army, B.G. Ibrahim received several medals and service distinctions. The source account records these as the Raksha Medal 1965, SSM with Imp Assam & Bengal, 9 Years Long Service Medal, Pashchimi Star, and the 25th Independence Anniversary Medal. These honours remain tangible reminders of a military career that spanned nearly two decades and included service during important periods in the history of independent India.
B.G. Ibrahim (Boduvaubebe) through the years, together with medals received during his military service in the Indian Army.
After completing approximately 18 years of military service, B.G. Ibrahim was discharged from the Army on 1 February 1982. His years in uniform had instilled habits of discipline, punctuality and dedication that remained with him throughout his later working life.
Retirement from military service did not mean retirement from active work. Wanting to remain productively engaged, he subsequently obtained employment as a Work-Charged Driver with the Lakshadweep Public Works Department (LPWD). He joined LPWD at Kavaratti on 1 March 1984 and was later transferred to Minicoy.
It was during these years that younger generations increasingly came to know and address him affectionately as “Boduvaubebe.”
The discipline of his Army years remained clearly visible in his civilian service. He became known for his punctuality, dedication, straightforward character, self-reliance and gentle manner. The account summarizes his personal working philosophy in a simple expression:
“Talk less, work more.”
After approximately 18 years of service with the Lakshadweep Public Works Department, Boduvaubebe retired on superannuation on 31 March 2002. The staff of the LPWD Sub Division, Minicoy, accorded him a farewell at the Dak Bungalow. On that occasion, Assistant Engineer Shri Mohammed Kudage praised Ibrahim for his devotion to duty and described Boduvaubebe as “a model to others.”
Even after retirement, he did not prefer an idle life. The source records that he remained active through cattle rearing, agriculture and poultry farming, continuing the habit of productive work that had characterized his military and civilian careers.
His military service received renewed public attention in January 2021, when information about the veteran was shared on social media in connection with Indian Army Day. According to F.G. Mohammed’s account, the response brought wider recognition to the former soldier within the community.
On 16 January 2021, personnel including the Station House Officer, police personnel, IRBn, Fire Force and Home Guard visited him at his wife’s house at Kehiganduwar in Sedivalu Village, Maliku, to convey Army Day greetings and honour him with a shawl. Boduvaubebe expressed his gratitude for the recognition he received after many years of retired life.
He received another honour in connection with the 72nd Republic Day celebrations in 2021 at Minicoy. Deputy Collector Shri Pradeepkumar visited him after the ceremonial programme and presented mementos as a mark of respect to the veteran who had served the Indian Armed Forces and participated in wartime service.
The source also records an important feature of that year’s Republic Day celebrations. For the first time, a marching contingent and band representing the Bangladesh tri-services participated in India’s Republic Day Parade to commemorate 50 years of the historic Liberation of Bangladesh. The contingent consisted of 122 members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, including soldiers of the Bangladesh Army, sailors of the Bangladesh Navy and air warriors of the Bangladesh Air Force.
The contingent was led by Lieutenant Colonel Abu Mohammed Shahnoor Shawon, assisted by Lieutenant Farhan Ishraq and Flight Lieutenant Sibat Rahman. The account notes that all three services of the Bangladesh Armed Forces had played an important role in securing their country's independence during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971—a conflict in which B.G. Ibrahim had also served as a member of the Indian Army.
B.G. Ibrahim expressed his gratitude for the honour and recognition shown to him after many years of retired life.
His service was remembered again during the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and Har Ghar Tiranga observances. The source records that B.G. Ibrahim was honoured as a war veteran and ex-serviceman on 14 August 2022, when his daughter Smt. Raziya Beegum of Kehiganduvar received the ceremonial shawl on his behalf.
The source also records a much more recent and personal encounter. F.G. Mohammed met the veteran again on 3 January 2026, when Boduvaubebe was attending his granddaughter’s marriage function in Kochi in a wheelchair.
The life of B.G. Ibrahim—Boduvaubebe—of Boduvauganduvar represents more than a record of military and government employment. From the athletic fields of his youth to nearly two decades in the Indian Army, from wartime service to another long period of public service under the Lakshadweep Administration, discipline and determination remained recurring qualities throughout his life.
For Maliku, his story preserves the memory of one of its sons who left the island to wear the uniform of the Indian Army, served through important periods in the nation's history, returned to continue serving his island community, and carried the discipline of military life with him long after leaving the Armed Forces.
His medals are reminders of his years in uniform, but his wider legacy lies equally in the qualities remembered by those who knew him—courage, physical strength, discipline, punctuality, self-reliance, simplicity and dedication to duty.
Maliku Legends proudly records the life and service of B.G. Ibrahim (Boduvaubebe), a veteran soldier and distinguished son of Maliku, so that his story may be remembered by present and future generations.
Source & Acknowledgement
This biographical account has been prepared from the original script and recollections provided by F.G. Mohammed, Retired Information Assistant-cum-Photographer, including information recorded from B.G. Ibrahim and his family.
Maliku Legends gratefully acknowledges F.G. Mohammed for documenting and preserving this valuable account of B.G. Ibrahim’s life, military service, sporting achievements, public service and later recognition, thereby helping preserve the story of one of Maliku’s respected veterans for future generations.