Musicologist Vaidyanathakrishnan, popularly known as SVK of Coimbatore, was a lawyer by profession. His understanding of Carnatic music, particularly the compositions of the Trinity, was as in-depth as his knowledge of tax laws. Blessed by the Paramacharyas of Sringeri and Kanchi mutts, his aim
was to attain perfection in the bhakti marga of Tyagaraja.
SVK imbibed everything about music. An ardent student of Sanskrit coupled with his abiding interest in Telugu, he could dwell at length on the philosophical contents of the Trinity, especially Tyagaraja.
His expertise was the reason why noted musicians such as Neyveli Santhanagopalan and Sudha Ragunatahn among others would interact with SVK for their lec-dems.
SVK’s exceptional knowledge of Tygaraja’s compositions was absorbed from his mentor-father, and he could speak extempore on any aspect of it. His speech, sometimes emotional, evoked the feeling of reverence in listeners. One cannot think of a Thyagabrahma aradhana without his presence as he was the guiding force behind Thyagabrahma Gananjali’s Tyagaraja festival in Coimbatore for the past 50 years.
As Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Coimbatore Kendra of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, he framed the syllabus for music, which was also followed by other music schools.
A council of hosts – connoisseurs honoured SVK at an event, for being the bard’s parambhaktha, by conferring the Thyagabrahma Bhakta Ratna on him, under the presidency of Mrs. Ramakausalya, former Head of the department of Music in the Government College of Music, Thiruvaiyaru.
Appropriately, TV Varadarajen’s play, ‘Sri Thyagaraja,’ was staged as a fitting finale. Scripted by VSV and set to music by Bombay Jayashri, the enactment kept the audience captivated. Varadarajen’s performance as Tyagaraja was understated. The lip-sync to the recorded kirtana was impeccable. Rajesh Bhat playing the bard’s companion and Nathiya as his daughter did justice to their roles.
The musical was enjoyable and it not only moved the audience but also provided some comic relief.
