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Gowher Ahmad Naik, Lovely Professional University Unit 24: Girish Karnard: Nagmandla—Introduction to the Text

Unit 24: Girish Karnard: Nagmandla— Notes
Introduction to the Text

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
24.1 Introduction to Nagmandla
24.2 Summary
24.3 Key-Words
24.4 Review Questions
24.5 Further Readings

Objectives
After reading this Unit students will be able to:
• Know the life and works of Girish Karnard.
• Introduce Nagmandla.
Introduction

Girish Karnad was born in Matheran, Maharashtra, into a Konkani-speaking brahmin family. As
a youngster, Karnad was an ardent admirer of Yakshagana and the theater in his village. He
earned his Bachelors of Arts degree from Karnataka College Dharwad, in 1958. Upon graduation
Karnad went to England and studied at Lincoln and Magdalen colleges in Oxford as a Rhodes
Scholar (1960-63), earning his Master of Arts degree in philosophy, political science and economics.
After working with the Oxford University Press for seven years (1963-70), he resigned to freelance.
He has served as Director of the Film and Television Institute of India (1974-1975) and Chairman
of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of the Performing Arts (1988-93). During
1987-88, he was at the University of Chicago as Visiting Professor and Fulbright Playwright-in-
Residence. It was during his tenure at Chicago that Nagmandala had its world premiere at the
Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis based on an English translation of the Kannada original that
Karnad himself did. Most recently, he served as Director of the Nehru Centre and as Minister of
Culture, in the Indian High Commission, London (2000-03).
Karnad is most famous as a playwright. His plays, written in Kannada, have been widely translated
into English and all major Indian languages. Karnad's plays are written neither in English, in
which he dreamed of earning international literary fame, nor in his mother tongue Konkani.
Instead they are composed in his adopted language Kannada. When Karnad started writing plays,
Kannada literature was highly influenced by the renaissance in Western literature. Writers would
choose a subject which looked entirely alien to manifestation of native soil.
In a situation like that Karnad found a new approach like drawing historical and mythological
sources to tackle contemporary themes. His first play, "Yayati" (1961), ridicules the ironies of life
through characters in Mahabharata and became an instant success, immediately translated and
staged in several other Indian languages. "Tughlaq" (1964), his best loved play, established Karnad
as one of the most promising playwrights in the country. Karnad himself has translated all his plays
into English. A large number of his kannada plays have been translated by Dr. Bhargavi P Rao.
He has played the role of Karadi, the sootradhar (narrator), for several stories in the popular
audiobook series for kids, Karadi Tales. He has also been the voice of APJ Abdul Kalam, President
of India, in the audiobook of Kalam's autobiography by Charkha Audiobooks Wings of Fire.

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