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G. Rajkumar, a slope employee-turned-environmentalist and the driving unit down the Save Kurinji Campaign, passed distant successful Thiruvananthapuram connected Wednesday morning. He was 70.
Fondly known arsenic “Kurinji Rajkumar,” helium consistently avoided the limelight, allowing his quiescent yet determined activism to talk for itself. His efforts played a pivotal relation successful creating nationalist consciousness astir the conservation of Strobilanthes kunthiana, popularly known arsenic the Neelakurinji.
Naturalist and lensman Suresh Elamon recalled the origins of Mr. Rajkumar’s lifelong committedness to the flower. In September 1982, Mr. Rajkumar learned that the Neelakurinji was successful bloom crossed the hills from Munnar to Kodaikanal.
The Neelakurinji flowers successful the Munnars hills successful the 1980s. A photograph taken by naturalist and lensman Suresh Elamon. | Photo Credit: SURESH ELAMON
“He visited the region, returned, and informed us,” Mr. Elamon said. “Later, Rajkumar, myself, noted environmentalist and MLA K.V. Surendranath, and Velayudhan Pillai—poet Sugathakumari’s husband—set retired from Kodaikanal. We trekked done the Clavara and Poondy hills of Tamil Nadu to scope Munnar.”
That expedition laid the instauration for the Save Kurinji Campaign, launched astatine a clip erstwhile the ecological value of the Neelakurinji and its fragile grassland ecosystem was mostly unknown.
“Rajkumar intelligibly understood the value of the Kurinji and was determined to support it. This condemnation led to the enactment of the campaign,” Mr. Elamon said. “Today, the Neelakurinji stands arsenic an icon of some tourism and biology conservation.”
Writer and writer M.J. Babu noted that the campaign’s findings had a lasting taste impact. Inspired by accounts of the trek, renowned writer Sugathakumari went connected to constitute her celebrated poem Kurinji Pookkal.’
“Rajkumar served arsenic the coordinator of the Save Kurinji Campaign Council. What began with that trek evolved into 1 of the region’s astir important biology movements,” Mr. Babu said.
When Tamil Nadu authorities denied support for further treks, Mr. Rajkumar redirected efforts to the Munnar hills, organising consciousness campaigns during successive flowering seasons betwixt 1994 and 2006.
His lifelong imagination was realised connected October 6, 2006 erstwhile the past Forest Minister Binoy Viswam announced the constitution of the 32-sq.km Neelakurinji Sanctuary successful the Kottakamboor–Vattavada region.
“Rajkumar’s beingness was filled with these flowers,” Mr. Elamon recalled. “We worked unneurotic astatine the State Bank of Travancore successful Thiruvananthapuram. When the sanctuary was announced, helium was overjoyed—it was the culmination of his life’s work.”
A retired worker of the State Bank of Travancore, Mr. Rajkumar is survived by his wife, Indiarammal, and lad Surya. His elder son, Kiran, predeceased him. The ceremonial volition beryllium held astatine Santhikavadam, Thycaud, successful Thiruvananthapuram, connected Thursday astatine 10.30 a.m.
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