imported>Nerilanik at 17:55, 16 August 2021

2021-08-16T17:55:26Z

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{{short description|Indian software developer (b. 1953)}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Notability|Biographies|date=February 2020}}
{{POV|date=February 2020}}
}}
{{Infobox person
| name = CV Radhakrishnan
| honorific_prefix =
| honorific_suffix =
| image = CV_Radhakrishnan-profile-rivervalley-2019.jpg
| image_size = 150px
| alt =
| caption = CV Radhakrishnan at STMDocs campus in August, 2019
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| pseudonym =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1953}}
| birth_place = [[Kuzhithurai, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu]], India
| death_date =
| death_place =
| resting_place =
| occupation = Software developer
| nationality = India
| citizenship = Indian
| education = Graduate
| alma_mater = [[Nesamony Memorial Christian College|Christian College, Marthandam]]
| genre =
| movement = Free software and open access publishing
| known_for = Setting up of Indian [[TeX]] Users Group and Free Software Foundation of India
| organization = River Valley Technologies
| spouse = Vidhya
| partner =
| children =
| relatives =
| awards =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| module =
| website = {{url|www.cvr.cc}}
| portaldisp =
}}

'''Chandroth Vasudevan Radhakrishnan''' (ചന്ദ്രോത്ത് വാസുദേവൻ രാധാകൃഷ്ണൻ) aka CV Radhakrishnan aka CVR (born 20 January 1953), is an Indian free software developer, entrepreneur and the Founder of River Valley Technologies.<ref name="deccanheraldNov2018">{{cite news |date=24 April 2010 |title=He battles debilitating disease|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/65709/he-battles-debilitating-disease-achieve.html|accessdate=24 April 2010|work=The Deccan Herald}}</ref> He is also one of the founding members of [[TeX]] Users Group in India.<ref name ="TugIndia1998">Sebastian Rahtz, [https://www.tug.org/TUGboat/tb19-1/tb58raht.pdf Inaugural meeting of TUGIndia] – TUGboat, Volume 19 (1998), No. 1 (PDF).</ref>

==Early life==
The eldest of four children, CV Radhakrishnan was born on 20 January 1953 in the village of [[Kuzhithurai]] in [[Kanyakumari district]],<ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref> now part of the state of [[Tamil Nadu]], India.

