C Radhakrishnan

Author bio

Chakkupurayil Radhakrishnan

Ancestral home: Chamravattom, Tirur, Malappuram Dist., Kerala state, 676102 India

Born: 15 Feb. 1939 at Chamravattom. Parents: The late Sri. P. Madhavan Nair, veteran freedom-fighter, and C. Janaki Amma. Married to: Smti. Vatsala, d/o the late Sri. T. Gopala Kurup one of the pre-independence-day presidents of erstwhile Malabar District Congress Committee. Son: Dr Gopal, Radiologist, living at Kochi with wife Subhadra, an e-professional. Grandsons Harigovind, Navneet Krishnan and Harikrishnan.

EDUCATIONAL
Primary: Govt. Lower Primary and Sastha Upper Primary Schools, Chamravattom. Secondary: Achutha Varier High School, Ponnani - Winner of Best Student Gold Medal. Inter: Zamorin's College, Calicut - Winner of Madras University Sharpe Scholarship. Graduation: Physics, Zamorin's College, Calicut - Winner of Top Rank Gold medal. PG: Applied Physics, Govt. Victoria College, Palakad - incomplete. Research (Astrophysics).

GOVT. EMPLOYMENT
Scientific Assistant at Astrophysical Observatory, Kodaikanal, 1960-'62. Officer-in-Charge, World-Wide Seismology Centre, Pune, 1962-'64.

SCIENCE WRITING
Translated David O.Woodbury's Outward Bound for Space in 1962. Organized the Sasthra Sahitya Samithi, a science-writing club, the first of its kind in the country. Took Science Today to success. Managed the 12-volume encyclopedia published by the Writers' Co-operative of Kerala. Continues to write on front-line science.

PRINT MEDIA, ENGLISH
Spearheaded the Launch Team of Science Today of Times of India, Bombay, 1964-'68. Science Editor of Link Magazine and Patriot Daily, Delhi, 1968-'72.

MALAYALAM PRINT MEDIA
Editor Porul Monthly, 1972-'76. Editor Veekshanam Daily, 1980-'84. Editor-in-Charge of Year-Books and Bhashaposhini, Malayala Manorama, 1994-'97. Design & Packaging Consultant for Madhyamam Publications, 1997-2000.

ELECTRONIC MEDIA
Spoken Word and Literary Content Provider for Several Stations of All India Radio. Served on Programme Advisory Committees. Content Provider for Door Darshan and Private Channels.

CREATIVE WRITING, MALAYALAM
Won in every literary competition during academic career. Translated Daniel Defoe (M. Flanders) and Lincoln Bernet (Einstein and the Universe) at age seventeen. Contributed popular science and creative copy to leading periodicals ever since. Wrote the first novel at age nineteen, topped the 120 entries to the novel-writing competition organized by the Mathrubhumi Weekly, bagged the prize and, also won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for the year 1962. Sixty more popular titles in various branches of writing, deep in content but simple in style, have followed, won acclaim, enriched the language and have always remained alive in the book market.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
THE AUTHOR WAS CONFERRED THE HIGHEST LITERARY RECOGNITION IN KERALA - THE EZHUTHACHAN AWARD, AND ALSO THE BHARATIYA GNANAPITH'S MOORTIDEVI AWARD FOR CREATIVE WRITING IN INDIAN LANGUAGES.
D. LIT. FROM MALAYALAM UNIVERSITY, TIRUR.
AMONG OTHER LITERARY AWARDS WON ARE NATIONAL SAHITYA AKADEMI AWARD, KERALA SAHITYA AKADEMI AWARD, VAYALAR AWARD, ODAKKUZHAL AWARD, LALITHAMBIKA AWARD, OLAPPAMANNA AWARD, BALAMANI AMMA AWARD, ACHUTHA MENON AWARD, ABU DHABI SAKTHI AWARD, C P MENON AWARD, MUTTATHU VARKEY AWARD, DEVI PRASADAM AWARD, MAHAKAVI G AWARD, PANDIT KARUPPAN AWARD, MULUR AWARD, PADMAPRABHA PURASKARAM, SANJAYAN PURASKARAM, O.N.V. MEMORIAL AWARD, AMRITAKEERTI PURASKARAM, CHANDU MENON AWARD, BAHRAIN MALAYALI SAMAJAM AWARD, OMAN PRATHIBHA PURASKAR, VALLATHOL SAMMAN, FELLOWSHIP OF KERALA SAHITYA AKADEMI, JNANAPPANA AWARD, NADABRAHMA AWARD, SANJAYAN AWARD, MADHAVA MUDRA, THAKAZHI AWARD, KAUMUDI AWARD, V.T. AWARD, MATHRUBHUMI AWARD, K.P.KESAVA MENON PURASKARAM, NALAPPADAN AWARD, MAYILPPEELI PURASKARAM, THRIKKAVU DEVI PURASKARAM, O. V. VIJAYAN SAHITYA PURASKARAM, KALIYACHAN AWARD, CHATTAMBISWAMI AWARD AND NALAPPADAN PURASKARAM. 

RESEARCH, ASTROPHYSICS
Primary studies on problems fundamental to astrophysics have been completed in continuation of thought experiments started in 1961. The earliest work that resulted from these researches was a monograph titled "Unity of Space-Matter Manifestations", published as early as in January 1988. "Stuff and Style of the Universe", a book which is a popular science elaboration of the monograph, was published Nov. 2002 by Hi-Tech Books. The first Scientist-President of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, expressed appreciation of the work done, and the model attracted world attention. An article based on the book was also published in 'Science India' (ISSN 0972-8287) in two issues, which came out on September 2012 and October 2012 (Vol. 15 No. 9 and Vol. 15 No. 10 respectively). Continued researches resulted in the book "The Secret Behind the Universe", published July 2016, in which the original ideas were further refined and updated. A condensed version of the physics section of this book was published as an article titled "Avyakta: The Fabric of Space" in the Prespacetime Journal (ISSN: 2153-8301), a physics journal focussing on space-time, fundamental forces including gravity etc. (Vol 7 Issue 16).

RESEARCH, HISTORY
Decades-long efforts to know more on the life and times of Tunjath Ezuthachan (16th century) has enabled the author to throw new light on that part of the cultural and social history of Kerala and south India. The work Theekkadal Kadanju Thirumadhuram marks a new era in Malayalam writing.

FORAYS INTO FILM WORLD
Written and directed four feature films in Malayalam beginning with Agni, the first ever film from South India to form part of the Indian Panorama of Feature Films. The third film he made, Ottayadippathakal too formed part of Panorama. Both attracted critical acclaim at international festivals including Mannheim and Thashkent. The Author has written scripts based on several of his other novels.

POSITIONS HELD
Twice elected to the Board of Directors of the Writers' Co-Operative of Kerala. Headed the Board for one term. Member of the first Board of Directors of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation. Member of the National Film Awards jury panel on three occasions. Twice member of jury panels to select Indian Panorama films. Captain of the 1984 march of writers on foot across Kerala.
Member of the General Council, Chairperson of the Malayalam Advisory Board and member of the Executive Council of the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. Fellow of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi.

C. Radhakrishnan's works attempt to integrate the cultures of science and the arts, to defeat division of every kind and to herald a unified world. His sincere and upright stand is widely admired.