LK Anathakrishna Iyer was a pioneering Indian anthropologist who conducted some of the earliest ethnographic surveys in India in the early 20th century. He faced many challenges as anthropology was an undeveloped field in India at the time. Iyer conducted extensive surveys of the tribes and castes of Cochin and Mysore, publishing his findings in numerous volumes. He is regarded as the founder of field studies in Indian anthropology due to his innovative methods of directly interviewing subjects instead of relying on questionnaires. Iyer's work helped establish anthropology as a respected field in India.