==Career==
Radhakrishnan started his career at the Indian Telecom department where he worked briefly for six months in 1973. From there, he moved to Delhi<ref name="thehinduJan2010">{{cite news |author=Saraswathy Nagarajan |date=1 January 2010 |title=The TUG of opportunities|url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/The-TUG-of-opportunities/article16835310.ece|accessdate=1 January 2010|work=The Hindu}}</ref><ref name="deccanheraldNov2018">{{cite news |date=24 April 2010 |title=He battles debilitating disease|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/65709/he-battles-debilitating-disease-achieve.html|accessdate=24 April 2010|work=The Deccan Herald}}</ref> and joined the Ministry of Shipping and Transport.<ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref> While working in Delhi, he experienced a weakness in his leg muscles and was diagnosed with a neurological disorder known as peroneal [[muscular dystrophy]].<ref name="thehinduJan2010">{{cite news |author=Saraswathy Nagarajan |date=1 January 2010 |title=The TUG of opportunities|url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/The-TUG-of-opportunities/article16835310.ece|accessdate=1 January 2010|work=The Hindu}}</ref><ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref><ref name="deccanheraldNov2018">{{cite news |date=24 April 2010 |title=He battles debilitating disease|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/65709/he-battles-debilitating-disease-achieve.html|accessdate=24 April 2010|work=The Deccan Herald}}</ref><ref name="janapadhamNov2019">{{cite news|title=സൈബർ‌ലോകത്ത് മലയാളസപര്യ|url=https://kerala.gov.in/documents/10180/4f1254da-a93a-4a75-be80-d25b30d4903c|accessdate=26 Nov 2019|work=Janapadham|issue=November 2019}}</ref><ref name="KeralaMediaAcademyPrintEditionNews">{{cite news |date=29 December 2019 |title=The typesetter of International Journals |url=http://puthiyavilakal.blogspot.com/2019/12/blog-post_21.html?m=1|accessdate=29 December 2019|work=Kerala Media Academy}}</ref> Informed by the doctors that he could not expect to live beyond five years,<ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref><ref name="janapadhamNov2019">{{cite news|title=സൈബർ‌ലോകത്ത് മലയാളസപര്യ|url=https://kerala.gov.in/documents/10180/4f1254da-a93a-4a75-be80-d25b30d4903c|accessdate=26 Nov 2019|work=Janapadham|issue=November 2019}}</ref><ref name="deccanheraldNov2018">{{cite news |date=24 April 2010 |title=He battles debilitating disease|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/65709/he-battles-debilitating-disease-achieve.html|accessdate=24 April 2010|work=The Deccan Herald}}</ref> he quit his job and returned to Kerala to stay with his parents.<ref name="thehinduJan2010">{{cite news |author=Saraswathy Nagarajan |date=1 January 2010 |title=The TUG of opportunities|url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/The-TUG-of-opportunities/article16835310.ece|accessdate=1 January 2010|work=The Hindu}}</ref><ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref> In Kerala, he joined the administrative department of [[Kerala University]].<ref name="thehinduJan2010">{{cite news |author=Saraswathy Nagarajan |date=1 January 2010 |title=The TUG of opportunities|url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/The-TUG-of-opportunities/article16835310.ece|accessdate=1 January 2010|work=The Hindu}}</ref><ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref><ref name="janapadhamNov2019">{{cite news|title=സൈബർ‌ലോകത്ത് മലയാളസപര്യ|url=https://kerala.gov.in/documents/10180/4f1254da-a93a-4a75-be80-d25b30d4903c|accessdate=26 Nov 2019|work=Janapadham|issue=November 2019}}</ref> He continued there for the next fifteen years until he quit in 1993 to set up River Valley Technologies.<ref name="thehinduJan2010">{{cite news |author=Saraswathy Nagarajan |date=1 January 2010 |title=The TUG of opportunities|url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/The-TUG-of-opportunities/article16835310.ece|accessdate=1 January 2010|work=The Hindu}}</ref><ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref><ref name="janapadhamNov2019">{{cite news|title=സൈബർ‌ലോകത്ത് മലയാളസപര്യ|url=https://kerala.gov.in/documents/10180/4f1254da-a93a-4a75-be80-d25b30d4903c|accessdate=26 Nov 2019|work=Janapadham|issue=November 2019}}</ref>

==TeX and free software==
CV Radhakrishnan began to learn about computers during his stint at Kerala University.<ref name="thehinduJan2010">{{cite news |author=Saraswathy Nagarajan |date=1 January 2010 |title=The TUG of opportunities|url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/The-TUG-of-opportunities/article16835310.ece|accessdate=1 January 2010|work=The Hindu}}</ref> Having no formal training in them, he took it up as a way to distract himself from his disease.<ref name="janapadhamNov2019">{{cite news|title=സൈബർ‌ലോകത്ത് മലയാളസപര്യ|url=https://kerala.gov.in/documents/10180/4f1254da-a93a-4a75-be80-d25b30d4903c|accessdate=26 Nov 2019|work=Janapadham|issue=November 2019}}</ref> During this time, his job at the university got him acquainted with Prof. [[K. S. S. Nambooripad]] of the Department of Mathematics.<ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref><ref name="thehinduJan2010">{{cite news |author=Saraswathy Nagarajan |date=1 January 2010 |title=The TUG of opportunities|url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/The-TUG-of-opportunities/article16835310.ece|accessdate=1 January 2010|work=The Hindu}}</ref> The professor, an ardent TeX lover, introduced Radhakrishnan to the TeX language.<ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref> Radhakrishnan soon started exploring the possibilities of the TeX language.<ref name="deccanheraldNov2018">{{cite news |date=24 April 2010 |title=He battles debilitating disease|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/65709/he-battles-debilitating-disease-achieve.html|accessdate=24 April 2010|work=The Deccan Herald}}</ref> Beginning with research papers of the university students, he went on to apply TeX in typesetting Entomon,<ref name="thehinduJan2010">{{cite news |author=Saraswathy Nagarajan |date=1 January 2010 |title=The TUG of opportunities|url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/The-TUG-of-opportunities/article16835310.ece|accessdate=1 January 2010|work=The Hindu}}</ref> an entomology research journal of the Department of Zoology. In 1994, he set up River Valley Technologies as a proprietary firm offering typesetting services.<ref name="bsnltugMar2003">{{cite news|author=K G Kumar| date=15 March 2003 |title=TEX Helps in Timely Publication of BSNL's Trivandrum Telephone Directory|url=http://www.tug.org.in/bsnl.html|accessdate=15 Mar 2003|work=Tug India|issue=March 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211172722/http://www.tug.org.in/bsnl.html | archive-date=2006-02-11 }}</ref>

