CV Radhakrishnan (known as CVR) studied chemistry. He worked in the shipping industry in Delhi for several years until he was suddenly diagnosed with a debilitating nerve disease and given at most five years to live. In shock, he resigned from his job, and returned to Kerala to spend his remaining years.
To maintain his sanity, he decided to learn programming, thinking a computer might be his sole companion. A respected mathematics professor suggested TeX, assuring him it would keep him busy however long he lived! CVR soon founded River Valley Technologies, and offered a local typesetting service. Thirty years after the medical diagnosis, having fought off the disease, he is a world renowned TeX programmer and a leading proponent of free software.
Click here for CVR’s personal page.
