GRIDMAN SIGNS OFF FROM THIS WORLD
It is with deep regret and great shock that I have to report here that CG Rishikesh aka Gridman who was also known in the Crossword world as Chaturvasi and whom we fondly called CV left for his heavenly abode on 14 Apr.
CV was one amongst the earliest commenters on my blog. He took keen interest in the well being of this blog and for a few years was also one of the bloggers.
His long and illustrious connection with Crosswords started way back in the 70's and he had set more than 1000 CW's for The Hindu. I had the good fortune of meeting him on various occasions and interacted with him regularly. He also was a well known name in the CW world internationally where he was a regular commenter on various forums.
We will miss him and his CW's.
As a mark of respect, today's blog will appear only at 4 PM. Please do add your comments about your interactions with him.
CV I am sure you will continue your banter with Raju who preceded you to the happy hunting Grounds.
Rest in Peace my dear friend.
Om shanti. Very sorry to hear this news. His grids were always a treat and mildly challenging to solve and one comes away learning from it always. His comments and guidance to setters were also very good. He will be missed. Condolences to his family members.
ReplyDeleteTerrible day for us ardent fan of Gridman aka Chaturvasi aka CG Rishikesh. I hope he has left many puzzles in the pipeline.
ReplyDeleteI understand that Kishore is working on a themed puzzle with a request for early print. Looking forward to it. In the meantime, his daughter, who lives in my neighborhood is asking if there is a way to get a complete compilation of all the puzzles he set for The Hindu?
Can that be done?
I don't think The Hindu has that, but he had a complete compilation with him. In fact when he had decided to stop setting a few weeks ago, I had asked him if he could send me a few of his first few compilations for use in the Sunday secials, to which he had agreed. Unfortunately he departed before he could send me the CW's.
DeleteI have known rishkesh intimately. He was the editor for my book Lettered dialogue.
DeleteOm Shanti. The end came too soon.
ReplyDeleteMany fond memories of him. He was always enthusiastic and ready to help on all matter related to crosswords.
Will miss him. May his soul rest in peace.
We have lost a very good friend and guide here.From the first time I met him in his house for the 1st S&B meet (which he initiated for THCC blog members), I endeared to him in all ways. A versatile man and most humble human being, I have come across in my life. He used to call/message me many times to plan a visit to my town, Salem, where his close relative lived but that didn't materialise because of his travel restrictions is indeed sad. Very difficult to fill his place in THCC blog. To borrow Oliver Goldsmith's lines, we all wondered "how such a small head could carry all he knew". May his Aatma take shelter under his beloved Santana Gopalakrishna swami to whom he was devoted all his life.
ReplyDeleteMy heartfelt condolences to his family and his brother & our fiend Bhargavji.
Adieu CV Sir 😢
Very sorry to hear this. Condolences to his family.
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say! Whatever I say will be a rank understatement. He was a colossus not only in the CW world but in literary circles,translation and publication of books. He was a great individual but utterly humble. He took time to come to my house and initiate me into blogging here. Till then I was a mere follower,not knowing how to register. He was in touch with me on phone until recently and our proposed meeting never took place which I shall regret as long as I live.
ReplyDeleteYes Col. S&B meet now happens in heaven also with Him & Raju. Sure they will have a great time.
Sad to hear this. My heartfelt condolences.
ReplyDeleteVery sorry to learn about CV Sir! Condolences to his family!
ReplyDelete:( Will miss him.
ReplyDeleteAn immense loss for all of us ! May his soul attain sadgati.
ReplyDeleteCV Sir was truly a Colossus of Indian crosswords. If there is one name that is responsible for lifting the image of Indian crosswords internationally, it will be Gridman. I have not had the fortune to meet him face-to-face but have interacted via mail and social media. It was his recommendation to the Hindu that made me set grids for THC. An irreparable loss to the Indian crossword community. May his soul rest in peace and May God give strength to his family to bear the loss.
ReplyDeleteA sad day for all of us who follow this blog. RIP Gridman.
ReplyDeleteSathya - May his soul rest in peace
ReplyDeleteVery sad to hear CV Sir's demise.OM SHANTHI.
ReplyDeleteRest in Peace Gridman. Hope you knew how much joy your work gave thousands of solvers like me.
ReplyDeleteAmongst all the crosswords that appear in The Hindu, I enjoyed the ones set by Gridman sir. They were neither too tough nor too easy. He was very considerate towards rookies.
ReplyDeleteMay his soul rest in peace.
Truly devastating news. Will miss having impassioned discussions with him. Sorry for your loss Bhargav (and the rest of his family)
ReplyDeleteRest in Peace CV Sir.
ReplyDeleteHe was the best. May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteExtremely saddened. Gridman was instrumental in getting me hooked onto crosswords. Used to look forward to his puzzles and felt really contended whenever I could complete the grid. Am surely going to miss him. Deepest condolences to members of his family.
ReplyDeleteOur deepest condolence to the departed soul May GOD give him eternal peace
ReplyDeleteDeeply saddened at the news. Gridman ( CV Sir) was at the top among those setters from whom I, as a novice setter drew inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThe morning has brought a very sad news to us all in the passing away of CV sir. A great soul indeed! I had the opportunity to receive his guidance in setting and I have a deep feeling of loss. The various posts by the bloggers during his illness revealed that many people have benefited from his crossword skill. He was only very willing to share his skill with others - a rare quality. Such a precious life should not have ended this soon.
ReplyDeleteMay his soul rest in peace.
Shocked to hear that our dear friend, philosopher and guide CV is no more. His passing away has left a huge void which will be difficult to fill. Followers of THCC and all crossword lovers will miss his keen observations and comments. My heartfelt condolences to his family. Om Shanti
ReplyDeleteI should have been one of the earliest who got benefited with his wisdom and largesse. He encouraged rookies like me to enter the panel and had never failed to appreciate any novel thing I attempted. His spirit belied his age and he was always up for a beer and chat on crosswords. In life sometimes, you subconsciously surrogate somebody as a father and he was that to me. Adios Sir. Say hi to Sankalak from us.
ReplyDeleteExtremely saddened to hear the news. It will be the black day for the Indian cruciverbalists.
ReplyDeleteRecently I saw his participation in one of our emails and hoped strongly that he was back to normal. But suddenly it turned out otherwise.
He was always considered to be the face of Indian crosswords. When other Indian newspapers were heavily relying on [and they continue to do so] syndicated crosswords, he was instrumental in giving the feature a big faceleft in The Hindu and making it a favourite among the crossword solvers. He was also well-known for introducing many Indian setters. His contributions were immense and enlightening. His absence will surely be felt by us all forever.
Crossword setting is a battle of brains [and wits] and setters are warriors. It is unfortunate we lost the Commander! But the battle continues in the CV Sir’s crusade!
[cross]Words fail me to say, Rest in Peace, Vasi Sir!!!
Sir,
DeleteWell said, particularly in the context of those syndicated CWs in a couple of leading dailies in India.
Indeed, as for compiling CWs, CV Sir happened to be what NaMo proclaims (political gimmicks, so to say) as 'Atma Nirbhar'and being Vocal + Local...
May his soul RIP....
We will miss him.
ReplyDeleteI am a novice and I always used to look forward to his puzzles. They were less daunting. I introduced my daughter to the world of CW and would encourage to try Gridmans puzzles.
We will miss him.
I will be missing him.
My condolences to the family
Rest in peace CV sir
ReplyDeleteMay his soul rest in peace. Our heartfelt condolences to his family.
ReplyDeleteI have learnt as to how to solve crosswords through his crosswords and reading his comments. His clues always had a surgical precision and one could get the answers following the basics of CW rules.
The Hindu has listed his sons' numbers in obituary column:-
R.Ranjan 9710953527 and R.Ragunath 9840742980
My interaction with him has been a little regular since last July when I sought his feedback and advice on some clues set by me. He was prompt, forthright but friendly and encouraging. Generally I found his clues to be crisp and clear, though not easy but solvable with patience. His last communication to me was in February saying he would be no longer active in the blog owing to health issues. I greatly wished to meet him but things turned out otherwise. A great soul, may he rest in peace!
ReplyDeleteI have the consolation of having my first puzzle published as a Sunday special last February, thanks to his generous assistance.
