S.V.K. (S.V. Krishnamurthy) served The Hindu for nearly 45 years and retired as Assistant Editor. He is now the music critic of the esteemed newspaper. He is a good musician himself, though he has not taken it as a profession. Belonging to a family deeply involved in Carnatic music, he has over the years gained a good insight into what constitutes the core of Carnatic music. He has written four volumes of 'Know your Thyagaraja' which have been published. The two books carry his interviews with senior musicians and the junior artiste between the years 1994-1996, serialised in The Hindu. He has to his credit five volumes of short stories published in 'Ananda Vikatan','Kalki' and 'Dinamani Kadir'. He has also contributed many humorous skits to The Hindu taking after his reputed father SVV which are being brought out in book form shortly.
S.V. Krishnamurthy, popularly known as SVK, is one of the foremost carnatic music critics of our times. Son of a former writer Sri S.V. Vijayaraghavachariar, SVK and his illustrious musician brother S.V. Parthasarathy grew up in an atmosphere that was soaked in music, art and writing. His brother S.V. Parthasarathy was a musician, tunesmith and musicologist of great repute. His other brother S.V. Ranga was a musician in his own right. SVK himself learned music and was deeply interested in carnatic music though his first love was English literature. Being an approved AIR artiste, SVK performed for over 10 years and his taste for music was honed and nurtured through interactions with greats such as Semmangudi Narayanaswami Iyer, Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar and Musiri Subramania Iyer. Thus, SVK's credentials as a music critic are impeccable. He became a music critic for THE HINDU in the fifties and continues to be ore even now, having made his mark as an outstanding critic, growing from strength to strength. He is a discerning critic and has the uncanny ability of separating the chaff from the grain, uncompromising in his writing, calling a spade a spade and free and frank in his views. It is little wonder, therefore, he has won the respect and admiration of music lovers over 5 decades. through his writings as a critic that are solidly based on a deep knowledge of carnatic music. His longevity as a critic is itself a matter for celebration. His books on Thyagaraja and his compositions are well known to all his readers. SVK has also profiled musicians in THE HINDU in his inimitable way bringing to bear his deep insights in a series titled "Masters" between 1994 96. He followed it up with another series titled "Trendsetters" featuring young and upcoming musicians. It is a tribute to his ability to spot talent and also project it that almost all the young musicians featured have gone on to become frontline musicians today. The two series brought out in a book form now will be an invaluable addition to the books on carnatic music. The book also provides an expert's insights into the various facets of different banis of carnatic music of the great masters and the special characteristics of musicians, young and old, who have excelled in this great art form, each carving a special niche. I cannot cease admiring SVK for his yeoman contribution to carnatic music through his writings over fifty long years. Seldom has a track record of this kind been achieved by a critic either in India or abroad.
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