{"id":4789,"date":"2016-05-27T16:23:38","date_gmt":"2016-05-27T10:53:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=4789"},"modified":"2026-07-17T21:17:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:47:11","slug":"girish-karnad-malgudi-days-wt-srinivasan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=4789","title":{"rendered":"How Girish Karnad Became a Household Name with Malgudi Days"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\nO<\/span>\n\n<\/div>\nne of the more unforgettable moments in Malgudi Days<\/span><\/i><\/a>, that aired on Doordarshan in 1987, was that of a dhoti-clad Girish Karnad, playing tennis with firangs at the Malgudi Club. It was funny, in a gentle sort of way, because watching that scene unfold on screen as kids, we were not really aware of the socio-political and cultural subtext in the portrayal of Karnad\u2019s character. You see, at that time, we were not aware that perhaps WT Srinivasan may have been representative of an entire generation of Indians who had been exposed to an English education, European philosophy, and civility, and yet who stuck to their roots when it mattered to them the most. Srinivasan, Swami\u2019s stern but affectionate <\/span>father<\/span><\/a>, was a man of discipline, erudition, and deference. He signed off official letters, even apologising for his son\u2019s mischief with the words, \u201cYour most obedient servant\u201d, but when it came to a game of tennis he chose to wear a dhoti and shoes while facing his European peers.<\/span>\n\nSet in pre-independence India, RK Narayan\u2019s immortal story \u2013 a celebration of <\/span>childhood<\/span><\/a> and innocence \u2013 might go down in history for introducing us to the life of an endearing Swami (played by Master Manjunath), who embodied the preoccupations of every Indian child before JEE and television invaded our lives. But its TV adaptation also gave us Girish Karnad. For the multitude of people who were not aware of his incredible body of work as a playwright, actor, academic, or author, <\/span>Malgudi Days <\/span><\/i>made him a household name.<\/span>\n\n

\"girish_karnad\"\n

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Hemant Mishra\/Mint via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nKarnad appeared in just nine episodes. Yet Srinivasan was the father every kid knew: a man of deep wisdom and deeper frown lines; of few words and fewer material possessions, barring his neat, exhaustive collection of hard-bound books. He was someone who was most comfortable in his veshti, bearing the religious marks on his forehead, and subscribing to rituals, perhaps only at home. In his professional avatar, he easily slipped into European suits and polished boots, comfortable in the <\/span>language<\/span><\/a> of the \u201cmasters\u201d but preserving his austere identity.<\/span>\n\nIn fact, Srinivasan\u2019s formidable presence or a mere mention of his name was enough for mischievous little Swami to have a nervous breakdown: One stern look from his father or even a wall of silence was all that Swami needed to get back in line. Just as effective as his affectionate half smile. It\u2019s a feeling we all knew. It\u2019s the kind of <\/span>relationship<\/span><\/a> most of us shared with our fathers. <\/span>\n\nMalgudi Days <\/span><\/i>introduced my <\/span>family<\/span><\/a>, which until then had only read some of his works, to the charm and subtle elegance of Girish Karnad. He was someone everyone grew to like. And over the decades, we all picked our Girish Karnad favourites. My father, a musician, loved his performance in <\/span>Sur Sangam<\/span><\/i>; he became a fan of Karnad\u2019s impressive portrayal of a singer who did more than indifferently lip-sync to songs. He brought them to life; emoted every word and melodic inflexion. My mother remained fond of <\/span>Ananda Bhairavi<\/span><\/i> in which he played a dancer who fights <\/span>social prejudices<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Nishant<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Manthan<\/span><\/i> were my choices. Over the years, Karnad became the default favourite actor, director, playwright for his eclectic body of work. There was always a favorite Karnad performance or production we could talk about, sometimes with the same kind of pride that comes from dissecting your favorite PG Wodehouse story at a book club.<\/span>\n

\u201cGirish Karnad does not parade his politics, nor indeed his patriotism.”<\/blockquote>\nYears after <\/span>Malgudi Days,<\/span><\/i> I watched a production of <\/span>Hayavadana<\/span><\/i>, one of Karnad\u2019s most loved and celebrated plays in <\/span>Delhi<\/span><\/a>. Based on Thomas Mann\u2019s <\/span>The Transposed Heads<\/span><\/i>, it was performed by a cast that comprised students from various city colleges: Konkona Sen Sharma studying at St Stephen\u2019s college at that time, who was yet to make her film debut, played Kali in the production. The enthusiastic students put in an electrifying performance of Karnad\u2019s searing take on <\/span>sexuality<\/span><\/a> and women\u2019s empowerment. I knew back then that his legacy would live on. <\/span>\n\nBut then again, Karnad wasn\u2019t the kind of man obsessed with his legacy, a thought that his close friend Ramachandra Guha succinctly put in his <\/span>tribute<\/span><\/a> to the playwright in 2018. \u201cGirish Karnad does not parade his politics, nor indeed his patriotism. Yet in his own understated way he has remained admirably devoted to his hometown and his home state, while never losing sight of his country or the world. He could, if he wished, write a splendid cultural history of India. For no one I know has his breadth of knowledge and understanding of all our arts \u2013 music, literature, dance \u2013 of the North as well as of the South of India; of folk forms and of popular and classical genres as well. (And he speaks and reads six Indian languages too),\u201d Guha wrote for <\/span>The Telegraph<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\n\n

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Arijit Sen\/Hindustan Times via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nIn June 2019, as Karnad, breathed his last, Guha\u2019s eulogy to Karnad \u2013 his intellect and his activism \u2013 seemed perfect. The photograph doing the rounds after his demise showed him with a tube near his nose at the \u201cNot in My Name\u201d protest in Bangalore, the video everyone was watching was that from a documentary which opens with a sprightly Karnad taking a walk in a Bangalore garden, greeting passers-by. Those are the images that have probably stayed with most people. But when I think of Karnad, I turn the page back to where it all began for me. I\u2019ll always first think of him as Mr Srinivasan, a father figure who stood tall in a quieter world, where you could actually hear one\u2019s thoughts.<\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Malgudi Days introduced my family, which until then had only read some of Girish Karnad\u2019s works, to his charm and subtle elegance. His WT Srinivasan represented an entire generation of Indians who had been exposed to English education and civility but stuck to their roots when it mattered the most.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":320,"featured_media":4793,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3452],"tags":[8446,6589,8447,8448],"class_list":["post-4789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-girish-karnad","tag-malgudi-days","tag-ramachandra-guha","tag-wt-srinivasan"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Girish Karnad Became a Household Name with Malgudi Days<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Malgudi Days introduced my family, which until then had only read some of Girish Karnad\u2019s works, to his charm and subtle elegance. 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His WT Srinivasan represented an entire generation of Indians who had been exposed to English education and civility but stuck to their roots when it mattered the most.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=4789\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arr\u00e9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-05-27T10:53:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T15:47:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1560177746.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1520\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"850\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chandrima Pal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"How Girish Karnad Became a Household Name with Malgudi Days\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Malgudi Days introduced my family, which until then had only read some of Girish Karnad\u2019s works, to his charm and subtle elegance. 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