Veteran Tamil publisher Cre-A Ramakrishnan passes away

Ramakrishnan founded Cre-A Publications in 1974. Many works of great Tamil writers like Ashokamitran, G Nagarajan, N Muthusamy, Sa Kandasamy were published by him.

The third edition of Cre-A: Dictionary of Contemporary by Ramakrishnan was released only a few days ago at the Omandurar Government Hospital where he was admitted. (Photo source: Twitter/ MK Stalin)

Cre-A Ramakrishnan, one of the tallest figures in the Tamil publishing industry passed away in Chennai on Tuesday morning. He was 76. Ramakrishnan was undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at Omandurar Government Hospital in Chennai.

In a career spanning over more than four decades, Ramakrishnan has brought out Tamil translations of various literary works in Hindi, Kannada, Bengali, etc. Ramakrishnan founded Cre-A Publications in 1974 and many works of great Tamil writers like Ashokamitran, G Nagarajan, N Muthusamy, Sa Kandasamy were published by him. Ramakrishnan was also a pioneer in introducing various technological advancements.

A few days ago, as Ramakrishnan’s condition deteriorated, the third edition of a work with he had associated nearly for 30 years — Cre-A: Dictionary of Contemporary Tamil (Tamil–Tamil–English) — was released at the hospital. The first edition of the Dictionary was published in 1992 and second edition was published after 16 years, in 2008.

Story continues below this ad

The demise of Ramakrishnan has left a void in the Tamil literary world. Various political leaders including DMK president MK Stalin, AMMK’s TTV Dhinakaran, MNM leader Kamal Haasan, MP Tamizhachi Thangapandian expressed their condolences.

தமிழ்ப் பதிப்புலகத்தின் முக்கிய ஆளுமையான ‘க்ரியா’ ராமகிருஷ்ணன் மறைவு வேதனையைத் தருகிறது.

பதிப்பைத் தவமாகக் கொண்டு, மரணப் படுக்கையிலும் பணியாற்றியவர்; அவர் வெளியிட்ட ‘தற்காலத் தமிழ் அகராதி’ அரிய கருவூலம்!

குடும்பத்தினர்- தமிழ்ப் பதிப்புலகத்தினர் அனைவர்க்கும் என்னுடைய ஆறுதல்! pic.twitter.com/TUkFPMqGm7

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) November 17, 2020

தமிழ் பதிப்புலகில் தனித்துவமான ஆளுமையாக திகழ்ந்த திரு.க்ரியா ராமகிருஷ்ணன் அவர்கள் உடல்நலக்குறைவால் காலமானார் என்ற செய்தி அறிந்து வருத்தமடைந்தேன். ராமகிருஷ்ணன் அவர்களின் மறைவு தமிழ் பதிப்புலகத்திற்கும், தமிழ் மொழிக்கும் ஈடு செய்ய முடியாத இழப்பாகும்.(1/2)

— TTV Dhinakaran (@TTVDhinakaran) November 17, 2020

Alongside playwright and artist Na Muthuswamy, Ramakrishnan also founded the Tamil theatre group ‘Koothu-P-Pattarai’. He played a significant part in setting up the Roja Muttiah Research library in Chennai.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram