Girish Karnad, the Renaissance man of Indian culture, dies at 81
Live MintIt is a comment on the ahistoric times we live in that a media outlet announced Girish Karnad’s death as “Tiger Zinda Hai actor dies at 81”. Karnad was part of India’s post-independence renaissance, as much at ease with exploring classical Sanskrit plays as the finer points of the yakshagana tradition; the primacy of rhythm in Carnatic music or the deft footwork of Kuchipudi; the continued relevance of ancient myths to understand our present condition and his exasperation over the canonization of false idols in an age bereft of heroes. A pillar of Indian theatre, Karnad also translated what is perhaps the finest existential play of modern India, Badal Sircar’s Evam Indrajit, which brought to the fore the pessimism and nihilism that shrouded India within a decade of independence. A quarter century later, when Karnad wrote Tipu Sultan Kanda Kanasu Bhyrappa criticized the play, as he disagreed with Karnad’s nuanced portrayal of Tipu.
History of this topic
Why Tipu Sultan must be killed, again
The Hindu
Rangayana’s play on Tipu Sultan to ‘unveil his true nature’
The Hindu)
Periodic whitewashing of Tipu Sultan can’t undo his unflattering history
FirstpostGirish Karnad: Staging our times
The Hindu)
Remembering Girish Karnad: Quasar Thakore-Padamsee, Abhishek Majumdar on how the playwright influenced their craft
Firstpost)
Girish Karnad's plays like Kalyug and Tughlaq showed his work was perfect amalgamation of tradition and modernity
Firstpost
Girish Karnad shared a strong bond with Dharwad
Deccan Chronicle)
Girish Karnad cut across linguistic and regional boundaries to become a nationally revered figure
Firstpost)
Girish Karnad's plays exemplified his generation's transformative practices, but also bore his distinctive mark
FirstpostNoted playwright, actor and Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad dies at 81
The HinduImagination relentlessly reinvented
The HinduDiscover Related
