Haji Hussain Malim — A Life Guided by Stars and Faith
Haji Hussain Malim belonged to a rare generation of traditional Maliku navigators whose lives revolved around wind, stars, the open sea, and unwavering faith. In the maritime memory of Maliku (Minicoy), people remember his name with quiet reverence. Haji Hussain Hassan Malim Kasinkagothi, lovingly known as Haji Hussain Malim, was one of those remarkable seafarers who carried generations of island knowledge across the Indian Ocean.
He embodied the timeless image of a Maliku elder—slender and dignified, with a long white beard and a simple head cloth wrapped like a turban. He wore a plain white half-sleeve shirt and a checked lungi and often walked barefoot in calm composure. His serene face, attentive eyes, and very soft voice reflected humility and discipline. Beneath this gentle presence lived a man of remarkable knowledge, courage, devotion, and lifelong familiarity with the sea.
Early Learning under the Open Sky
From a very young age, Haji Hussain Malim learned the local theory of navigation from his father and the elders of the island. He did not acquire this knowledge in a classroom. Instead, elders passed it from generation to generation through careful observation of the skies, winds, currents, stars, and the silent language of the sea. As a teenager, he left Maliku with Yousuf Bebe Kasinkagothi (Donmaman)—the son-in-law of Rani Lakshmi Bai—and travelled to the distant Andaman and Nicobar Islands in search of work and wider horizons.
Malimi of the Great Sailing Vessels
In the Andamans, Haji Hussain Malim joined the wooden sailing vessel Mahamoodhiya, which operated under Jadwet Trading Company Ltd., founded by the renowned Aakooji. He served as a Malimi, or traditional navigator, a position that demanded exceptional knowledge of celestial navigation and the sea. Over the years, he worked aboard vessels including Daya and Safeena Varaacha (except Jai Jawahar). These vessels connected the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with Rangoon, Calcutta, Madras, Ceylon, the Maldives, and Maliku.
These were pure sailing voyages without engines. A single journey from the Andamans to Maliku normally took about 40 to 45 days. On rare occasions, favourable winds shortened the voyage to around 30 days. Sailors therefore spent weeks at the mercy of changing winds, powerful seas, unpredictable storms, and long periods far from land.
Successful navigation required knowledge, observation, and precise calculation. Haji Hussain Malim used the sextant, the nautical almanac, Norie’s Nautical Tables, and the positions of the sun, stars, and horizon to determine the vessel’s course. At night, he read the sky; by day, he studied the sea, wind, and horizon. Every cloud formation, change in wind direction, and shift in current carried meaning. Through years of experience, he earned widespread respect in the Andamans as a master Malimi.
Life at sea was more than a profession for him. It demanded patience, discipline, responsibility, and constant watchfulness. Younger sailors observed how calmly he calculated positions and guided vessels across vast stretches of ocean. His confidence did not arise from pride but from a lifetime spent understanding the moods of the sea.
A Companion in Faith and Struggle
Whenever he stayed in Maliku, Haji Hussain Malim devoted much of his time to religious and community service. At night, he assisted Ali Manikfan in Islamic preaching as they moved from street to street across the island. His role was humble but memorable—he carried the lantern that lit their path while Ali Manikfan addressed the people.
Not everyone welcomed their preaching at the time. Some people ridiculed and resisted them and even threw stones at them, yet they continued their work. His daughter Havva still remembers witnessing these difficult moments. Because of this commitment, Haji Hussain Malim had to leave his house at Edurugothi with his children. For a long period, the family lived in a lonely house called Boduvalugothi. Later, he settled in a house he purchased at Aloodi Village, Thukkathuraganduvaru.
Haji Hussain Malim also performed Hajj twice at Masjid al-Haram in Saudi Arabia. The company linked with Rani Lakshmi’s circle sponsored his first Hajj, while he performed the second in the name of his deceased daughter, Fathima. Aakooji’s company honoured five dedicated Minicoy employees by facilitating their Hajj. The available account names Haji Hussain Malim, Mohammed Ismail Marraikkar, Yousuf Kasinkagothi (Dombebe), and Adam Bandaragothi among them.
Service to the Community
Haji Hussain Malim contributed far beyond navigation and religious service. His long experience in the Andamans enabled him to help young people from Maliku find employment aboard sailing vessels. He assisted many teenagers in securing jobs and opened opportunities for them to enter the maritime world that had shaped his own life.
Many Maliku families established their connection with the Andaman sailing trade through his recommendations and assistance. He expected nothing in return. Seeing young men find employment, develop discipline, and support their families gave him satisfaction. In this quiet way, his knowledge and connections benefited not only individual sailors but also their families and the wider community.
His final sailing voyage took him aboard the vessel Safeena from Car Nicobar to Port Blair. Even in his later years, he retained a remarkably sharp memory. He could recall old sea routes, star positions, sailing passages, and experiences from distant voyages with striking clarity. The knowledge he had accumulated over a lifetime remained with him long after his active sailing years ended.
Haji Hussain Malim married Aysha Edurugothi Bidharuge, and they had five children: Ismail, Moosa, Mohammed, Fathima, and Havva. Havva later resided at Thukkathuraganduvaru in Aloodi Village. His family remembered him as a gentle father who spoke little but taught much through his own example—punctuality, honesty, prayer, discipline, humility, and respect for others.
A Legacy of Sea, Knowledge and Faith
Haji Hussain Malim lived in an era when navigators crossed immense stretches of ocean without satellite navigation, electronic charts, or modern communication systems. His instruments were simple, but their effective use required profound knowledge. He looked to the sun and stars for guidance, used the horizon as his reference, and drew upon generations of accumulated maritime wisdom to read the changing sea.
His legacy therefore reaches far beyond the vessels on which he sailed. It lives in Maliku’s maritime memory, in the young men whom he helped find opportunities, in his religious and community service, and in the values he passed to his family. Haji Hussain Malim represents a generation of Maliku seafarers whose courage, knowledge, faith, and service connected a small island with a much wider world.