Eminent writer and social activist Mahasweta Devi, who ardently fought for the rights of the tribals and other marginalised sections, passed away in Kolkata today after cardiac arrest following multi-organ failure. She was 91 and had been suffering from kidney, lung and other age-related ailments for a long time.
Winner of numerous awards like the Padma Vibhushan, Magsaysay, Sahitya Akademi and Jnanpith, she had become the voice of the tribals and other oppressed classes with her writings.
Mahasweta spent considerable time in rural India to research on the lives of marginalised people like an academician and then use the power of her creativity to write soul-stirring stories about the lives of those ignored by the mainstream society.
Her attachment to tribals didn’t stop with her literary works as she not only founded and patronised several tribal societies but also pleaded on their behalf with government authorities.
