Kerala: Doyen of agricultural journalism R T Ravi Varma no more

Source: The New Indian Express
Author: Ronnie Kuriakose

KOCHI: R T Ravi Varma, the valiya thampuran of the Cochin royal family, passed away at his residence in Thrissur on Tuesday. He was 99.

An accomplished writer and agricultural scholar, R T Ravi Varma was a pioneer in agricultural journalism, having contributed to and led various agricultural publications in English and Malayalam.

In making agricultural writing accessible to all, the role that Varma played in paving the way for the agricultural development of the state is on par with that of government officials and scientists, and can't be overlooked.

For being the torchbearer for Kerala's agricultural folks with his articles, Varma, who went by the pseudonym Siri, was also referred to as Krishiyezhuthinte Thampuran (the lord of agricultural writing).

Born in 1924, Varma completed his studies at Maharaja's College in Kochi, and at the College of Agriculture, Pune. Later, whilst pursuing an M.Sc in chemistry at the National Dairy Development Board in Bengaluru, he received an offer letter from the Kerala State Agricultural Department, which Varma accepted. His first posting was at a government-run farm at Karunagappalli.

During this time, Varma, who had by then displayed proficiency in writing, was awarded the Ford Foundation scholarship to learn agricultural journalism at the University of Wisconsin. On his return, Varma found himself at the Central Agricultural Department, New Delhi, as head of its publications wing.