Eminent litterateur and social activist Mahasweta Devi passed away yesterday. The Jnanpith, Padma Vibhushan and Magsaysay awardee died at a Kolkata hospital following prolonged illness, reports The Times of India She was 90. Devi had been suffering from old age-related illness, kidney and lung problems besides bacteraemia, a bacterial infection in the blood The Ramon Magsaysay winner is survived by her daughter-in-law and grandchild. Mahasweta Devi's son pre-deceased her two years ago.
The writer-activist was known for her dedicated service for the welfare of tribals in different parts of India. Born in Dhaka in 1926, Devi did her graduation and MA from Calcutta University. She retired from her job as an English lecturer in 1984. Devi was honoured with the Jnanpith Award in 1996. She began writing in the 60s, moved by the everyday realities she saw around herself in rural Bengal. At that point of time, Devi used to teach in a college on the outskirts of the city of Kolkata. Many of her works have also been the basis of films. Her works include ‘Aranyer Adhikar’, ‘Chotti Munda evam Tar Tir’, ‘Rudali’, ‘Kulaputra’ and ‘Agnigarbha.’