Today,Indialostoneofitsstrongestsocialwriters,MahaswetaDevi.

Aftersufferingforthepasttwomonths
atKolkata'sBelleVueClinichospital,shesuccumbedtomultipleorganfailureattheageof90.
Asthisnewsflashedontheinternetandtelevisionscreens,asadderrevelationhummedasanundertone
amongthosesharingthenewsflashontheirsocialmediaaccounts:few,especiallyamongtheyoungerlot,
knewwhoexactlyMahaswetaDeviwas.
WhowasMahaswetaDevi?
AdsbyZINC

ShewasaBengalifictionwriter,asocialactivist,acrusaderforthetribalcommunities,andafeminist.
MahaswetaDeviwasborninundividedIndia'sDhaka(nowinBangladesh)in1926intoafamilyofwriters.
Herfather,ManishGhatak,wasa'litterateur'oftheKallolera,andhermother,DharitriDevi,wasawriter
cumsocialactivist.ShewasalsoaniecetorenownedfilmmakerRittikGhatak.
Beforebecomingafulltimewriter,MahaswetaDeviworkedasajournalistandanEnglishprofessor.Her
firstbook,Jhansi'rRani(TheQueenofJhansi),camein1956whileshewasstillteachingatKolkata's
BijoygarhCollege.
Inher90yearlonglife,DeviwontheSahityaAkademiaward(1979),thePadmaShree(1986),theJnanpith
(1997),theMagsaysayaward(1997)andtheDeshikottamawardin1999.
Shehasalmosta100novelsandover20collectionsofshortstoriestohername,primarilywritteninBengali
butoftentranslatedtootherlanguages.
Theboldvoiceoffeminism
DevihasbeendescribedasoneoftheboldestfemalewritersinIndia.Shewastheauthorbehindaward
winningHindifilmsRudaaliandHazaarChaurasiKiMaa,bothofwhichdelvedintothelivesofordinary
Indianwomenaswivesandmothers.

Inastoicvoice,DevitoldtheBreastStories,anassortmentofshortstoriesaboutwomenidentifiedasobjects
limitedtotheusefulnessoftheirbodies.Then,therewasthestoryofDraupadiwhichstraddledtheissuesof
atrocitiesbasedoncasteandgenderthroughthelifeatribalwoman.
Indiahasseenseveralauthorswhowroteaboutthedowntrodden,thepoor,andtheuntouchables.Deviwas
oneofthem,butshestoodapartfromthecrowdwithherbrusqueandmorehoneststyleofstorytelling.Her
characterswouldneverseekpity,butdemandattention.
Asshewroteaboutwomen'srights,Devichosetoendherownmarriagetoarenownedplaywrighttoseek
spaceforherself.
FewofherothernotedstorieswouldbeAranyerAdhikar(TheOccupationoftheForest),Agnigarbha(Womb
ofFire),Dhowli,BashaiTudu,DustontheRoad,OurNonVegCow,TillDeathDoUsPart,OldWomen,etc.
TheMotheroftheSabars
Inoneofherinterviews,whenaskedabouthersourceofinspiration,Devisaid,"Thereasonandinspiration
formywritingarethosepeoplewhoareexploitedandused,andyetdonotacceptdefeat.Forme,theendless
sourceofingredientsforwritingisintheseamazinglynoble,sufferinghumanbeings."
Deviwascloselyinvolvedwithtribalcommunities,bothasasocialworkerandawriter.Whilethe
inspirationforherstoriesstemmedfromtheirstrugglesanddiscrimination,sheworkedwithorganisations
liketheWestBengalOraonWelfareSocietyandtheAllIndianVandhuaLiberationMorchafortribal
welfare.
ShewasalsothefoundingmemberofAboriginalUnitedAssociationandatribalmagazinenamedBortika,
whichshestartedin1980.
DeviisrememberedforherworkwiththeSabars(akaSaora),ascheduledtribeinthePuruliadistrictofWest
Bengal,whichearnedthetitleof"TheMotheroftheSabars".
Therearemorestoriestohercreditthanwecandiscussinonearticle.Throughhercurtstorytellingand
fierceactivism,MahaswetaDevihasleftamarkbehind.Letusnotforgetherasjustanotherwriterwho
somedaywroteaboutsomethingwenolongercarefor.