Giriraj Prasad was a renowned Nautanki performer. He was born in Kama village, Bharatpur district (Rajasthan) in 1920. Giriraj Prasad learnt Nautanki in the Hathras gharana from Giriraj Prasad Parashar and Natharam Gaud. At the age of 16 he joined Gaud`s company as a professional.

Giriraj Prasad`s training in folk and classical music and an unusual mixture of strength and sweetness in his voice made him gain eminence. Unmatched in lavani singing, he also has a distinctive style of rendering the chaubola metre, imitated by younger performers. He made efforts to revive and vitalize the form, and became director of a troupe set up by the Braj Kala Kendra at Hathras. Giriraj Prasad also participated in the Nautanki-based production of Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena`s Bakri or `She-goat` in 1973 at the National School of Drama.

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