Radio Brisvaani
With the demise of Girish Karnad, a glorious chapter of Indian literature, theatre and cinema has come to an end
When one of the stalwarts among Indian playwrights Girish Karnad (81) breathed his last on June 10, his last rites were anything but spectacular. There were no politicians, film stars, directors or bureaucrats in attendance to offer floral tributes to the mortal remains of what was once a spectacular literary career. Common people were not making a beeline for the last glimpse of the celebrated actor, director and litterateur. There was also no arrangement for a state funeral for one of Kannada’s prominent figures. No priests were called in and hence no religious rituals were conducted. It was a private affair, just as Karnad had scripted for the last act of his life. It all ended without any media glare and publicity.
His Early Life
In his autobiography, Adadata Ayusha, Karnad writes that there was an occasion when his parents had considered terminating his mother’s pregnancy, while he was in her womb. But, as was ordained, the doctor did not turn up even after a long wait, and the idea was subsequently dropped. This is precisely why Karnad dedicates his autobiography to the doctor, Madhumalati Gune, who did not turn up that day to abort his mother’s pregnancy. Rest is, of course, history, for the boy grew up to afford his parents enough reason to thank Providence for what did not happen that fateful day.
That Karnad did not approve of religious ceremonies post his passing is not very difficult to fathom. His father, a doctor by profession who conducted post-mortems, was an atheist himself and detested any religious ceremonies. That they belonged to a Brahmin family did not deter them from keeping their distance from Brahmin priests, whom the father did not hold in high esteem. Karnad’s early life in Sirsi, Karnataka, instilled into him a sense of secularism, and in Dharwad, also in Karnataka, he was initiated into the world of literature and drama. He graduated in Mathematics and Statistics from Karnataka University and pursued Philosophy, Politics and Economics as Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford.
His Contribution to Literature
Initially, Karnad aspired to be an English poet; however, he ended up becoming a Kannada playwright. His first play, Yayati, the tale of a mythological king, was written in 1960, when he was still in Oxford. However, his creation Tughluq (1964), the story of the 14th century sultan of Delhi, Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, made him scale the heights of literary fame. This play was staged in multiple Indian languages by several theatre companies. For his contribution to theatre, he was awarded the Padma Shri (1974) and the Padma Bhushan (1992). He was also honoured with the Jnanpith award for his contribution to literature. Besides his literary prowess, he also served as the director of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India and as the chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Karnad —- the Activist
Karnad was not just the sort of personality who would be lost in the world of fiction and drama. He was also a critic of what happened in Indian society and politics. He was against the caste system, and vehemently criticized the right-wing’s aggressive form of nationalism, which found expression in the murders of journalists such as Gauri Lankesh, who spoke loudly against the ruling party’s Hindutva agenda. And his sensibilities did not end here. He was also an environmental activist and had recently participated in a protest against cutting of 800 trees to construct a bridge in Bengaluru.
