Girish Karnad Biography: Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian author.[1] was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada novelist, playwright, and recipient of the Jnanpith Award who worked primarily in South Indian cinema and Bollywood. His rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the maturation of modern Indian playwriting in Kannada, just as Badal Sarkar, Vijay Tendulkar, and Mohan Rakesh did in Bengali, Marathi, and Hindi, respectively.He was awarded India’s highest literary prize, the Jnanpith Award, in 1998.
Girish Karnad Biography
Early Years and Education
In 1938, Girish Karnad was born to a Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family in Matheran, Maharashtra. His mother, Krishnabai (née Mankikar), was a young widow with an impoverished son. Since she needed to earn a livelihood, she began working as a nurse and cook (general housekeeper) for the bedridden wife of a certain Bombay Medical Services doctor, Raghunath Karnad. He was a member of the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin community who spoke Konkani.
Krishnabai and Dr. Raghunath Karnad were wed in a private ceremony approximately five years later, while the first wife was still alive. The marriage was controversial not due to bigamy (it was lawful for a Hindu man to have multiple wives until 1956), but rather due to the prevalent social prejudice against widow remarriage. Therefore, the wedding was conducted privately and with permission from the Arya Samaj, a reform group that permits widow remarriage. Girish was the third of the subsequent four children to be born.
Karnad’s initial education was conducted in Marathi. Later, after his father was transferred to Sirsi in the Kannada-speaking regions of the Bombay Presidency, Karnad was exposed to travelling theatre groups and nataka mandalis (theatre troupes), which were thriving during the iconic Balgandharva era. As a child, he was a fervent fan of Yakshagana and the theatre in his hometown. At the age of fourteen, his family relocated to Dharwad, Karnataka, where he grew up with his two sisters and niece.
In 1958, he received a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and statistics from Karnataka Arts College, Dharwad (now Karnataka University). As a Rhodes Scholar, he studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford’s Magdalen College from 1960 to 1963, obtaining a Master of Arts in philosophy, political science, and economics. In 1962–63, Karnad was elected President of the Oxford Union.
Girish Karnad Career
After seven years with Oxford University Press, Chennai (1963–1970), he resigned to pursue writing full-time. During his time in Madras (now known as Chennai), he joined The Madras Players, a local amateur theatre group.
During 1987–1988, he was a visiting professor and Fulbright playwright-in-residence at the University of Chicago. At Chicago, the English translation of Nagamandala by Karnad had its world premiere at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis.
He served as director of the Film and Television Institute of India (1974–1975) and chancellor of the national academy of performing arts (1988–1993). Between 2000 and 2003, he served as director of the Nehru Centre and minister of culture at the Indian High Commission in London.
Karnad is a playwright who has written and translated plays in Kannada, English, and other Indian languages. He was profoundly influenced by C. Rajagopalachari’s interpretation of the Mahabharata. His subsequent production, Yayati, was released in 1961 and was an instant hit.
Karnad’s works include Hayavadana (1971), Naga-Mandala (1988), Agni Mattu Male (1990), and Taledanda (1990). In addition, he made his acting and screenwriting debuts in the films Samskara (1970) and Malgudi Days (1986–1987), and he won the first President’s Golden Lotus Award for a Kannada film. Karnad made his directorial début with Vamsha Vriksha (1971) and has since directed multiple Kannada and Hindi films. He has made documentaries and received awards for his documentaries and films. He has appeared in several films directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, including Iqbal (2005), Dor (2006), 8 x 10 Tasveer (2009), and Aashayein (2010). In addition, he appeared in the Kannada criminal film Aa Dinagalu.
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Personal Life
On his return from England, while working for Oxford University Press in Madras, he encountered his future wife, Saraswathi Ganapathy, at a party. Ten years later, when Karnad was 42 years old, the marriage was officially consummated, despite the fact that they had decided to marry ten years earlier. Saraswathi was born to Nurgesh Mugaseth, a Parsi mother, and Kodandera Ganapathy, a Kodava Hindu father. The couple was the parents of two children. They inhabited Bangalore.
Death
Karnad passed away in Bengaluru on 10 June 2019 at the age of 81 due to multiple organ failure following a protracted illness.
“After speaking with his son, it became apparent that his final wish was to have no floral procession, VVIPs, or dignitary visitors. Consequently, it will be a straightforward matter.”
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