Devi, Mahasweta
Devi, Mahasweta (1926-2016) eminent writer and human rights activist. She was born on 14 January 1926 at her uncle’s house at 15 Zindabahar Lane, Armanitola, Dhaka. Her father’s name was Manish Ghatak and mother was Dharitri Devi. Father was a poet and a writer. Mother was also a poet. Mahashweta is the eldest among the nine children of her parents. The cultural and traditional practices of her both paternal and maternal clan were deeply ingrained in Mahasweta’s mind. Her father Manish Ghatak was a famous writer of the Kallol era and her uncle Ritvik Ghatak was the famous film director.
Mahasweta returned to Calcutta from Santiniketan after passing BA with Honours in English in 1946 and enrolled in MA (English) in Calcutta University. But her university education was stopped for a long time due to the communal riots in 1946 leading to the closure of educational institutions. After about seventeen years, in 1963, she passed MA.
In 1964, Mahasweta Devi joined Vijaygarh Jyotish Roy College as a teacher of English. After choosing writing as a profession, she voluntarily retired from teaching in 1984. From this time, Mahasweta Devi emerged as a dedicated journalist and writer. Among the hundreds of books written by her, ‘Hajar Churashi Ma’ is one of the prominent ones. Also notable, among her novels are ‘Aranya Odhikar’, ‘Nairite Megh’, ‘Agnigarbha’, ‘Chotti Munda O Tar Tir’, and ‘Shalgirir Dake’.
While studying in college, she had shown interest in communism but she never had the confidence in party politics. She believed in humanism. Her first biographical work ‘Jhansi Rani’ was published in Desh Patrika in 1955.
Mahasweta Devi was married to Bijon Bhattacharya, a prominent theatre personality. Later she was married second time to Asit Gupta. After divorce with her second husband, she had lived a lonely life.
History-based biography ‘Jhansi Rani’ gave solid foundation to Mahasweta’s position in the literary world. She also wrote several historical novels, such as ‘AndharManik’ (1966), ‘Titumir’ (1984) and ‘Kaivarta Kha’ (1994). Her historical fiction is written with emphasis on the mass people and not the royal circle.
In her short stories like the novels, Mahasweta Devi has brought to life the stories of protests and resistance with effortless skill. Stories like ‘Draupadi’, ‘Jatudhan’, ‘Shikar’, ‘Shishu’, ‘Sagoana’, ‘Lifer Fish’, ‘Bichhan’, etc. have created an artistic commentary on the protest of the oppressed people against various forms of injustice in the society.
Mahasweta’s literary works have been translated into various provincial and foreign languages, giving her great recognition nationwide and well as in the international arena. As a writer, she did produce several commercials but she was always creative and Barmed long lasting fame became as a commentator on the lives of the Indian people, especially the tribals.
She associated herself with numerous organizations and actively participated in the struggle for the survival of indigenous people. She established the ‘Adim Jati Oikya Parishad’, a meeting place for all tribals, including the thirty-eight clans of West Bengal.
Mahasweta was awarded with various medals and accolades in recognition of her contribution to literature. Notable among these were Sahitya Akademi Award (1979), Government of India’s ‘Padma Shri’ (1986), Jnanpeeth Award (1996), Magsaysay Award (1997); Fellowships of Bombay Asiatic Society (1998), Premio Nonio Recite d’Or’ of Italy (2005) and ‘Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters’ by the French Government, etc. Besides, she received the ‘Padma Bhushan’ award in 2006, the ‘Ganpeeth’ and the SAARC Literary Award in 2007.
Mahasweta was famous mainly for her work on tribals and women in West Bengal. She was at the forefront of the anti-land acquisition movement in West Bengal. She added a new dimension to Bengali literature by taking the unwritten struggles of oppressed people as literary materials.
Mahasweta Devi passed away on 28 July 2016 at the age of 91. [Sabbir Ahmed]