DeleteShocked to hear the news that Gridman my favourite setter is no more.After struggling with setters like SkullduggerAvtaar I used to long for the turn of Gridman. Most of all I was eager to see his 2 or more words clue resurrecting lonh forgotten English idioms. Could someone who was close to him publish an eulogy chronicling his early life, career and how he became w mastercraftsmsn of CW and hid family. May his friends and family have the courage to bear this irreparable loss
ReplyDeleteMy heartfelt condolences to his family.
It's a terrible loss for the family and for us in the crossword community. Gridman pioneered and greatly advanced the state of cryptic crosswords in India.
ReplyDeleteExtremely shocked and saddened by the news that CV Sir is no more. The loss feels very personal, and really at a loss for words here. Will carry memories of the numerous interactions with him through this blog, emails and in person.
ReplyDeleteSincere condolences to his brother (CG Bhargav) and the rest of his family. May his soul Rest In Peace.
Very sad. Having interacted with him quite a lot, know that he will be sorely missed in the Crossword community. He had a contagious childlike enthusiasm for all literary stuff and crossies in particular. The revival of THC to what it is today is largely due to his efforts. Apart from which he was an active contributor to many forums both local and international. He had always mentioned that he has a 'stockpile' of completed crosswords, so am hopeful that Hindu will continue to publish 'in memoriam' over the next year or so. My heartfelt condolences to the family, and RIP dear Rishi
ReplyDeleteA thorough gentleman, a good human being and a great friend whom I will miss terribly.
ReplyDeleteI am blessed to have known you and interacted with you over the years. Thanks for everything. Rest in peace dearest CV Sir.
Very sad news. CVji will be missed by the entire crossword community. My condolences to Bhargav and the family
ReplyDeleteAt the outset let me candidly say that I join all of you in sharing the grief with his family members as well as all other dear and near ones.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I was not fortunate to have met him in person but did interact, literally 'CROSSED' the 'WORDS' with this genius and thereby enriched my interest in solving Crossword puzzles that was initially nurtured by my late Amma (incidentally, last year was her centenary) while on my annual leave during my days in the IAF (1965-75) to spend my holidays with my parents in Calcutta and later with Amma in Bangalore.
May CV Sir's soul Rest in Eternal Peace and also may his wisdom inspire each one of us for all times to come.
May his soul attain Satgathi
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed solving Gridman's crosswords.
ReplyDeleteMay his eternal soul rest in peace.
Very sad to hear. Such persons who want others to shine in their own fields are rare.
ReplyDeleteMany a times he has taken pains to introduce my Tamil puzzles writing about them. Everyone seems to have such experience with him, getting encouraged by him. This is really a great loss to the crossword community in India and to aspiring people a bigger loss.
Deep condolences. He has left behind an unfillable void.
ReplyDeleteGridman was the reason I got used to the Hindu crossword. Initially no annotations were known. Subsequently after following orkut and this blog I really started appreciating the nuances. Gridman's choice of clues did drive me to get more involved into cw. That way he was my guru figure. Later from here I could know him as Chaturvadi Sir. My personal sashtanga pranamams to him. I pray to god that his soul be given eternal peace and his family the strength to face the bereavement. He will always be remembered as long as HCW exists. Om Shanti.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad day for the Hindu crossword community. I looked forward to Gridman's cw, always - they were fun to solve. Deepest condolences to his family. He was a mentor for many of us. Rest in peace, Sir.
ReplyDeleteThe news is an absolute shock to me. I had met him on two or three occasions in Chennai. Lovely person, full of life.
ReplyDeleteWe will mourn his loss.
Post a cryptic comment and he was sure to catch on. Brilliant and good humoured. We will miss him
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteExtremely sad to hear the news. I immensely loved his grids a lot. It's a big loss to all in the world of crosswords. May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteExtremely sorry to hear the news.I really user to look forward to his puzzles. May his soul rest in peace
ReplyDeleteS. Ranganathan
Jayashree pritham
ReplyDeleteDeeply saddened by the news.may his soul rest in peace. I am not a regular contributor to the page.I was not an avid crossword puzzle solver. But tackling Gridmans puzzle was like learning to cycle with balancing wheels for me. His puzzles gave me the confidence to attempt the other grids. So much so today i have become an addict. He was always gentle on novices. Teasing their grey cells just enough to make them feel satisfied with their attempts.
