BENGALURU, June 10: Renowned playwright, actor and Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad, who left his indelible mark in the world of literature, theatre and cinema spanning five decades, passed away at his residence Monday morning after prolonged illness, official sources said.
A multi-hyphenate personality, who often courted controversies for his vocal stance, Karnad, 81, is survived by wife Saraswathi, son Raghu Karnad, a journalist and writer, and daughter Radha.
“He breathed his last around 8 am… and had been suffering with ailments including breathing problem for some time now,” sources close to Karnad’s family said.
A recipient of Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, Karnad was one of the most important literary minds of the present era.
He wrote, acted in and directed several plays and movies that earned critical acclaim. His most well known works include the plays “Yayati”, “Tughlaq” and “Naga-Mandala”, which have been translated from his native language Kannada to English and other Indian languages.
He was also a well-known face in Kannada and Hindi movies ranging from parallel fims such as “Samskara”, “Nishant”, “Manthan” to commercial outings such as “Tiger Zinda Hai” and “Shivaay”.
According to family sources, his last rites will be held at Kalpali electric crematorium in the city later in the day.
As per his wishes, the family has decided not to follow any religious ceremonies and accept state honours during funeral, they said.
The family has also requested his fans and dignitaries who want to pay last respects to directly come to crematorium as they want it to keep it private.
Declaring a holiday on Monday as a mark of respect to Karnad, the Chief Minister’s office in a statement also announced a three-day state mourning.
The CMO said Karnad will also receive state honours, which is in line with respect given to other Jnanpith awardees in the past.
Condoling the death of Karnad, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said, “We have lost a cultural ambassador.”
“Deeply saddened to hear of the demise of Jnanpith laureate writer and iconic actor/film maker, Sri #GirishKarnad.
“His outstanding contribution to literature, theatre and films will always be remembered. In his death, we lost a cultural ambassador. May his soul rest in peace,” Kumaraswamy tweeted.
Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said Karnad had brought seventh Jnanpith award to Kannada language. (PTI)
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