Girish Karnad-Indian Dramatist

1. Sonima K K
Assistant Professor in English
St Joseph’s College, Irinjalakuda

2. 19 May 1938-10 June 2019

3.  Playwright, Director, Actor, Screenplay writer
 Together with Badal Sirkar, Vijay Tendulkar
and Mohan Rakesh enriched the modern
Indian Theatre
 The face of modern theatre in Kannada
 Rose to fame in 1960s

4.  Used history (Tughlaq), mythology (Yayati)
and folktales (Nagamandala, Hayavadana) to
comment on the contemporary society.
 Usually wrote in Kannada and then translated
to English
 Many of his plays were adapted as movies

5.  Jnanpith-1998
 Padma Shri-1974
 Padma Bhushan-1992
 National film award for best director and best
film - 1971

6.  Born in Matheran , Maharashtra
 His mother was a woman of power and
progressive thoughts.
 Shifted to Sirsi after his primary education which
contributed a lot towards his development as a
writer.
 Sirsi introduced him to the world of performing
arts through the travelling theatres and
Yakshagana performances which were part of its
culture.

7.  After his graduation in Maths went to England for higher
studies as a Rhodes Scholar.
 Started his literary career as a poet, then turned to dramas
 Yayati is his first major play- 1961
 After the publication of some of his earlier plays he
decided to become a full time writer and left his job at
Oxford University Press, Chennai in 1970
 Entered the world of films as a director with Vamsavriksha,
an adaptation of a Kannada novel by S L Byrappa .
 Later wrote the script for U R Ananthamoorthy’s Samskara
and made his debut as an actor in the same film

8.  His works are noted for the beautiful blend of
myth, history, ritual, superstitions and folk
literature as a medium to comment on
contemporary society.
 “The energy for the folk theatre comes from the fact that although it seems to uphold
traditional values, it also has the means of questioning these values. The various
conventions-the chorus, the music, the seemingly unrelated comic interludes, the mixing
of humanand non humanworlds permit a simultaneous presentation of alternative
points of view.”

9.  Yayati- 1960
 Tughlaq-1964
 Hayavadana-1972
 Hittina Hunja-1980
 Naga-Mandala-1988
 Tale Danda-1990
 Agni Mattu Male-1995

10. THANK YOU!!