Mahasweta Devi

Mahasweta Devi was born in a Bengali Brahmin family on 14 January 1926 in Dacca, British India (now Dhaka, Bangladesh). Her father, Manish Ghatak, was a poet and novelist of the Kallol movement, who used the pseudonym Jubanashwa (). Ghatak's brother was filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak. Devi's mother, Dharitri Devi, was also a writer and a social worker whose brothers include sculptor Sankha Chaudhury and the founder-editor of Economic and Political Weekly of India, Sachin Chaudhury. Devi's first schooling was in Dhaka, Eden Montessori School (1930). After that, she moved to West Bengal (now in India). Then she studied in Mission Girls' High School, Midnapore (1935). After that she was admitted to Santiniketan (1936 to 1938). After that, she studied at Beltala Girls' School (1939-1941) where she finished her matriculation. Then in 1944 she got I.A. from Asutosh College. She attended Rabindranath Tagore-founded Visva-Bharati University and completed a B.A. (Hons) in English, and then finished an M.A. in English at Calcutta University. == Career ==

Literary works Devi wrote over 100 novels and over 20 collections of short stories primarily written in Bengali but often translated to other languages. Her first novel, titled Jhansir Rani, based on a biography of the Rani of Jhansi was published in 1956. Social activity Mahasweta Devi raised her voice several times against the discrimination suffered by tribal people in India. In 2012, she was one of more than 215 signatories, along with Nandita Das, Aamir Bashir, and Anusha Rizvi, to a petition delivered to president Pranab Mukherjee that opposed the death penalty after the conviction of Ajmal Kasab following the 2008 Mumbai attacks and instead favoured life imprisonment. == Personal life ==

On 27 February 1947, she married renowned playwright Bijon Bhattacharya, who was one of the founding fathers of the Indian People's Theatre Association movement. She worked in a post office but was fired for her communist leaning. She went on to do various jobs, such as selling soaps and writing letters in English for illiterate people. In 1962, she married author Asit Gupta after divorcing Bhattacharya. In 1976, the relationship with Gupta ended. == Death ==

, Gujarat On 23 July 2016, Devi suffered a major heart attack and was admitted to Belle Vue Clinic, Kolkata. Devi died of multiple organ failure on 28 July 2016, aged 90. She had suffered from diabetes, sepsis and urinary infection. On her death, Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal tweeted "India has lost a great writer. Bengal has lost a glorious mother. I have lost a personal guide. Mahasweta Di rest in peace." Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted "Mahashweta Devi wonderfully illustrated the might of the pen. A voice of compassion, equality & justice, she leaves us deeply saddened. RIP." == Awards and recognition ==

• 1979: Sahitya Akademi Award (Bengali): – Aranyer Adhikar (novel) • 1986: Padma Shri for Social Work • 1996: Jnanpith Award – the highest literary award from the Bharatiya Jnanpith • 2003: Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres • 2006: Padma Vibhushan – the second highest civilian award from the Government of India • 2009: Shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize • 2010: Yashwantrao Chavan National Award • 2011: Banga Bibhushan – the highest civilian award from the Government of West Bengal • 2014 : Mamoni Raisom Goswami National Award for Literature constituted by Asam Sahitya Sabha and sponsored by Numaligarh Refinery Ltd., Assam • On 14 January 2018, Google honoured Mahasweta Devi on her 92nd birth anniversary, celebrating her work by creating a doodle on her. == Major works ==

Devi's major works include: • Jhansi Rani (1956, biography) • Hajar Churashir Maa (1974, novel, Mother of 1084) • Rudaali (1993) • Bayen (Hindi) (1993) a film based on short story directed by Gul Bahar Singh • Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (1998) • Gangor (2010), Italian film based on short story Choli Ke Peeche • Ullas (Bengali film based on three short stories— Daur, Mahadu Ekti Rupkatha and Anna Aranya) directed by Ishwar Chakraborty, released in 2012. == In popular culture ==

Mahananda, a Bengali film based on her life and works, directed by acclaimed director Arindam Sil was released in 2022. Gargi Roychowdhury essayed the titular role in the film. Mahasweta Devi Memorial Academy (2018), Jangipur, Murshidabad. == See also ==