# R. Ramachandran Nair

Ramakrishna Pillai Ramachandran Nair (born 23 April 1939) is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer from Kottayam, Kerala, who served as collector of Kannur and Kollam districts, managing director of Travancore-Cochin Chemicals, secretary to various departments, and finally as the Chief Secretary of Kerala state in different intervals. He was also the founding Vice Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady. A prolific writer, he has also written many poems and essays in Sanskrit (under the pseudonym Thulaseevanam), Malayalam and English. His Sanskrit compositions, most of them being Carnatic kritis, praise more on the deities of Kerala temples, especially around Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam. Nair is credited with popularising many temples in Kerala.

## Early life

Nair was born on the 10th of Medam 1115 (Malayalam calendar), 23 April 1939, in Mangombil house (his ancestral home) in Kottayam, Kerala as the fifth of the nine children of Thumbunkal Ramakrishna Pillai, a mathematics teacher by profession, and Mangombil Bharathi Amma. His ancestors originally hailed from Thirunavaya in the present-day Malappuram district, and migrated to Travancore following Tipu Sultan's invasion. He has seven brothers and a sister, among which one died at a very young age. He spent his childhood in Poonjar in the eastern side of Kottayam district. He was a brilliant student in his school, and passed SSLC with distinction in 1955. From a very young age itself, he learnt Sanskrit from noted scholars. After his education, he served as a teacher at University college in Thiruvananthapuram for a short time. He joined IAS in 1961.

## Personal life

Nair is married to Lakshmi R. Nair, the daughter of the late V. R. Pillai from Haripad, Alappuzha district. Their marriage happened on 8 December 1965, when Nair was 26 and Lakshmi was 19. The couple has two sons and a daughter. Their eldest son, Prof. R. Hemanth Kumar is the principal of Ettumanoorappan College, Ettumanoor, Kottayam district. The second son Dr. R. Ajay Kumar is a cardiologist by profession. The third child and only daughter, Anjali R. Mohan is a school teacher by profession in Chennai. Their son-in-law is a nephew of E. K. Nayanar, former Chief Minister of Kerala. Nair is a devotee of the noted Hindu saint and social reformer Chattambi Swamikal, and is a member of numerous organisations related to his ideologies.

