Acclaimed Playwright and Film-maker, Girish Karnad, Speaks in South Asia Colloquium

The renowned Indian playwright and film-maker, Girish Karnad, will deliver a talk �Interrogating Our Culture� as part of the South Asia Colloquium Series.

October 5, 4:30pm � Room 203, Luce Hall, 34 Hillhouse Avenue

Girish Karnad is a playwright, film-maker and actor. Born in 1938, he studied Mathematics at Karnatak University, Dharwad (1958) and subsequently went on to become a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford where he completed an M.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (1963). Karnad writes in Kannada, the language of the State of Karnataka and has translated many of his plays into English. Some of his more recent plays, however, were written originally in English. His play, Hayavadana (1971), won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. The Oxford Dictionary of Plays, edited by Michael Patterson (2005), lists it among �the most significant plays of world theatre�. Naga-Mandala (1988), was premiered in the US in 1993 by the Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, as part of its Thirtieth Anniversary Celebrations, which then commissioned The Fire and the Rain. In 2002, the Haymarket Theatre, Leicester, UK commissioned and premiered Bali,the Sacrifice. His other plays are Yayati (1961), Tughlaq (1964), Taledanda (1990), The Dreams of Tipu Sultan (commissioned by the B.B.C. Radio ,1997), Two Monologues (2004) and Wedding Album (2008). Oxford University Press, India published his, Collected Plays (2005), in two volumes. In 2008, The International Theatre Institute of UNESCO, Paris, honored him as World Theatre Ambassador.

While Karnad�s accomplishments as a playwright have gained him international recognition in the world of theater, he is also distinguished in the world of film. His first film, Samskara, for which he wrote the script and played the lead role, was initially banned by the censor board. When released, it went on to win the President�s Gold Medal for the Best Feature Film of the Year (1971). His next film, Vamsha Vriksha, which he wrote, directed and acted in (with B. V. Karanth), received the National Award for Excellence in Direction. The third film, Kaadu, won the President�s Silver Medal and awards for individual performances. Karnad�s subsequent films include Utsav (based on the Sanskrit play, Mricchakatikam) in Hindi and Kanooru Heggadithi in Kannada. His film script for Bhumika won the National Award and his script for Godhuli received the Filmfare Award (1979). He has acted in the films of Shyam Benegal and Nagesh Kukunoor, as well as in the teleserials of Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen. He has served as member of the Jury at the International Film Festivals at New Delhi (1977) and Locarno (2003).

In addition to writing for theater and film, directing, and acting, Karnad has contributed to the arts in several significant leadership roles. From 1974 to 1975 he served as Director, Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. More recently, he served as Director of the Nehru Centre and as Minister for Culture in the High Commission of India, London (2000-03). From 1987 to 1988, Karnad was Visiting Professor and Fulbright-Playwright-in-Residence at the University of Chicago. He was Chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi (the National Academy of the Performing Arts) from 1988-1993. He has been awarded the DLitt by the Universities of Karnatak, Dharwad (1994) and Vidyasagar, Midnapur (2010).

Girish Karnad was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1992 by the President of India, and he has received the Bharatiya Jnanapith, the country�s highest literary award (1999).