Rosscote Krishna Pillai (26 June 1927 – 20 October 2020), was an Indian science writer and a news reader with

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

from

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

Early life

Rosscote Krishna Pillai was born on June 26, 1927, in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

, then part of the kingdom of

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

, with a rich lineage of which he could boast. His father Padinjarekotta Punnaykkal Veettil Ayyappan Pillai Raman Pillai popularly known as A.R. Pillai was an Indian expatriate who worked for India's freedom in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, journalist, writer and a book publisher in

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

in Germany. His mother, B. Gouri Amma, was the eldest daughter of C. V. Raman Pillai, one of the greatest Malayalam novelists, being the first historical novelist in Malayalam and the author of ''

Marthanda Varma Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ; 1706 – 7 July 1758) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") ...

'', ''Dharmaraja'', ''Premamritham'', and ''Ramarajabahadur'', pioneering dramatist, journalist and social activist. Born R Krishna Pillai, he took the name 'Rosscote' after the house built by C. V. and named after C.V.'s

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

, John Ross, a Scotsman and the first principal of His Highness The Maharaja's College – now called the

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies f ...

– in

). After completing his school, he joined H. H. Maharaja's College and secured his M.Sc. Degree in Chemistry.

Career

Pillai entered the Indian Information Service and served in various media units under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. He was then sent on deputation as News Editor in the Regional Language Division of All India Radio Delhi where he was assigned the Malayalam News Bulletin. He was the founding editor of the Malayalam edition of Yojana, a publication under Publication Division of Government of India, which until then was available in English and Hindi only. He also served as Information Officer in the Press Information Bureau and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi.

Contributions to literature

The scientific articles written on the project received much attention. Accurate Malayalam translations of many scientific terminologies were presented in the English-Malayalam Science Dictionary compiled by him. His major works include An Illustrated Encyclopedia for Children, Dictionary of C.V. Raman Pillai's works, A Collection of Essays on Lunar Mission, and a Malayalam scientific dictionary, A Book on Birdwatching, Wadamalli: Scientific Scripts and 'Discoveries that Changed the Face of the World' (translation). Rosscote Krishna Pillai was instrumental in establishing the C.V. Raman Pillai Memorial Foundation.

Honours

He was the recipient of a

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

fellowship.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai, Rosscote Krishna 1927 births 2020 deaths Indian science journalists Indian radio presenters All India Radio people Writers from Thiruvananthapuram