The pillar of ‘Street Plays’, actor, writer, cinema journalist, founder of Abhinaya Tharanga, ‘Frame’ workshop and many others A.S. Murthy known as ‘Eranna’ of Akashavani passed away after long illness at his house in Hanumanthanagara on Tuesday morning around 8.30 am. He was 84 years. He leaves behind his son Prakash, Principal of Abhinaya Taranga, daughters and grandchildren. He has innumerable fans all over.

The stormy petrel of one time AS Murthy very close to many of the senior cinema journalists worked for various newspapers as journalist. He was writing for ‘Mysore Mithra’ for quite long time.

Known for his punches, wit and cigarettes A S Murthy kept way from cinema journalism in the last two years due to age catching him up.

AS Murthy and Street play one of the less remunerative was inseparable for a few decades. He gets the full credit for popularizing the street plays in Karnataka.

Before a long drawn out dispute with All India Radio, AS Murthy was popular as ‘Eranna’. He was suspended from AIR in 1982 as a sequel to a broadcast that he made as part of his daily five minutes program ‘Ondhu Maathu’. He diversified his activities but never gave up his case against the AIR.

ASM popularly known as set up Abhinaya Tharanga that gave platform for many of the actors including top actor today Prakash Raj. He maintained the ‘Kalamandira’ that was started by his father in 1919.

AMS born in Bangalore and grew up in the midst of literary personalities, plays, drams, discussions, debates etc. He did not study beyond High School but he was a Saree designer working with a textile company in Bangalore.

At his young age he started writing plays and often read them aloud to school children to see how they were received. He launched ‘Chitra’ group and first play he wrote was ‘Kshetrada Kaage’.

Murthy’s voice probably the best known to regular listeners of AIR as ‘Eeranna’! in a program called Maneya Mathu, Murthy used to present a summary of events that took place over the past week as seen by a villager. Murthy’s first serious play ‘Ayya Neenu Yaaru’, he decided to take plays to the people and thus ‘Street Plays’ turned very popular. It was ‘Kattu’ his first stage play he played in 1971 at Rajajinagara. The same year he set up ‘Puppet Land’ – that produced a mix of entertainment oriented plays and socially relevant ones. Two of ASM plays ‘huchcha and Sri ‘Rama Rakshe’ won Sahitya Academy awards.

AS Murthy was cinema actor too. He was in audio cassettes like Yenka Manka, Votu Seetu, Gandu Rajya, Kappemoti Matavatara, Ondu Maathu Koneyaada Kathe, Ulta Palta etc.

A multifaceted spectacular personality of Karnataka is no more is sad news. www.chitratara.com joins many others in saying ASM Rest in Peace!