Fact Box: Girish Karnad

The renowned playwright, actor and Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad died at the age of 81 at his residence in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He succumbed to multiple-organ failure.

To honour the well-known writer who brought 7th Jnanpith to Kannada, Karnataka Government declared a holiday for schools and colleges and a 3-day State mourning as a tribute.

About Girish Karnad

• He was born in May 1938. He became one of the most prominent theatre personalities in priod of 1960s and 1970s, which was regarded as Renaissance of Indian theatre.
• Playwright: He wrote his first play Yayati in 1961 when he was a Rhodes scholar (world’s oldest fellowship program) in England, UK. He worked with mythology, history and gave them a contemporary resonance in plays like Tughlaq and Hayavadana. He translated most of his plays himself. His last play was Rakshasa Tangadi, (a Kannada play on the Battle of Talikota) which was published in 2018.
• Director and Actor: he made his acting debut in the classic movie- Samskara. He made his name not only in parallel cinema but was also celebrated for his roles in mainstream films in multiple languages. He directed around 12 films and documentaries in Kannada and Hindi.
• Awards: He was recipient of Padma Shri (1974) for his contributions to theatre and Padma Bhushan (1992) in recognition of his contributions to arts. He was also conferred Jnanpith Award in 1998.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2019