Journalism of Courage
Multi-hyphenate artiste Girish Karnad wrote, acted and also actively resisted establishment. He passed away on June 10, 2019 at the age of 81, leaving behind an expansive and relevant body of work. On his death anniversary today, here's revisiting some of them. (Photo: Express Archive)
Considered one of his most celebrated plays, Tughlaq is a Kannada language play published in 1964. In the 13-scene play, the playwright uses the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq as the premise. The result is a fascinating portrait of an idealistic ruler and a piercing commentary on the 1960s political landscape in India. (Source: Amazon.in)
This 1975 play centers on friends two friends -- Devdutta and Kapila -- and their love for a woman called Padmini. The play is a superb display of his artistry and craft as he deftly used allegory, myths and history like only he could, (Source: Flipkart)
This 1997 play focusses on the last days of Tipu Sultan from the perspective of a British scholar. (Source: Amazon.in)
In this, Karnad uses Mahabharata as a premise and then subverts it, making for a compelling play. (Source: Amazon.in)
Tale-danda, the 1990 play, spotlights the rise of the 12th century movement Lingayatism founded by Basava in Karnataka. Karnad received several awards for this work, including the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award in 1993. And the Sahitya Akademi Award in Kannada language in the following year.(Source: Amazon.in)
This 2009 work is a testament to his skill of using humour to drive a bigger point home. It reads as well today as it did those many years ago. (Source: Amazon.in)
This Life at Play, translated from Kannada by him and Srinath Perur, attempts to distill his prolific life. (Source: Amazon.in)
