New Delhi, June 11 (TIWN) UPA Chairperson and Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday condoled the death of Jnanpith winner and multilingual scholar-actor Girish Karnad and said he was a man of the utmost integrity who fought for freedom of expression.

Describing Karnad as a towering figure in India's cultural, artistic and political world, the Congress leader, in a condolence letter to his wife said: "He was a literal genius in both Kannada and English, a superb playwright, actor and director."

"He was a man of utmost integrity, honour and unflinching courage who throughout his life fought for freedom of expression, social justice and secular values, often at enormous personal cost."

Gandhi said Karnad, who passed away on Monday aged 81 in Bengaluru, was a huge inspiration for all those who value liberty and equality.