Hayavadana: An Overview of the Play, Writer Girish Karnad, and Director B. V. Karanth

Hayavadana

The two-hour play tells the story of two friends, Kapila and Devadatta, and a girl named Padmini. Their undivided friendship is tested and a girl in their lives torments the duo. The central idea of the play explores the dilemma of whether one loves a person's mind or their heart, where the heart represents the tangible body and the head represents the intangible wisdom and poetry.

Writer

Hayavadana is scripted by Dr. Girish Karnad, an eminent playwright, actor, film director, and screenwriter. Karnad was a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford and revitalized Indian theatre by blending mythology, history, and folklore with contemporary concerns. His landmark plays include Yayati, Tughlaq, Hayavadana, Nagamandala, Tale-Danda, The Fire and the Rain, Broken Images, and Boiled Beans on Toast. He was honored with the Jnanpith Award, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Sahitya Akademi Award.

Director

The play is directed by B. V. Karanth (1929–2002), a pioneering Indian theatre personality, film director, playwright, actor, and composer. An alumnus and former director of the National School of Drama, Karanth founded the Bengaluru-based theatre group Benaka alongside his wife, Prema Karanth. His landmark productions include Jokumara Swamy, Sankranti, Hayavadana, Oedipus, Macbeth, and King Lear. He was honored with the Padma Shri, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and multiple National Film Awards.

Director’s Note and Production Details

Featuring lilting music, Hayavadana uses well-defined lighting, ethnic sets, and apt costumes designed by Smt. Prema Karanth. Continuing the legacy of Benaka, the production has been staged in Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Goa, and across Karnataka in various festivals.

Group

Founded in June 1974 by B. V. Karanth, Benaka (Bengalooru Nagara Kalavidaru) stages socially and culturally relevant Kannada plays. Its major productions include Sattavara Neralu, Hayavadana, Jo Kumaraswamy, Tabarana Kathe, Hamlet, and Gokula Nirgamana. The troupe preserves Karanth's legacy through festivals, conferences, international tours, and recent productions such as Manto by Manto, Harishchandra Kavya, Bheemayana, Baba Karantha, and Vidya Sundari Bengaluru Nagarathnamma.