Radhakrishnan's involvement with the Free Software movement started with the inauguration of the Indian TeX Users Group at Trivandrum in January 1998.<ref name ="TugIndia1998">Sebastian Rahtz, [https://www.tug.org/TUGboat/tb19-1/tb58raht.pdf Inaugural meeting of TUGIndia] – TUGboat, Volume 19 (1998), No. 1 (PDF).</ref> He was nominated as the secretary of the Indian TeX users group during the meeting.<ref name ="TugIndia1998">Sebastian Rahtz, [https://www.tug.org/TUGboat/tb19-1/tb58raht.pdf Inaugural meeting of TUGIndia] – TUGboat, Volume 19 (1998), No. 1 (PDF).</ref> Around this time, FreeDevelopers.Net, a commercial company based in Washington was incorporated. [[Richard Stallman]] was its Chief Ethical Officer.<ref name="linuxJuly2001">{{cite news|author=J T Smith| date=19 July 2001 |title=Stallman To Inaugurate FSF-India, Stanco To Inaugurate FreeDevelopers-India|url=https://www.linux.com/news/stallman-inaugurate-fsf-india-stanco-inaugurate-freedevelopers-india/|accessdate=19 July 2001|work=Linux.com|issue=July 2001}}</ref> The prime aim of FreeDevelopers.Net was to function as a democratic entity that stood for the development of freesoftware. Radhakrishnan founded the Indian chapter of [[Free Software Foundation]] on 20 July 2001.<ref name="linuxJuly2001">{{cite news|author=J T Smith| date=19 July 2001 |title=Stallman To Inaugurate FSF-India, Stanco To Inaugurate FreeDevelopers-India|url=https://www.linux.com/news/stallman-inaugurate-fsf-india-stanco-inaugurate-freedevelopers-india/|accessdate=19 July 2001|work=Linux.com|issue=July 2001}}</ref><ref name ="tugJan2008">V. Sasi Kumar, [https://tug.org/pipermail/tugindia/2008-January/004452.html "The Origins of FSF India"], ''Linux For You'', December 2007, pp. 34–35.</ref><ref name="linuxtodayJul2001">{{cite news|date=19 July 2001 |title=FSF-India and FreeDevelopers-India To Be Inaugurated at Freedom First! Conference|url=https://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2001071901020PRCY|accessdate=19 July 2001|work=LinuxToday|issue=July 2001}}</ref> Radhakrishan maintains a number of LaTeX packages in [[CTAN]].<ref name="cvrCTAN">LaTeX packages maintained at CTAN [https://ctan.org/author/radhakrishnan].</ref>

