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A few months back, when the State was busy on its shikar to hunt down activists and public intel-
lectuals, we saw a photograph of Girish Karnad with oxygen tubes in his nostrils and a placard over
his chest that said: “Me too an Urban Naxal”. The photo evoked the same air of stubbornness Karnad
exhibited as a young man when he quit the directorship of FTII Pune in 1975 against the Emergency.
Limiting him to his achievements and State honours fails to recognize the totality of the persona he
exhibited in his illustrious life. Karnad was the Socratic gad-
fly of contemporary India, who always remained with
a critical sting to remember the duties of the state and
society. His unapologetic criticism against the right
wing and communalism made him the target of Hin-
dutva forces since the beginning of the Modi era
in 2014. Therefore his death is cathartic as in a
tragic play when India gets ready for the sec-
ond term of Narendra Modi.

A man of distinctive excellence who carved
his niche in diverse fields, Karnad relent-
lessly remoulded his craft to bring
innovation to the existing traditions
in every field he delved. As a Rho-
des scholar to Oxford, Karnad let
himself to embrace the world
of letters and saw its fru-
ition through Yayati
in 1960, a play which
became a sudden
success. His exposure
to a world of ambigui-
ties, richly enmeshed
with folklore, myths,
legends and history

Girish Karnad:

O B I T U A R Y

A Totality of Versatility

Editorial desk

Student Struggle | June - July 2019