Theatre

Karanth had a flair for drama even during his childhood days. He worked in the stage productions of legendary dramatist Dr. Gubbi Veeranna, and later emerged as a playwright on his own. The founder of the Kannada theatre in Mysore called Rangayana, Karanth has never stopped working for the theatre.

It was in the seventies that Kannada literature saw a new wave in creative expression. The novels of Shivram Karanth, the poetry of Adiga, and the plays of Shriranga had put Kannada literature once more in the lime light. Soon there was another literary figure who was quietly but surely making his name felt in the world of Kannada literature.

Karanth emerged as a passionate dramatist, with plays like Jokumaraswamy and Hayavadana. His plays have always found roots in folk literature. His contribution to Karnataka's folk art Yaksahgana, has been tremendous. For creative inspiration, Karanth never limited himself to any one local language. He experimented freely with the folklore of Punjabi, Bengali, Sanskrit and other Indian languages. It is not surprising that Karanth received the Kalidasa award from the Madhya Pradesh government, before he received the Karnataka state Dr. Gubbiveeranna award. Karanth has lately turned his attention to children's theatre. He is probably recreating his boyhood days and who knows, there may emerge under his enthusiastic wing another young dramatist par excellence like Karanth himself.