## As a writer

Nair is well-known for Carnatic compositions, written under the pseudonym Thulaseevanam. His compositions usually feature the deities in Kerala temples, especially around Kottayam, his native place, and Thiruvananthapuram, where he finally settled. He is well-credited for popularising numerous temples in Kerala, like Pazhavangadi Ganapathi Temple, Sreekanteswaram Mahadeva Temple, Attukal Bhagavathi Temple, Kidangoor Subramanya Temple, Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple, etc. He also wrote songs on Chattambi Swamikal, the noted social reformer of Kerala, whom he idolises most. Most of his songs were written in Sanskrit. Though he has immense poetic talent, he lacks musical proficiency, and thus he had to seek outside help for tuning his songs, just like Arunachala Kavirayar and Periyasamy Thooran. His songs have been composed and sung by numerous popular musicians like Maharajapuram Santhanam, T. V. Sankaranarayanan, T. N. Seshagopalan, R. K. Srikantan, Rajkumar Bharathi, Prince Rama Varma, Perumbavoor G. Raveendranath and numerous others. His most popular composition is Bhaja Manasa Vighneshwaram Anisham in the raga Bahudari.
| Composition | Raga | Tala | Praising | Temple |
| Akhilānda Nāyakā अखिलाण्डनायका | Madhyamavati | Adi | Shiva | N/A |
| Āmaya Karunāvāhini आमयकरुणावाहिनी | Poorvi Kalyani | Adi | Parvati | N/A |
| Āmaya Nāśana आमयनाशन | Kalyani | Adi | Venkateswara | Tirupati |
| Anagha Śambhō अनघशंभो | Yadukulakamboji | Roopakam | Shiva | Ettumanoor |
| Ātma Nivedanaṁ आत्मनिवेदनम् | Vrindavana Saaranga | Adi | Krishna | N/A |
| Bhāvaye Sādaraṁ भावये सादरम् | Keeravani | Adi | Sastha | Sabarimala |
| Bhaja Mānasa Vighneshwaramanisham भज मानस विघ्नेश्वरमनिशम् | Bahudari | Adi | Ganesha | Pazhavanagdi |
| Bhajāmahē Śrī Vināyakaṁ भजामहे श्री विनायकम् | Hamsadhwani | Adi | Ganesha | Pazhavanagdi |
| Bhajarē Cētaha भजरे चेतः | Arabhi | Adi | Ganesha | Pazhavanagdi |
| Bhajarē Mānasa Śāstāraṁ भजरे मानस शास्तारम् | Sindhu Bhairavi | Adi | Sastha | N/A |
| Bhajarē Śrīkaṇțeśvaraṁ भजरे श्रीकण्ठेश्वरम् | Kamboji | Adi | Shiva | Sreekanteswaram |
| Bhajē Surēśaṁ भजे सुरेशम् | Shriranjini | Adi | Venkateswara | Tirupati |
| Bhūtanātha Māṁ Pāhi भूतनाथ मांं पाहि | Saveri | Adi | Sastha | Sabarimala |
| Caraņayuga Smaraṇaṁ चरणयुगस्मरणम् | Malayamarutham | Adi | Krishna | Guruvayur |
| Dāsamimaṃ Pāhi दासमिमं पाहि | Begada | Adi | Shiva | Thirunakkara |
| Dainyāpahaṃ Bhāvaye दैन्यापहं भावये | Shriranjini/Thodi | Adi | Parvati | Kanyakumari |
| Dāsosmyahaṃ Danuja Śāsaka दासोस्म्यहं दनुजशासक | Mukhari | Adi | Krishna | Guruvayur |
| Dēvā Namō Namō देवा नमो नमो | Khamas | Adi | Chattambi Swamikal | N/A |
| Dēvā Vidyādhirājā देवा विद्याधिराजा | Kedara Gowla | Adi | Chattambi Swamikal | N/A |
| Dharmasthalēśvara धर्मसथलेश्वर | Ananda Bhairavi | Adi | Shiva | Dharmasthala |
| Duritāpahaṃ Aniśaṃ दुरितापहमनिशम् | Shriranjini | Adi | Sastha | Sabarimala |
| Duritāraṇya Kṛṣanmō दुरितारण्य कृषन्मो | Neelambari | Chappu | Krishna | Thirumala |
| Ēkaradanam Vāraṇa Vadanam एकरदनं वारणवदनम् | Hindolam | Adi | Ganesha | Pazhavangadi |
| Gajānana Mām Pālaya गजानन मां पालय | Mohanam | Adi | Ganesha | Pazhavangadi |
| Gajamukha Māmava गजमुख मामव | Reethigowla | Adi | Ganesha | Pazhavangadi |
| Gajānanam Bhaje गजाननं भजे | Kamalamanohari | Adi | Ganesha | Pazhavangadi |
| Gāyāmi Tava Nāma गायामि तव नाम | Huseni | Chappu | Krishna | Guruvayur |
| Girivara Putrīṃ गिरिवर पुत्रीम् | Dwijavanthi | Sanskrit | Parvati | Shankhumukham |
| Guruvāyupurēsha Surēsha गुरुवायुपुरेश सुरेश | Shaama | Adi | Krishna | Guruvayur |
| Hara Hara Shiva Pālaya हर हर शिव पालय | Shahana | Adi | Shiva | Ettumanoor |
| Harihara Tanūja Devā हरिहरतनूज देवा | Begada | Chappu | Sastha | Sabarimala |