Extremely sad to hear the passing away of CV Sir. He used to come out with brilliant crossword puzzles 4 days in a month and it used to be a absolute pleasure solving his puzzles. I also enjoyed reading his comments on the blog. Sir, you will be missed.May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteWe will miss CV sir, a mentor, father-like person. Om Shanthi .My condolences to Bhargav sir & his family.
ReplyDeleteGreat loss, a prolific setter and wonderful human being. Has been a mentor, sounding board and source of encouragement for almost every setter to be on the TH panel. Deeply saddened, may his soul RIP.
ReplyDeleteIt is a personal loss for me as he often used to consult me on medical topics.Of Course,I always used to enjoy his puzzles. Om Shanthi.
ReplyDeleteVery sad news. We will sorely miss him
ReplyDeleteCondolences to his family. Will surely miss his Grid. He was my favourite.
ReplyDeleteVery sad day for all cruciverbalists. I had the fortune of meeting him in IXL Finals in 2013 and 2017. Was moved by his humility to say the least. We will surely miss his crosswords and his comments. Condolences to the Family.
ReplyDeleteRIP Gridman Sir. I used to look forward to his CWs every month. Don't know how to fill this void. I know this cannot be done.
ReplyDeleteOddly endure ravishing Christmas haiku composed for our dear departed friend (10, 7, 9)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Chaturvasi Gridman Rishikesh, for your friendship and guidance, and for the myriad ways in which you added joy to the world of crosswords.
🙏
DeleteHad we met each other?.....No......Why do i feel so bereaved and sad?.....I have been solving Hindu's cryptic crosswords for about 25 years now, sometimes irregularly depending on my priorities at each stage of my life. Earlier one never knew who the setters were but, bit by bit shades and colours started filling up and the hindu started revealing the names of the setters albeit their nom de plume. And later on this forum and elsewhere on the internet the anonymous cruciverbalist community made their presence felt where the setters became more flesh and bone.
ReplyDeleteGridman's passing is like the termination of an era, an entire zeitgeist, a more charmed world that I can only look back with nostalgia. His crosswords were ever so crisp, gliding effortlessly, never an extra word or letter, giving a hand to the initiate and a few tantalising clever ones that would always evade the veteran to complete the grid. I shall forever miss those ones. Alas, I feel so sad that all that I hold so dear is swiftly vanishing over the horizon. And Gridman's passing only seems to hasten that movement irrevocably.
May his soul rest in peace. Strength and fortitude to family, friends and us crossword lovers to bear his loss. These pages shall never be the same again.
I am shocked to hear the news. Gridman was my favourite and I eagerly looked forward to his CWs. Thanks a lot Gridman. My deepest condolences to his family. Om Shanthi.
ReplyDeleteVery sorry to hear. May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteMessage from Srinidhi
ReplyDeleteThe first puzzle I solved was a puzzle from Gridman which got me hooked to cryptic puzzles. Solving puzzles, I got interested in setting puzzles and after setting I sent it to CV Sir. He provided a critique that improved many clues.
After that he interacted giving me lot of encouragement. Like my grandfather, who like him always encouraged me. Thank you. Never can forget you.
I could not get an opportunity to meet in person. But I always remember the interaction had with Gridman. Extremely sad to heard his demise. May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteLike all novices, I eagerly waited for his crosswords. Have been lucky to meet and chat with them on many Sundays. He gave so much happiness with his art and craft. My vondolences to all his family members.
ReplyDeleteThe loss feels deeply personal. We have known each other through these forums since 2010, and he has been a father figure for the Indian crossword community. He was solely responsible for bringing setters like myself, Buzzer and many others on board THC and for reviving crossword interest among people of all age groups. In 2011, he was still recuperating from a brain surgery when he worked with TH team to get new setters on board. He brought a balanced perspective to cluing arguments, and welcomed new people to the community by being a crossword “explicator”.
ReplyDeleteI think longingly about THC 10672 where I created a special crossword to celebrate his 70th birthday and published it without his knowledge (or so I think!). Unfortunately I had to stop setting in the last few years due to professional commitments, but the good times with him, his mentorship, our interactions and his words of appreciation for my themes, his command and fondness for English, his reminiscence of the early crossword days, and his times in the Western world, his cheeky humour, and his brusque emails and many more, are memories I will treasure for a life time.
