Mahasweta Devi
Bengali writer and activist for tribal communities
- Lived
- 90 yrs
- 1926 – 2016
- Works listed
- 5
- Book, Novel
- Honours
- 4
- Most recent 2006
- Profile views
- 3
- 0 followers
Mahasweta Devi was a Bengali writer and activist whose novels and stories gave voice to tribal communities, Dalits and the poor. Works such as Mother of 1084 and Aranyer Adhikar won major literary prizes, and she spent decades campaigning for denotified tribes. She died in 2016.
Biography
Writing history from below
Her first book, Jhansir Rani (1956), was a biography of the Rani of Jhansi based on travel and oral histories. Aranyer Adhikar (1977), about the tribal leader Birsa Munda, won the Sahitya Akademi Award. Hajar Churashir Maa (Mother of 1084), about a mother whose Naxalite son is killed, was filmed by Govind Nihalani.
Stories of the marginalised
Stories such as Draupadi, Rudali and Breast-Giver, many translated into English by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, depicted exploitation of women, tribal people and the landless with fierce realism. Rudali was made into a film in 1993.
A literary family
Mahasweta Devi was born into a family of writers and artists; her father Manish Ghatak was a poet and her uncle the filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak. She studied English at Visva-Bharati in Santiniketan and at Calcutta University and worked as a teacher and journalist.
Activism and honours
She worked for decades with tribal communities in West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand, especially the denotified tribes labelled “criminal” in colonial times, editing the journal Bortika as a platform for them. She received the Jnanpith Award in 1996, the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1997 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2006. She died in Kolkata on 28 July 2016.
Timeline
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1926
Born in Dacca, Bengal Presidency (now Dhaka, Bangladesh)
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1956
Jhansir Rani
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1974
Hajar Churashir Maa
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1977
Aranyer Adhikar
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1979
Sahitya Akademi Award
-
1996
Jnanpith Award
-
1997
Ramon Magsaysay Award
-
2006
Padma Vibhushan
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2016
Dies in Kolkata
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2016
Died, aged 90
Notable works
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1956
Jhansir Rani Book
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1974
Hajar Churashir Maa Novel
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1977
Aranyer Adhikar Novel
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1978
Draupadi Short story
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1979
Rudali Short story
Awards and honours
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Sahitya Akademi Award
1979 · Aranyer Adhikar.
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Jnanpith Award
1996
-
Ramon Magsaysay Award
1997
-
Padma Vibhushan
2006
Did you know?
-
1
Her uncle was the filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak.
-
2
Her first book was about the Rani of Jhansi.
-
3
Several of her works were adapted into films.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Mahasweta Devi?
Mahasweta Devi was a Bengali writer and activist whose novels and stories gave voice to tribal communities, Dalits and the poor. Works such as Mother of 1084 and Aranyer Adhikar won major literary prizes, and she spent decades campaigning for denotified tribes. She died in 2016.
When did Mahasweta Devi die?
Mahasweta Devi died on 28 July 2016 at the age of 90.
Where is Mahasweta Devi from?
Mahasweta Devi was born in Dacca, Bengal Presidency (now Dhaka, Bangladesh).
What is Mahasweta Devi known for?
Mahasweta Devi is best known for Hajar Churashir Maa, Aranyer Adhikar, Rudali, Draupadi; activism for Adivasi rights.
What awards has Mahasweta Devi received?
Notable honours include Sahitya Akademi Award (1979), Jnanpith Award (1996), Ramon Magsaysay Award (1997), Padma Vibhushan (2006).
References
- Mahasweta Devi — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Mahasweta Devi — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Mahasweta Devi — Goodreads author page. Goodreads. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Mahasweta Devi — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Mahasweta Devi (Q144391) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Mahasweta Devi”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
Featured in
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 27 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Mahasweta Devi.” TrackFame, last updated 28 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/mahasweta-devi
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