| Indirā Mandiraṃ इन्दिरामन्दिरम् | Surutti | Adi | Venkateswara | Tirupati |
| Kāma Madāpaha काममदापह | Poorvikalyani | Adi | Shiva | Ettumanoor |
| Kāma Nishūdanam कामनिषूदनम् | Yadukulakamboji | Adi | Shiva | Dharmasthala |
| Karuņākaram Śrīkaram कऱुणाकरं श्रीकरम् | Pantuvarali | Roopakam | Krishna | Guruvayur |
| Kērala Bhūtalapālā केरळ भूतलपाला | Devagandhari | Adi | Sastha | Sabarimala |
| Kuru Śubham Adhunā कुरु शुभम् अधुना | Shaama | Adi | Sastha | Sabarimala |
| Laṃbōdaram Bhāvayē लम्बोदरं भावये | Kamboji | Adi | Ganesha | N/A |
| Mādhava Harē माधव हरे | Todi | Adi | Vishnu | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Mahishī Madahara महिषीमदहर | Poorvikalyani | Adi | Sastha | Sabarimala |
| Māmava Mādhava मामव माधव | Behag | Adi | Venkateswara | Tirupati |
| Māmava Mahēśvarī मामव महेश्वरी | Bhairavi | Adi | Parvati | Shankhumukham |
| Māmava Māmava मामव मामव | Dhanyasi | Adi | Venkateswara | Tirupati |
| Māmava Vidyādhirājā मामव विद्याधिराजा | Abhogi | Adi | Chattambi Swamikal | N/A |
| Maňgaľa Guņārņava मङ्गळ गुणार्णव | Kalyani | Roopakam | Chattambi Swamikal | N/A |
| Maranda Bhāshiņī मरन्दभाषिणी | Chakravakam | Adi | Saraswati | Panachikkadu |
| Māyā Mānusha Hare मायामानुष हरे | Mukhari | Roopakam | Krishna | Guruvayur |
| Mūkāmbikām Āśrayē मूकांबिकाम् आश्रये | Dhanyasi | Adi | Mookambika | Kollur |
| Namāmi Vijayām नमामि विजयाम् | Charukesi | Adi | Parvati | Kumaranalloor |
| Nīlāmbara Sōdarā नीलांबरसोदरा | Surutti | Adi | Krishna | Guruvayur |
| Pāhimām Śrī Varāhamūrtē पाहिमां श्रीवराहमूर्ते | Ananda Bhairavi | Roopakam | Varaha | Sreevaraham |
| Paňkaja Dalanayanē पङ्कजदलनयने | Kanada | Adi | Parvati | Shankhumukham |
| Paramēśvara Pāhi परमेश्वर पाहि | Kedaram | Roopakam | Shiva | Sreekanteswaram |
| Paripāhi Dayākarā परिपाहि दयाकरा | Simhendramadhyamam | Roopakam | Murugan | Kidangoor |
| Pāvana Tīrthapādā पावन तीर्थपादा | Nattakurinji | Adi | Chattambi Swamikal | N/A |
| Sadā Namōstutē सदा नमोस्तुते | Mohanam | Adi | Ganesha | Pazhavangadi |
| Sādhaka Kalpalatē साधक कल्पलते | Mayamalavagowla | Adi | Saraswati | Panachikkadu |
| Śabarīśvaram Bhāvayē शबरीश्वरं भावये | Kharaharapriya | Adi | Sastha | Sabarimala |
| Śaraņāgata Vidhēyē शरणागतविधेये | Todi | Roopakam | Parvati | Shankhumukham |
| Sarvam Samāśrayē सर्वं समाश्रये | Suddha Dhanyasi | Roopakam | Shiva | Sreekanteswaram |
| Śata Ravi Śōbha शतरविशोभ | Kalyani | Misrachappu | Vishnu | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Śivakāminīm Bhāvayē शिवकामिनीं भावये | Mukhari | Adi | Parvati | Shankhumukham |
| Śivaśaňkara Pāhi शिवशङ्ककर पाहि | Shaama | Misrachappu | Shiva | Thirunakkara |
| Śrīharē Padmanābhā श्रीहरे पद्मनाभा | Devamanohari | Roopakam | Vishnu | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Śrī Padmanābha Harē श्रीपद्मनाभ हरे | Huseni | Misrachappu | Vishnu | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Śrīvallabham Bhajē श्रीवल्लभं भजे | Darbar | Roopakam | Vishnu | Thiruvalla |
| Śrīkara Māmava श्रीकर मामव | Poornachandrika | Khandachappu | Shiva | Sreekanteswaram |
| Śyāma Kalēbara श्यामकळेबर | Behag | Adi | Krishna | Guruvayur |
| Śyāma Kalēbaram श्यामकळेबरम् | Hindolam | Adi | Sastha | Sabarimala |
| Uragēndra Bhūshaņam उरगेन्द्रभूषणम् | Shankarabharanam | Roopakam | Shiva | Ettumanoor |
| Vandē Sadāham वन्दे सदाहम् | Saaranga | Adi | Krishna | Guruvayur |
| Vāraņavadanam Bhajām वारणवदनं भजम् | Gaula | Adi | Ganesha | Pazhavangadi |
| Venkatēśa Harē वेङ्कटेश हरे | Bageshri | Jhampa | Venkateswara | Tirupati |
| Vighnanāśana Prabhō विघ्ननाशन प्रभो | Madhyamavathi | Adi Tishra gati | Ganesha | N/A |
| Vighnēśvarā Kumarā विघ्नेश्वरा कुमारा | Arabhi | Roopakam | Ganesha | Pazhavangadi |
| Vighnēśvara Śubhakara विघ्नेश्वर शुभकर | Arabhi | Roopakam | Ganesha | Pazhavangadi |

