<p class="title">Maharashtra on Monday joined the nation in paying rich tributes to acclaimed playwright, stage-film artiste and director Girish Karnad, who was born in the hill station of Matheran, nearly<br />100 km off Mumbai.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Karnad often shared memories of his childhood days at Matheran where his father was a doctor.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“The country has lost a towering, multifaceted artiste,” chief minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan described Karnad as a true voice of dissent. “Deeply saddened to hear the passing of Padma Bhushan awardee and literary genius #GirishKarnad. We lost a true voice of dissent, torchbearer for the freedom of art and expression and an actor who not just played various roles but actually lived in it.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray said “His ardent admiration for Marathi theatre and Marathi language can be equated to his love for his own natural language. Marathi and Kannada, being intrinsically similar, he was the thread that facilitated a healthy exchange of thoughts and ideas,” he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dear friend and co-actress Shabana Azmi, was deeply affected by the artists demise, and took to twitter to grieve: “Deeply saddened to learn about #Girish Karnad. Havent yet been able to speak with his family. Its been a friendship of 43 years and I need the privacy to mourn him. I request the media to kindly excuse me from giving quotes.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Actress Urmila Matondkar said Karnad was “a great playwright and actor, more importantly, a dedicated socio-political activist against religious fundamentalism” known for multiculturalism and free speech.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Anupam Kher tweets: Deeply saddened to know about the sad demise of Sh. #GirishKarnad ji. He was a great artist, scholar and a brilliant playwright. My first small appearance in the film Utsav was under his direction. Also acted in both #Tuglaq and #Hayavadan - plays written by him. On Shanti.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Divya Dutta: RIP #GirishKarnad sir.. one actor whose inherent goodness reflected in his eyes. The thorough gentleman. Exceptional playwright.Swami ratnadeep manthan embedded in my childhood memories. A gem we lost today.</p>
<p class="title">Maharashtra on Monday joined the nation in paying rich tributes to acclaimed playwright, stage-film artiste and director Girish Karnad, who was born in the hill station of Matheran, nearly<br />100 km off Mumbai.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Karnad often shared memories of his childhood days at Matheran where his father was a doctor.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“The country has lost a towering, multifaceted artiste,” chief minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan described Karnad as a true voice of dissent. “Deeply saddened to hear the passing of Padma Bhushan awardee and literary genius #GirishKarnad. We lost a true voice of dissent, torchbearer for the freedom of art and expression and an actor who not just played various roles but actually lived in it.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray said “His ardent admiration for Marathi theatre and Marathi language can be equated to his love for his own natural language. Marathi and Kannada, being intrinsically similar, he was the thread that facilitated a healthy exchange of thoughts and ideas,” he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dear friend and co-actress Shabana Azmi, was deeply affected by the artists demise, and took to twitter to grieve: “Deeply saddened to learn about #Girish Karnad. Havent yet been able to speak with his family. Its been a friendship of 43 years and I need the privacy to mourn him. I request the media to kindly excuse me from giving quotes.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Actress Urmila Matondkar said Karnad was “a great playwright and actor, more importantly, a dedicated socio-political activist against religious fundamentalism” known for multiculturalism and free speech.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Anupam Kher tweets: Deeply saddened to know about the sad demise of Sh. #GirishKarnad ji. He was a great artist, scholar and a brilliant playwright. My first small appearance in the film Utsav was under his direction. Also acted in both #Tuglaq and #Hayavadan - plays written by him. On Shanti.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Divya Dutta: RIP #GirishKarnad sir.. one actor whose inherent goodness reflected in his eyes. The thorough gentleman. Exceptional playwright.Swami ratnadeep manthan embedded in my childhood memories. A gem we lost today.</p>