Social activist and writer Mahaswetha Devi passes away

The Ramon Magsaysay victor is survived by her daughter-in-law and grandchild. She was under medical care since last two months.

“She passed away at 3.16pm following a cardiac arrest and multi-organ failure”, the doctor said, reports Indian news agency IANS. The honours showered on her included the country’s highest Jnanpith literary award (1996), the Magsaysay (1997) the Padma Shri (1986), the Padma Vibhushan (2006) and the Bangabibhushan (2011). “Mahasheta Di rest in peace”, tweeted West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

She also successfully campaigned for the release of women kept in West Bengal jails for years as non-criminal lunatics. Legendary filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak was her uncle.

Wife of one of Bengal’s prominent playwrights, Bijon Bhattacharya, the activist-writer grew up in the family of Bengal’s leading writers, poets and filmmakers.

The two enjoyed great chemistry, but Mahasweta did not shy away from calling the Banerjee regime “fascist” for banning a rally and banishing anti-government newspapers from state-aided libraries.

The author breathed her last on Thursday afternoon.

“Mahasweta Devi had been worked for the welfare of the hapless people and she would be remembered for a long time for her creation and works”, Sarkar said.

She began her writing career with the publication of her book Jhansir Rani.

She joined the Rabindranath Tagore-founded Vishva Bharati University in Shantiniketan and completed a B.A. (Hons) in English, followd by an M.A.in English at Calcutta University. She was a courageous author.

She famously made a speech at India’s prestigious Jaipur literary festival where she said all humans had the fundamental “right to dream”.

Several of her stories have been turned into movies – Sungursh (1968), Rudaali (1993), Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (1998), Gangor (2010).