This work was a frontrunner for similar dictionaries for dialects from other regions of the state. In addition to writing stories in the regional dialects, he also was an author of a dictionary of the regional dialect called Karisal Kaatu Sollagarathi ( transl. He viewed the spoken language as the 'correct' form of the language. was also well known for his candid treatment of sexual topics, and use of the spoken dialect of Tamil for his stories, rather than its formal written form. Chakravarthy and published in 2009 as Where Are You Going, You Monkeys? – Folktales from Tamil Nadu.

A selection of these books were translated into English by Pritham K. As of 2009, he had published approximately 30 books. In 2007, the Thanjavur-based publishing house Annam compiled these folktales into a 944-page book, the Nattuppura Kadhai Kalanjiyam ( transl. spent decades collecting folktales from the karisal kaadu and publishing them in popular magazines. These books were followed by Andaman Naicker. It involves the migration of the Telugu people escaping brutal kingdoms north of Tamil Nadu. The novel deals with the stories of multiple people living in a village in south India before the arrival of the British. The People of Gopallapuram) were among his most acclaimed novels, with the latter winning him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1991. Gopalla Village) and its sequel Gopallapurathu Makkal ( transl. The stories are usually centered around Karisal country's people, their lives, beliefs, struggles and folklore. scorched, drought stricken land) around his native region of Kovilpatti. Ra.'s stories were usually based in karisal kaadu ( transl. It was followed by many more short stories. 'The Magical Deer') was published in the magazine Saraswati in 1959. His first short story ' Mayamaan' ( transl. Rajanarayanan began his literary career at the age of 30 and wrote under his Tamil initials Ki. He was also named in the Nellai Conspiracy Case of 1952, though the charges were later dropped. He went on to become a member of the Communist Party of India (CPI), going to prison twice for his participation and support in the CPI-organised peasant rebellions between 19. He dropped out of school in the seventh standard. He suffered from poor health and was afflicted with tuberculosis at an early age.

He was the fifth child of Lakshmi Ammal and Shri Krishna Ramanujam. Rajanarayanan was born on 16 September 1923 in Idaiseval village near Kovilpatti in present-day Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu.

Ki ra nattupura paliya kathigal