Veteran actor and playwright Girish Karnad passes away at 81

Veteran actor and playwright Girish Karnad passed away in Bengaluru on Monday at the age of 81, after suffering from prolonged illness. A Jnanpith Award winner, Karnad was also a recipient of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan. He made his acting and screenplay debut in 1970 with the Kannada film 'Samskara'.