Question

Biography of mahaswata Devi in 1000 words

Answer 1

Mahaswetah Devi (14 January 1926 – 28 July 2016)[1][2] was an Indian Bengali fiction writer and socio-political activist. Her notable literary works include Hajar Churashir Maa, Rudali, and Aranyer Adhikar.[3] She was a self-recognised communist and worked for the rights and empowerment of the tribal people (Lodha and Shabar) of West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states of India.[4] She was honoured with various literary awards such as the Sahitya Akademi Award (in Bengali), Jnanpith Award and Ramon Magsaysay Award along with India's civilian awards Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan. Mahasweta Devi was born in 1926 in Decca, British India (now Dhaka, Bangladesh). Her father, Manish Ghatak, was a well-known poet and novelist of the Kallol movement, who used the pseudonym Jubanashwa (Bengali: যুবনাশ্ব).[6] Ghatak's brother was noted filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak.[7] Devi's mother, Dharitri Devi, was also a writer and a social worker whose brothers were very distinguished in various fields, such as the noted sculptor Sankha Chaudhury and the founder-editor of Economic and Political Weekly of India, Sachin Chaudhury. Mahasweta Devi's first schooling was in Dhaka, Eden Montessori school (1930) but then she moved to West Bengal (Now in India). Then she studied in Midnapur Mission Girls High School(1935). After that she was admitted to Santiniketan (1936 to 1938.) After that, she studied at Beltala Girls' School (1939-1941) where she got her matric. Then in 1944 she got I.A. from Asutosh College. Then she joined the 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.On 27 February in 1947, she married renowned playwright Bijon Bhattacharya, who was one of the founding fathers of the Indian People's Theatre Association movement.[7] In 1948, she gave birth to Nabarun Bhattacharya, who became a novelist and political critic.[15] She worked in a post office but was fired from there for her communist leaning.[9] 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.[9] In 1976, the relationship with Gupta ended.On 23 July 2016, Devi suffered a major heart attack and was admitted to Belle Vue Clinic in Kolkata. Devi died of multiple organ failure on 28 July 2016, aged 90.[16] She had suffered from diabetes, septicemia and urinary infection.[7]

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."[7] 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."


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