Girish Karnad, a celebrated actor, playwright and filmmaker, died at 81 yesterday after a long illness. He died at a hospital in Bengaluru at 6:30am, according to his family.
Born on May 19, 1938, in Mumbai (then Bombay Presidency), his critically-acclaimed body of work includes plays like Yayati, Hayavadana and Tughlaq, all of which he wrote in Kannada and then translated to English, losing none of the beauty and poignancy of the original texts. A prominent figure in the Kannada literary scene, many of his plays drew from mythology and traditional stories to create wonderful insights into modern life from mythology and he helped transform the Kannada theatre scene.
His contributions were not limited to the stage.
He acted in both Kannada and Hindi films, was a filmmaker and wrote screenplays, winning multiple awards for his work at the state and central level.
Girish Karnad was awarded the Padma Shri in 1974 and the Padma Bhushan in 1992.
Considered a gifted litterateur, he was also awarded the Jnanpith award in 1998.
Born on May 19, 1938, in Mumbai (then Bombay Presidency), his critically-acclaimed body of work includes plays like Yayati, Hayavadana and Tughlaq, all of which he wrote in Kannada and then translated to English, losing none of the beauty and poignancy of the original texts. A prominent figure in the Kannada literary scene, many of his plays drew from mythology and traditional stories to create wonderful insights into modern life from mythology and he helped transform the Kannada theatre scene.
His contributions were not limited to the stage.
He acted in both Kannada and Hindi films, was a filmmaker and wrote screenplays, winning multiple awards for his work at the state and central level.
Girish Karnad was awarded the Padma Shri in 1974 and the Padma Bhushan in 1992.
Considered a gifted litterateur, he was also awarded the Jnanpith award in 1998.
