Episode 8 : Being an Existentialist

Does god exist? What is the source of morality? Girish’s plays often take on big moral and philosophical questions, questions that he asked himself about how to live in the world and how to be a good human being. Here Girish talks about what he learnt from the Mahabharata and explores what he took from European Existentialism.

Show Notes

  1. U.R. Ananthamurthy’s introduction to Tughlaq. (1:27)
  2. A review of Peter Brook’s Mahabharata by Samhita Arni, first published in The Caravan in August 2010. (7:45)
  3. Peter Brook’s Mahabharata originally a 9-hour play, reduced to less than 6 hours for television. (7:45)
  4. A 1985 New York Times review of Peter Brook’s Mahabharata. (9:55) 
  5. Girish Karnad spoke vocally about caste issues, like in this letter to the editors of New York Review. (15:02) 
  6. Girish Karnad’s acting debut was in the film adaptation of Samskara. (17:52)
  7. U.R Ananthamurthy, Girish Karnad, and Prasanna in conversation about Girish Karnad’s playwriting. (24:30)
  8. An A.K. Ramanujan Memorial Lecture, delivered by Girish Karnad.