Kanji Malam: The Man Who Showed Vasco da Gama the Route to India

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]India was discovered by Vasco da Gama.

[00:00:02]This is what our history book taught us, but this is completely false. The real story is connected to the sea voyage of 1497-98, when the king of Portugal, Manuel the First, sent Vasco da Gama to find a route to India. On 8th July in 1497, he set sail from Lisbon with four ships and around 170 sailors. For months, they sailed along the coast of Africa and crossed the Cape of Good Hope, but beyond that point, the route was unknown to them. In April 1498, they reached Malindi in East Africa. By then, their condition was poor. The sailors were sick and the ships were worn out. It was here that they realized reaching India without local knowledge was impossible.

[00:00:36]At that point, the Sultan of Malindi helped them by providing an experienced [music] Indian pilot to guide them. This pilot was Kanji Malam, a Gujarati sailor from Mandvi in the Kutch region. In Portuguese records, he's referred to as Malemo Cana. He had deep knowledge of Indian Ocean routes, monsoon winds, and navigation using stars. He used a traditional Indian instrument called the Kamal to determine direction at sea. On 24th April 1498, the journey resumed from Malindi and under Kanji Malam's guidance, the ships crossed the Indian Ocean in just 23 to 24 days. This was a kind of special knowledge that Europeans did not possess. Finally, on 20th May 1498, Vasco da Gama reached Calicut, that is, present-day Kozhikode, landing at Kappad Beach. History books often give credit to Vasco da Gama for his journey, but the truth is that his success depended on the knowledge of an Indian navigator, Kanji Malam. Even several Portuguese records have described this pilot as a Gujarati sailor. This story clearly [music] shows that the true discoverer was the one who showed the way, Kanji Malam. Vasco da Gama only reached India by relying on the knowledge provided by an Indian navigator. This event proves that India's maritime knowledge was centuries ahead and highly advanced, something that the world recognized much later.