Girish Karnad was also active in the world of cinema

Highlights Playwright, actor and director Girish Karnad died today in Benglaru

The award-winning litterateur was also known as a fearless activist

He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1974 and the Padma Bhushan in 1992

Girish Karnad, a celebrated actor, playwright and filmmaker, died at 81 today after a long illness. He died at a hospital in Bengaluru at 6.30 am, according to his family.

Born on May 19, 1938, in Matheran near Mumbai (then Bombay Presidency), his critically-acclaimed body of work includes plays like "Yayati", "Hayavadana" and "Tughlaq", all of which he wrote in Kannada and then translated to English, losing none of the beauty and poignancy of the original texts.

A prominent figure in the Kannada literary scene, many of his playsdrew from mythology and traditional stories to create wonderful insights into modernlifefrom mythology and he helped transform the Kannada theatre scene.

His contributions were not limited to the stage.

He acted in both Kannada and Hindi films, was a filmmaker and wrote screenplays, winning multiple awards for his work at the state and central level. A legendary figure, he was also briefly director of the Film and Television Institute in Pune and director of the Nehru Centre in London.

One of his most memorable role - that of Swami's father - was undoubtedly in "Malgudi Days", a television adaptation of RK Narayan's timeless and enchanting collection of short stories about the sleepy (and fictional) town of Malgudi in South India.

A fearless social and political activist, Girish Karnad used his literary skills