Deepest condolences to his family and all crossword community.
May his soul rest in peace
ReplyDeleteExtremely sad to hear his demise. May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteDeeply saddened by the passing away of CVasi Sir who was the pioneer in cryptic crosswords evangelization online since the 2000s. His passion for crosswords and mentoring several folks online with his decades of crossword setting experience was remarkable. I spent several years during the 2000s closely collaborating with Cvasi through our Hindu crossword Yahoogroup. His Gridman puzzles on The Hindu were so well crafted. His creative thinking when it came to the words he picked to be in the puzzle and the way he introduced the cryptics were simply incredible. He loved Indianizing the grid with words native to India/Tamils etc. He wanted me to get into the Crossword setting group at The Hindu and coached some of us very closely however I couldnt take it up as I got busy. I cherish the few times when I got the opportunity to review his puzzles which he sent to some of us before sending it to The Hindu for publishing. His down to earth attitude and willingness to take feedback from novices like me was very surprising. May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteHis puzzles shall live on and remind us of his greatness!
On 5/10/05, C Vasi wrote:I understand that the following clue appeared recently in a Times (London) crossword:Buccaneer's revolting culinary discovery (6)I am sure you will like it.I shall send the answer in a day or two - unless you get the answer meanwhile.
ReplyDeleteC-Vasi
rajesh vijayaraghavan <@gmail.com> wrote:
CVasi,
Can you send me the answer/logic behind this clue.
I could not come anywhere close to an answer/reasoning.
-Raapi
On Sat, May 14, 2005 at 5:48 PM C Vasi wrote:
The answer is PIRATE (buccaneer)
Buccaneer - def. for reqd. word's - connector is (not possessive)The rest of the clue is to be interpreted AFTER you get the answer word from the definition, viz., PIRATENow, read the answer as PI(RAT)E "Rat in pie" is "revolting culinary discovery".Nice, isn't it?
You are the only friend with whom I am sharing this because I know you like nice clues!
chaturvasi
ReplyDeleteSat, Jun 25, 2005, 8:08 PM
to thehinduxword@yahoogroups.com
Online dictionaries are often good and sometimes they do throw up
rare words but they cannot always be depended upon.
I have also said that any serious crossword solver must have The
Chambers Dictionary.
That favourite tool of the crossword addict has 'sprattle', which
means "to scramble".
It is a Scottish word and Chambers, produced as it is in Edinburgh,
is partial to Scottish words that are passed into the English
language.
The question raised by Rajesh was asked elsewhere also and I
responded to it. Apologies to those who happen to read the cross-
posting.
--- In thehinduxword@yahoogroups.com, rajesh vijayaraghavan
wrote:
> Sprattle..
>
> I saw this word in yesterday's crossy..
>
> Although I got to it without much pain,I was surprised not to see a
> definition for that in any of the online dictionaries..
>
> Could anyone throw some light into the word's etymology?
Rarely does one come ACROSS a person with such varied talent and interests as CV Sir, as he was fondly called by the cruciverbalist community. His name would go DOWN in the annals of crosswords not just for the 50K+ clues he set, but even more for nurturing homegrown talent. He might have left his VASTU CHAIR at The Hindu Crossword Desk, but I am sure HIS SHRIEK of joy will echo in the hearts of setters and solvers alike, when they come across four15 letter anagrams in a GRID, MAN!
ReplyDeleteC G Rishikesh was my classmate in Vivekananda college. A year ago he phoned to say that along with his wife he would visit Trivandrum and see me. My sister used to have drinking water and mangoes from his house. I had given Maths lessons to his younger brother. The honorarium he insisted I should accept was my FIRST earning in life- more than 55 years back. Our reconnection after a long gap happened at a get together in Neyarta's ( Ganesh) place that my sister too happened to attend. Om Shanti - R Narayanan Trivandrum
ReplyDeleteC G Rishikesh was my classmate in Vivekananda college. Two years back we spoke and he promised to visit Trivandrum with his wife. I had given Maths lessons to his brother. Our reconnection after a long gap happened when my sister met him at Neyarta's place in Ashok Nagar. Om Shanti. - R Narayanan
ReplyDeleteShocked to hear Gridman is no more. A brilliant setter he was.. RIP
ReplyDelete