==River Valley Technologies==
River Valley Technologies came into existence on the premises of the Software Technology Park (STP)<ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref> in Trivandrum on 1 January 1994. Started as a proprietary concern dealing with software and IT enabled services and registered under the STP system, the firm soon began providing typesetting services to major publishing houses. In 2003, River Valley Technologies contributed to the timely publication of [[BSNL]]'s telephone directory.<ref name="bsnltugMar2003">{{cite news|author=K G Kumar| date=15 March 2003 |title=TEX Helps in Timely Publication of BSNL's Trivandrum Telephone Directory|url=http://www.tug.org.in/bsnl.html|accessdate=15 Mar 2003|work=Tug India|issue=March 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211172722/http://www.tug.org.in/bsnl.html | archive-date=2006-02-11 }}</ref> Later, Radhakrishnan registered a new private limited company that came to be known as STM Document Engineering Pvt Ltd (STMDocs).<ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref>
[[Image:STMDOCS Campus at Malayankizhu in March 2020.jpg | thumb|right | 300px | STMDocs Office Campus at Malayinkeezhu in March 2020]]
Working completely on free software, STMDocs is one of the main suppliers of Elsevier and has also provided typesetting services to Nature, Institute of Physics & Cambridge University Press.<ref name="thehinduJan2010">{{cite news |author=Saraswathy Nagarajan |date=1 January 2010 |title=The TUG of opportunities|url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/The-TUG-of-opportunities/article16835310.ece|accessdate=1 January 2010|work=The Hindu}}</ref><ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref><ref name="janapadhamNov2019">{{cite news|title=സൈബർ‌ലോകത്ത് മലയാളസപര്യ|url=https://kerala.gov.in/documents/10180/4f1254da-a93a-4a75-be80-d25b30d4903c|accessdate=26 Nov 2019|work=Janapadham|issue=November 2019}}</ref> Sprawled across a green stretch of four acres, the main campus of the company is located at Malayinkeezhu,<ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref> a village located 15 km from the city of Thiruvananthapuram. Radhakrishnan has designed the campus to be an eco sanctuary that houses a range of bio-diverse species from exotic trees to birds and bees. Running on renewable energy and rain water harvesting and actively practising organic farming, the company won the Special Jury award for Biodiversity from the Kerala State Biodiversity Board in 2019.<ref name ="bd2019">[https://www.keralabiodiversity.org/images/BIODIVERSITY_DAY_2019/awardees_photo/BD_Awards_2018_-_KSBB_Proceedings.pdf Biodiversity Awards]</ref><ref name="iebd2019">{{cite news| date=5 June 2019 |title=Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Biodiversity awards to be distributed|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/2019/jun/05/thiruvananthapuram-kerala-biodiversity-awards-to-be-distributed-1986236.html/|accessdate=5 June 2019|work=Indian Express}}</ref>

==Philanthropy==
Radhakrishnan supports philanthropic efforts through non-profit projects spearheaded by the Sayahna Foundation, a virtual community set up by him to promote [[open access]] publishing and collaborative digitisation of all contents that enrich humanity, culture, heritage and history.<ref name="janapadhamNov2019">{{cite news|title=സൈബർ‌ലോകത്ത് മലയാളസപര്യ|url=https://kerala.gov.in/documents/10180/4f1254da-a93a-4a75-be80-d25b30d4903c|accessdate=26 Nov 2019|work=Janapadham|issue=November 2019}}</ref><ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref> Sayahna has contributed to the digitization of prominent works of literature. The digitized version of [[Kerala Panineeyam]], a treatise on Malayalam grammar and rhetoric was released under Creative Commons ShareAlike License in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |title=ലോകോത്തര ടൈപ്പ് സെറ്റിംഗ് സാങ്കേതിക വിദ്യയുടെ കരുത്തില്‍ കേരള പാണിനീയം ഡിജിറ്റലാവുന്നു |url=https://www.asianetnews.com/magazine/kerala-panineeyam-digital |access-date=16 August 2021 |work=Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd |language=ml}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Radhakrishnan is married<ref name="thenewsminuteNov2019">{{cite news |author=Cris |date=11 November 2019 |title=This computing pioneer was among the first to read an email in Thiruvananthapuram in 1984|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/computing-pioneer-was-among-first-read-email-thiruvananthapuram-1984-112137|accessdate=11 November 2019|work=The News Minute}}</ref> and lives in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://river-valley.com River Valley Technologies]
* [http://sayahna.org Sayahna Foundation]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radhakrishnan, Chandroth Vasudevan}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Free software programmers]]
[[Category:Indian typographers and type designers]]
[[Category:Indian computer programmers]]

Chandroth Vasudevan Radhakrishnan - Revision history

imported>Nerilanik at 17:55, 16 August 2021