K. R. Nagarajan

K. R. Nagarajan is an Indian businessman, philanthropist and industrialist. He is the founder and chairperson of the Ramraj Cotton. Under his leadership, Ramraj stepped into the textile business, predominantly selling white cotton shirts, lungis and dhotis. During his tenure, Ramraj Cotton had gained substantial market shares in the textile industry and gained a reputation as a market leader in the ethnic wear industry.

Biography

He completed his Secondary School Learning Certificate in 1977. However, Nagarajan realised the fact that he may not be able to continue and prolong his studies due to financial constraints. He understood that if he had enrolled in college, it would have possibly put his family under pressure, and he decided to gain job experience.

Career

K. R. Nagarajan spent a stint at a dhoti manufacturing firm in Andhra Pradesh, extending to a duration of eighteen months in order to learn the production and marketing aspects related to dhoti manufacturing. With the tacit knowledge he gained from his exposure at a dhoti manufacturing company in Andhra Pradesh, he started his own mini office in 1983 in Tirupur with just one table and one chair as the only furniture items during the initial phase. He named the company as Ramraj Khadi Traders. He named the company "Ramraj" using the letters that appear in both his name (Nagarajan) and his father's name (Ramaswamy). It was revealed that the precarious situation pertaining to the livelihoods of weavers living in Tirupur area made K. R. Nagarajan sympathise with them and as a result, he began the Ramraj Khadi Traders to help the weavers through the revenue earned by selling dhoties. He laid the foundation for his dream venture, Ramraj Cotton, with the objective of articulating his keen interest in promoting dhoti, veshti, sarongs, and other Tamil traditional dress suits. He was inspired to establish a Tamil culture-oriented textile brand in order to promote ethnic wear based on his own personal life experiences.

He recalled an incident where he was questioned and suspected by the watchman who was standing in front of the five-star hotel in Chennai for his choice of dress, as he had worn a white shirt and dhoti, while his business colleagues who had accompanied him dressed well in office suits, and the incident unfolded when he and his business colleagues arrived at the hotel to have a dinner. Nagarajan was initially denied entry by the watchman from entering the hotel while his colleagues were given the pass, and to pile up further misery, a chief receptionist apparently demanded he verify his identity details in order to grant him permission to enter the boardroom. The troubles he went through for opting for ethnic wear to have a dinner at a hotel became a turning point in his life. The memories he gathered on such humiliation and embarrassment, he transformed into a matter of showcasing respect and salute to Dhoti and Veshti by applying a paradigm shift approach with the focus on enhancing the brand value of his company. He compiled an anthem titled Salute Ramraj, and he brought prominent actors and celebrities on board to shoot advertisements to uplift his Ramraj brand with the Salute Ramraj theme being played in the background.

With the advent of his venture, Ramraj Cotton, K. R. Nagarajan aspired to inculcate the Tamil traditional aspects and traditions among the young generation, especially in his home state, Tamil Nadu. He realized that the positive attitude of youngsters in Tamil Nadu towards traditional clothes started diminishing, whereas the youngsters began showing enthusiasm for wearing western-styled clothes. Hence he brought innovative marketing ideas including Ottikko Kattikko pasting dhoties for the convenience of boys and men. His "kattikko illa ottikko" promotional marketing campaign turned out to be a redemption arc in getting the younger generation in Tamil Nadu to adapt to the Tamil cultural norms.

He also published monthly magazine titled Venmai Ennangal, which talks about the plight of the contemporary social issues. The magazine further explores about the trajectory of the lifestyle practiced by the teenagers and how they could cope up with the distractions and uncertainties in their lives in order to stay vigilant about the environment where they live and how they can adjust to adapt to the reality.