MADURAI: Senior journalist P Krishnaswamy (79), Chief Sub- Editor at The New Indian Express, Madurai, passed away at a private hospital here on Thursday after a prolonged illness.A respected gentleman with nearly six decades experience in journalism, Krishnaswamy (better known as PK), a plantation Tamil settled in Sri Lanka, had joined the Express group in the mid-80s after he landed in India with his family as a refugee after the anti-Tamil riots in the Island nation.“One day I woke up and found nothing on me except the towel around my waist,” he had once told his colleagues while recalling the devastation of the anti-Tamil riots. PK, who had left behind a good journalistic career with the Daily Mirror in Sri Lanka, was spotted by the eminent sports writer, the late Rajan Bala here. Impressed with his credentials, Bala, then Sports Editor, invited him to join the Express.PK joined as a sub-editor but soon took up reporting.One of his former colleagues and senior journalist T N Gopalan reminisced that PK was at ease while dealing with younger members of the team. “He once told me ‘You must put me through the paces’. I hardly had five years experience as a reporter then. For a man like him to tell me to teach him the trade reflected extraordinary humility on his part,” Gopalan said. PK had the rich experience of covering the Israel-Lebanon war in 1981 and a rare interview with former Indian President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.Even in his old age, PK was actively reporting for duty on time with his trademark smile until two months ago when a cardiac ailment forced him to go on a long leave. PK had also penned an official biography of Justice V R Krishna Iyer. He is survived by two daughters - Priya Bala and Padmini Sivarajah, both journalists - and a son. PK had earlier battled cancer but he had shared with close friends that his wife’s death last year was a blow to him. Gopalan recalled, “I had once asked PK when are you going to retire? He responded “I am going to die with my boots on.”.
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