An advocate of creative freedom, he was credited with bringing modernism into Kerala painting and heralded the "Ra phase" it.
[1] He was the superintendent of the Trivandrum School of Arts and later became the chairman of Kerala Lalita Kala Akademi.
[2] C. K. Ra was born in Thiruvalla to K. Ramavarma Koithampuran of Paliakara Kottaram and Sankaravelil Kunjukuttiyamma.
[1][4] Some of the memorable paintings of this period were Temple Fantasia, Washing Hair and Delightful Pain, works that aspire to transcend the practiced responses to colour, form and meaning.
Dethan and N.Divakaran, all of whom were former students of the Trivandrum School of Arts and the self-taught painter and novelist Malayattoor Ramakrishnan.