K. Rangachari facts for kids
Kadambi Rangachari (born September 1868 – died May 10, 1934) was an important Indian scientist. He was a botanist, which means he studied plants. He was also an ethnologist, someone who studies different groups of people and their cultures. Rangachari helped write a huge seven-book series about the people of South India. He also taught about plants at a college and wrote a textbook.
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Who Was K. Rangachari?
K. Rangachari was a respected Indian scientist. He made big contributions to understanding both plants and people in India. He was known for his hard work and dedication to learning and teaching.
Early Life and Education
Rangachari was born into a Tamil family that did not have much money. His father passed away when he was young. To support himself, Rangachari gave private lessons to students.
He worked hard and passed his arts examination in 1888 at Madras Christian College. He then earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Pachiappa's College in 1890. After that, he went to Presidency College to study for his Master of Arts (MA) degree.
His Work as a Scientist
After finishing his studies, Rangachari started teaching. He worked in Anantapur starting in 1895. In 1897, he joined the Government Museum as a Herbarium Keeper. A herbarium is like a library for dried plant samples.
In 1902, he moved to Presidency College. There, he became a senior assistant professor. He also worked as an acting superintendent for ethnography in 1901. This is when he started working on a very important project.
Studying People (Ethnology)
Rangachari became involved in creating a huge seven-book series. This series was called Castes and Tribes of Southern India. He worked on this project with a British museum expert named Edgar Thurston. This big work helped people understand the many different groups of people in South India.
Studying Plants (Botany)
In 1909, Rangachari started teaching about plants at the agricultural college in Coimbatore. He taught systematic botany, which is about classifying and naming plants. He also wrote a textbook on botany to help his students learn.
Awards and Recognition
Rangachari's hard work and contributions were recognized by the government. In 1913, he received the title of Rai Bahadur. This was an honor given to important people in British India.
In 1917, he led the botany section at the Indian Science Congress in Bangalore. He gave a speech about the plants found in the Tirunelveli area. He was also one of the people who helped start the Indian Botanical Society. He even served as its president in 1922.
He retired from his work in agricultural service in 1923. After his retirement, he was given another special title: Dewan Bahadur. This was another high honor for his service.
