175. #GirishKarnad(1/9) The River Has No Fear of Memories: An Introduction

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Jun 9, 2022

Girish Karnad, one of India’s leading playwrights and thinkers, shares profound insights during his final conversations with Arshia Sattar. He discusses the influence of Kannada literature and European existentialism on his work. Karnad reflects on his iconic plays like 'Tughlaq' and 'Hayavadana', revealing the complexities of his writing process. His journey as a public intellectual advocating for justice and cultural preservation is explored, alongside the vibrant theatrical legacy he leaves behind, enhanced by readings from his plays.

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ANECDOTE

Kurosawa's Influence

Girish Karnad hesitated to discuss his later life, similar to Kurosawa ending his autobiography after his first film.
He believed that once success is achieved, the rest is just history and less interesting.

ANECDOTE

Samskara and Film

Girish Karnad's entry into filmmaking stemmed from his literary ambitions, particularly his fascination with Samskara.
He even offered to assist the director, but his acting in Samskara led to other film opportunities.

ANECDOTE

Saving Kudiyattam

As chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Girish Karnad saved the dying Kudiyattam art form.
He bypassed bureaucratic hurdles to secure funding, leading to its recognition as a World Heritage Site.

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In June 2019, a few days before his death, Girish Karnad and Arshia Sattar had extensive conversations about his work, his life, and the concerns that had occupied him over almost sixty years as a writer and a public intellectual. This podcast is a distillation of those freewheeling conversations, a short intellectual biography to celebrate the life and work of one of India’s finest playwrights and thinkers. In this series, we hear Girish talk about Kannada literature, existentialism, making of modern Indian theatre, the art and craft of playwriting, and his life as a public intellectual. The series is hosted by Arshia Sattar and Anmol Tikoo, with special guests such as Vivek Shanbhag, Shanta Gokhale, and Sunil Shanbag, who provide the context for Girish’s comments. Each episode also contains scenes from his plays read by members of Bangalore’s theatre community. The readings show us how closely his philosophical and political ideas were to what he wrote. They also provide an opportunity for audiences, particularly those who might not be already familiar with Girish’s works, to experience the power of his work.

The title for the series is taken from the song in Hayavadana (ಹಯವದನ), a song which has been musically recreated for us by Pallavi MD and Konarak Reddy. Apart from the fact that Neerina Mele Chitra remains one of Kannada’s most beloved ranga geethe, we found it to be particularly evocative as we remember a man who profoundly impacted India’s cultural arena in the last half of the 20th century. This podcast series, we hope, will bear witness to Girish Karnad, a man who gave us so much to remember, but also so much to take forward.

Episode 1: An Introduction

Girish spoke mainly about his writing and the ideas that formed and motivated him. Arshia and Anmol speak about how the series took shape and introduce the subsequent episodes. In this episode, we hear Girish talk about his life in films and in cultural institutions, topics he did not return to in later conversations.