Our series on Carnatic violinists gets another string in this issue. The centre section is devoted to Mysore T. Chowdiah, who carved a special niche for himself by inventing and mastering the seven-stringed violin. Gayatri Chandra Shekar, our Editorial Associate based in Bangalore, has written the main profile. This canticle, which chronicles the charismatic Chowdiah's frailties also with candour, is complemented by the articles and anecdotes which widen and deepen our perception of the master and his music. Enjoy, enjoy Whistle.

This word is apt to bring to your mind a child blowing on a toy whistle, a railway engine or a policeman but it is unlikely that you associate the word with Carnatic music. But there are two whistlers around who, like children blowing soap bubbles which acquire rainbow colours, blow 'ordinary air' in a way that it becomes music. I think you will enjoy reading about Tanjavur Kalyan'araman and Siva Prasad, who are whistling in the open rather than in the dark (15-16). 

In SRUTI, we reserve The Third Eye for dance. V.A.K. Ranga Rao kept his open during December and January to see, and see through, various dance performances and demonstrations and also listened to related speech and music. He has filed the first of what I expect will be a series of articles reporting his observations, perceptions (39-42). He doesn't mean to 'scathe' any artist, but if any feels that's what he has done, I hope he or she will scream loud enough to reach our ears. In this issue, we publish the second part of the survey article on Carnatic Musicians of Kerala (33-37).