### Malayalam and English works
## Controversies
### Corruption related to Sanskrit University

Though Nair was instrumental in the formation of Sri Sankaracharya Sanskrit University, he caught up in corruption allegations on its matter. It was in the matter of purchasing land for sub-centres for the University that he was accused of. Due to this matter, he was suspended from service on 10 January 1997, when he was under a long leave. After his retirement, he was also arrested on the same matter, and became the first former Chief Secretary of Kerala, and probably in India itself, to be arrested on corruption allegations. But, he was later acquitted by the High Court of Kerala due to lack of evidence, and his time period under suspension, which lasted till his retirement on 30 April 1997, was regularised, thereby enabling him to enjoy full pension.
The case was that Nair caused a loss of ₹3.4 Million to the University by purchasing 75 cents of land from a private organisation named Sree Vidyadhiraja Vidya Samajam, which was founded by him, and was headed by R. Kumaran Nair, his elder brother, as the President, and his close friend named V. N. Krishna Pillai as the Secretary when this incident happened. The vigilance charge sheet said that Nair brought the land for an exorbitant amount of ₹50,000, while its price was just ₹5,650 in market rate. The Samajam had bought it just six months before this incident, at the rate of ₹3,000. Krishna Pillai was also arrested on its matter, while Kumaran Nair was acquitted due to lack of evidence earlier.
Nair accused his immediate successor C. P. Nair, a 1962 Batch IAS officer, and himself a noted writer, on this case. His accusation was that despite being a year junior to him in both birth and service, C. P. Nair was trying to topple him to get to the post of Chief Secretary earlier, but still the then-government appointed him, and enraged by this incident, C. P. Nair tied with the opposition parties, which came to power in 1996, and by considering this as an opportunity, framed him in the cases, which led to his suspension, and also prevented from him being appointed as the Cabinet Secretary of India, despite being the senior-most serving IAS officer at that time.

## Footnotes

* ↑ "Former chief secretary to get full pension", The Times of India, 26 May 2018
* ↑ https://www.karnatik.com/co1121.shtml
* ↑ https://m.rediff.com/news/2001/jan/02kerala.htm