The name Koli Ali Maniku may not ring many bells for the young generations of today. Much of the veteran business tycoon’s life had been spent overseas, as were his last days. However, at a time when the Maldives was a vulnerable nation adrift in the twentieth century, Maniku was one who had provided invaluable services to his country from within and abroad. The rise of a nine-year-old child - who was sent to neighbouring Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) in 1947 with the assistance of then Prime Minister Mohamed Amin for medical treatment – to become one of the most prominent business tycoons of the nation with powerful international connections was a journey attributed to special characteristics of his persona. After his treatment, Maniku had stayed back to study at Sosun Villa (now Maldivian Educational and Cultural Centre) in Lankan capital Colombo. His studies of seven years had been alongside high profile names such as Ibrahim Nasir, who would later become the prime minister and then president of the Maldives, with whom Maniku shared a dormitory. Maniku would later rise to be President Nasir’s deputy and one of his top aides during the struggle to secure the Maldives’ independence from the British protectorate. Maniku eventually dropped out of school to pursue entrepreneurship at the age of 16. His memoir indicates that he was a Philomath, a knowledge aficionado with a great love of learning new things. One case in point was his primary efforts to study various works at a Maldivian state-run company in Sri Lanka, following which he joined public service in 1958. Stationed in Sri Lanka, Mumbai in India, and then later Singapore, he had opened several doors to the outside world for the Maldives. Maniku became the government’s medium to whom responsibilities were delegated in the face of social health issues requiring foreign medical aid. It was not his status as a public servant that made him first choice, but rather his flair for communication and impeccable problem solving skills. Maniku’s services to the state ensued uninterrupted over the roiling decades of the 1950’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. He was involved in almost every major national development event that had transpired during his lifetime: establishing connections between the Maldives and international entrepreneurs, advancements to the fisheries industry, inception of the Maldives National Shipping Limited (MNSL), introduction of modern telecommunications to the country, and the construction of the Maldives’ main airport. His later services include his valuable partnership to the ongoing project to develop reclaimed suburb Hulhumalé. As a mastermind behind business trades and other connections between the Maldives and foreign nations, who spent long years abroad in his services, his interactions with the local community of the island nation were limited. Thus, it is unsurprising that Maniku’s name is not a common household name of today’s generation. However, he was the man behind several training programmes in his fields of specialty to coach and prepare young Maldivians as unfaltering contributors to their country. The local crews and engineers that sprung into existence during the most successful era of the National Shipping line were under Maniku’s direct supervision. He was the government’s top aide and advisor in the fields of economy and business during the presidencies of Ibrahim Nasir and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. His governing principle was to always remain faithful to the mandate delegated to him by the ruling leader of the time. In his memoir “Alhuganduge Dhuvahu Foiy” (My Diary), Maniku had included words of advice passed down to him by his father: “Don’t interfere with politics! Don’t try to exercise authority over your leader! Carry out the duties they assign you to your best!” Looking back on the life of Koli Ali Maniku, who had devoted over half a century to serving his country, it is apparent that he had dutifully held on to his father’s words to the very last.