by Karthik Bhatt
Jegadhabhi Ragupathy Rangaraju, or J.R. Rangaraju as he was popularly known was one of the pioneers of the detective genre in the world of Tamil novels. His works, such as Mohanasundaram, Rajambal, Chandrakantha and Anandakrishnan were bestsellers and went into multiple reprints. Several drama troupes of those times such as Nawab Rajamanickam Pillai’s Madurai Devi Bala Vinoda Sangeetha Sabha dramatised his works with great success. What is however interesting to note and is a lesser-known facet of his personality is the deep interest showed by him (and his family) in agriculture. Marking the 150th year of his birth, this column features The Agriculturalist or Krishikan, the magazine that was brought out by his family.
J.R. Rangaraju
Rangaraju was born in Palayamcottah in April 1875 as the third son of J. Sriranga Raju, a postal inspector and Lakshmi Ammal. His elder brothers, J. Dharmaranga Raju and J. Selvaranga Raju were in government service. Having graduated from the Saidapet Agricultural College in 1888, Dharmaranga Raju started his career as a clerk in the Revenue Department in Tirunelveli and rose to the grade of a Deputy Collector in the early 1900s. He also had a stint as the Dewan Peshkar of the native state of Puducottah, before being appointed Assistant Registrar of Co-operative Societies. Selvaranga Raju followed Dharmaranga Raju in the Saidapet Agricultural College and graduated with a first-class degree. He started his career with a stint as a farm supervisor of the college and went on to serve the Agricultural Department for more than thirty years. He retired as its Deputy Director in the 1920s. Both brothers were awarded the Rao Bahadur title in recognition of their meritorious services. While details about Rangaraju’s early life and education are sketchy, it probably could be inferred that his interest in agriculture was inherited from his brothers.
Dharmaranga Raju had a keen interest in agriculture and undertook several experiments in his own lands. He was an active member of the Madras Agricultural Students Union, affiliated to his alma mater and served as its Vice-President. He was instrumental in educating ryots about agricultural developments such as the working of the iron plough during his tenure as Assistant to the Director of Agriculture in his native district of Tiruneveli. He recognised that the ryots had to be educated about newer methods and innovations, which would help them better their productivity. He hit upon the idea of starting a magazine for this purpose which would be made available at a highly-subsidised rate of 12 annas per annum, so that it could reach far and wide. Thus, was born The Agriculturist, or Krishikan.
The first issue of the magazine was published in April 1909. It was a monthly, with every issue coming out on the first day of the respective Tamil month. While Rangaraju was credited as being the editor and publisher, it was really Dharmaranga Raju who was the heart and soul behind the running of the magazine. He contributed several articles every issue, with ballads and simple verses on different aspects of agriculture such as ploughing methods, economic transplantation, gorrus (seed drills) etc. being his specialty. He also popularised these ballads amongst children of elementary schools, singing them as action songs. Another interesting aspect of the magazine was that subscribers communicating the non-receipt of any issue within a week of its publication were sent a copy of that issue again free of cost. Dharmaranga Raju’s active involvement in the magazine continued right up to his untimely death at a relatively young age of 49 years, in November 1914. Following Dharmaranga Raju’s demise, Selvaranga Raju took on a more active role in the functioning of the magazine.
J. Selvaranga Raju.
By this time, Rangaraju had individually made progress in his agricultural pursuits. He reared cattle which were superior in breed and high in milk yielding capacity. In 1902, he began a dairy on Mount Road, a venture which was credited as being the first of its kind. He evinced a keen interest in growing vegetables and the family’s garden in Saidapet, opposite the main entrance of Raj Bhavan became home to several rare plants and trees. As late as the 1970s, it was known in local parlance as “Raju Thottam”. Rangaraju was also in-charge of the gardening department of the Theosophical Society in the 1930s.
Krishikan continued to come out until 1917 or so, when its publication came to a halt. The reasons for the stoppage, as seen in a later advertisement for the magazine make for interesting reading. Rangaraju’s fame and interest in agriculture seems to have spread far and wide, for his services were requisitioned by the Government (of Madras?) to grow vegetables for soldiers fighting in Mesopotamia in World War I, and his decision to go to the war-front meant that the magazine had to be wound up. According to the advertisement, an immediate restart after the cessation of the war could not happen due to various circumstances, including the rising cost of newsprint. It was not until 1926 that the magazine started its second innings. It seems to have been published for a few years after that, before ceasing completely in the mid-1930s.
The story of the magazine does not end there, for it re-emerged in a different avatar a good two decades later, in 1951. The man behind its rebirth was A.S. Venkata Rao, who ran an agricultural welfare organisation called the Payirthozhil Pannai in Villupuram. The first issue in the new series fittingly plays tribute to the contribution of the Raju brothers in bringing out the magazine.
