Mahasweta Devi – the great writer and social activist from West Bengal

Mahasweta Devi and her work. The great writer of West Bengal is always vocal regarding the injustice of poor and tribal. This article is on Mahasweta Devi.

Mahasweta Devi was born in 1926 in Dhaka, presently in Bangladesh.

Brief profile of Mahasweta Devi

Father: Manish Ghatak, well known poet and novelist

Mother: Dharitri Devi, writer and social worker

Uncle: Ritwik Ghatak

Schooling at Dhaka but after independence she and her family settled in West Bengal. Mahasweta Devi completed her B.A. (H) in English from Viswabharati University and M.A. in English from Calcutta University.

She married Bijon Bhattacharjee but in 1959 she got divorce. Mahasweta Devi has a son, Nabarun Bhattacharjee.

 Work of Mahasweta Devi

Mahasweta Devi was a teacher in Bijoygarh College, she is a writer, she worked as journalist and she has devoted her entire life for the development of tribal communities of West Bengal, Lodhas and Shabars.  She has written on sufferings of these tribal communities in her great novels. Mahasweta Devi is one of those rare novelists who writes from the believe of her heart. Still at this age she physically stands by the poor to help them. When there is any injustice in the society, her pen starts writing.

Mahasweta Devi is a great writer and there is no doubt about it but as a human being she is at much higher position. In recent Singur and Nandigram episodes in Bengal, Mahasweta Devi worked as a motivating factor for most of the Bengalis to raise their voice against the then ruling party.

Novels and stories of Mahasweta Devi

Bangla Jhansir Rani

Aranyer Adhikar

Agnigarbha

Choti Munda evam Tar Tir

Imaginary Maps

Dhowli, short Story

Dust on the Road, translated into English

Our non-Veg cow, translated into English

Bashai Tud, translated into English

Titu Mir

 Rudali

Breast Stories, translated into English

Of Women, Outcasts, Peasants, and Rebels, translated into English

Ek-kori's Dream, translated into English

In Other Worlds: Essays in Cultural Politics, translated into English

Kulaputra, translated into Kannada

The Why-Why Girl

Dakatey Kahini

Major awards for Mahasweta Devi

1979: Sahitya Akademi Award for Aranyer Adhikar (novel)

1986: Padma Shri

1996: Jnanpith Award - the highest literary award

1997: Ramon Magsaysay Award

1999: Honoris causa – IGNOU

2006: Padma Vibhushan

2010:Yashwantrao Chavan National Award