Veteran Playwright Girish Karnad Is No More

Veteran playwright, actor and film-maker Girish Karnad passed away on Monday morning. The Jnanpith awardee was 81 years old. The Rhodes Scholar reportedly breathed his last at home at around 8:30 a.m. due to age-related ailments.

Born May 19, 1938 in Matheran, Karnad - who went on to write, direct, act in Kannada, Hindi, English and Konkani - wrote his first play, the critically-acclaimed 'Yayati' while still at Oxford in 1961.

He made his acting and screenwriting dedebut in 1970 with the Kannada film 'Samskara'. He was conferred the Padma Shri in 1974 for his contributions to theatre. In 1992, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan, in recognition of his contributions to the arts.