‘Save Kurinji’ crusader G. Rajkumar passes away at 70

G. Rajkumar, a bank employee-turned-environmentalist and the driving force behind the Save Kurinji Campaign, passed away in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday morning. He was 70.

Fondly known as “Kurinji Rajkumar,” he consistently avoided the limelight, allowing his quiet yet determined activism to speak for itself. His efforts played a pivotal role in creating public awareness about the conservation of Strobilanthes kunthiana, popularly known as the Neelakurinji.

Naturalist and photographer Suresh Elamon recalled the origins of Mr. Rajkumar’s lifelong commitment to the flower. In September 1982, Mr. Rajkumar learned that the Neelakurinji was in bloom across the hills from Munnar to Kodaikanal.

“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 out from Kodaikanal. We trekked through the Clavara and Poondy hills of Tamil Nadu to reach Munnar.”

That expedition laid the foundation for the Save Kurinji Campaign, launched at a time when the ecological significance of the Neelakurinji and its fragile grassland ecosystem was largely unknown.

“Rajkumar clearly understood the importance of the Kurinji and was determined to protect it. This conviction led to the formation of the campaign,” Mr. Elamon said. “Today, the Neelakurinji stands as an icon of both tourism and environmental conservation.”

Writer and journalist M.J. Babu noted that the campaign’s findings had a lasting cultural impact. Inspired by accounts of the trek, renowned poet Sugathakumari went on to write her celebrated poem Kurinji Pookkal.’

“Rajkumar served as the coordinator of the Save Kurinji Campaign Council. What began with that trek evolved into one of the region’s most significant environmental movements,” Mr. Babu said.

When Tamil Nadu authorities denied permission for further treks, Mr. Rajkumar redirected efforts to the Munnar hills, organising awareness campaigns during successive flowering seasons between 1994 and 2006.

His lifelong dream was realised on October 6, 2006 when the then Forest Minister Binoy Viswam announced the establishment of the 32-sq.km Neelakurinji Sanctuary in the Kottakamboor–Vattavada region.

“Rajkumar’s life was filled with these flowers,” Mr. Elamon recalled. “We worked together at the State Bank of Travancore in Thiruvananthapuram. When the sanctuary was announced, he was overjoyed—it was the culmination of his life’s work.”

A retired employee of the State Bank of Travancore, Mr. Rajkumar is survived by his wife, Indiarammal, and son Surya. His elder son, Kiran, predeceased him. The funeral will be held at Santhikavadam, Thycaud, in Thiruvananthapuram, on Thursday at 10.30 a.m.