Wikipedia:Ravichandran C

Ravichandran C (രവിചന്ദ്രൻ സി.), born in the year 1970 at Pavithreswaram at Kottarakkara taluck in Kollam, Kerala, India as the son of the late K. Chandrasekharan Pillai and P. Omana Amma. After finishing his school education from Saint Jude High School at Mukhathala, Kollam, he graduated from S. N. College, Kollam. He has post-graduate degrees in English, Economics, Politics, History, Sociology, Philosophy, Commerce, Public Administration and Malayalam. He started his career at the Kerala Public Service Commission office and continued there for over a decade. He is a notable scientific thinker, atheist, Indian author, promoter of science and reason, public speaker, rationalist, blogger and debater in the Malayalam speaking world. He has written many books on topics stretching from rationalism to politics. He is one of the most popular outspoken atheists from Kerala as well, which prompted severe criticisms from many corners against him. This led him to become more popular over the years. He has founded organisations like eSSence Global to promote free thinking, atheism and scientific approaches. He teaches at the colleges under the University of Kerala and currently he is an English lecturer at the Government Polytechnic College, Ezhukone in Kollam.

Activism
Apart from making speeches on and for science and atheism he debates pseudo science, nephropathy, astrology, palmistry etc with the prominent expert in the subject, on TV shows and public stages organised across Kerala. He has founded organisations like eSSENSE Global (previously Essense Club) to propagate free thinking and scientific approaches. He has translated a few internationally best selling science books into Malayalam such as Richard Dawkins' The Greatest Show on Earth (Malayalam title Bhoomiyile Mahathaya Drishyavismayam), and The Tell-Tale Brain: Tale Brain-Unlocking the Mystery of Human Nature by V. S. Ramachandran (Malayalam title, Masthishkam Katha Parayunnu).

In 2017 he received the Mundassery Foundation Award for young authors who write science books to as spread scientific attitude in people. Prof. Joseph Mundassery is the first minister for education of Kerala and a well known academician and literary critic in Malayalam language. The organisation Ravichandran has founded, esSENSE Global, has active members in and out of the State of Kerala. The organisation conducts series of debate programs and speeches. The annual event of esSENSE is named Litmus. In 2019 the organisation's annual program -- Litmus-2019 staged in Kozhikode -- witnessed an impressive participation of more than 7000 people, an achievement for any atheist organisation like it. He and his organisation have challenged popular quackery that was introduced as alternative medicines to the gullible pubic. Interactive sessions were also conducted under this organisation on the purported unscientific aspects of treatments such as homoeopathy, Unani and Siddha.

Ravichandran had taken part in the Kerala's reputed literary annual festival Kerala Literature Festival' (its 2020 edition which was conducted in Kozhikode). The festival official document has described him as - Ravichandran C, is an Asst. Professor of English, Govt. Women's college, TVM. has got 9 postgraduate degrees and authored 14 books in Malayalam. He is a writer, translator, public speaker and debater. He is very influential in promoting scientific temper and freethinking among the youth in Kerala. He has been spreading scientific temper and humanism across Malayali diaspora all over the world.

Books by Ravichandran C.

 * Pakida 18 in 2013
 * Vasthu Lahari
 * Ambilikuttanmar
 * Beefum Beliefum
 * Nasthikanaya Daivam in 2009
 * Mrithyuvinte Vyakaram
 * Velichappadinte Bharya
 * Adaminte Palavum Ramante Sethuvum in 2007

Organisations

 * esSENSE Club, the first organisation started under Ravichandran C's leadership, it later split into two thanks to in-fighting in it for power and supremacy. Ravichandran started a new organisation under the name esSENSE Global which now represents and conducts his programmes.
 * esSENCE Global: https://essenseglobal.com/
 * Neuronz : Videos and podcasts by esSENSE Global

Litmus '19, Kozhikode
Litmus was a huge success and all the local and national newspepers duly covered this event. Many of the delegates who attended the event signed up their willingness to donate organs of which the newspapers like Mathrubhumi Daily reported. It could also attract hundreds participants from across the state.

Awards

 * Kerala Sahithya Academy Endowment Award 2018
 * Prof Joseph Mundassery Award by Mundassery Foundation of Kerala, in the year 2017

Criticism
Despite being a well known atheist and social critic, he has earned a number of rivals in Kerala thanks to his stern stand against caste based reservation, left wing politics etc and his right-wing politics affinity. Some of his opponents say that he is growing a cult for himself, to support this they point out that Ravichandran is an atheist with followers like that of priests and gurus in Kerala, who have no room for toleration towards opponents of any kind from the 'religious - secular' spectrum, be it other atheists like him or the rival sided religious communities.

Reference
Malayalam Wikipedia Article on Ravichandran C is available: https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/സി._രവിചന്ദ്രൻ