Google honours Mahasweta Devi on 92nd birth anniversary

New Delhi: Google today paid tribute to eminent Bengali writer-activist Mahasweta Devi on her 92nd birth anniversary with a doodle depicting her contribution to literature and her work with the tribal community.

The Padma Vibhushan awardee was best known for her works including “Hajar Churashir Maa”, “Chotti Munda Evam Tar Tir”, “Rudali”, and “Jhansir Rani”. With over 100 novels and over 20 short stories collections, Mahasweta Devi’s work primarily focused on social issues and common people.

Born in 1926 in Dhaka to well-known poet Manish Ghatak and Dharitri Devi, also a writer and social worker, she grew up in a political and literary environment. After graduating in Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in English from the Patha-Bhavana Vishvabharati University, Santiniketan, she also completed her Master’s degree in English from Calcutta University.

For her work in the literary field, she received Sahitya Akademi Award for “Aranyer Adhikar” in 1979, Jnanpith Award in 1996, Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1997 and was shortlisted for Man Booker International Prize in 2009.

Apart from her literary work, Devi was also known for her social work for the rights of tribal communities in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. She had also taken active part in Nandigram agitation and headed the movement against the earlier CPI (Marxist) government’s industrial policy.

She was awarded Padma Shri for social work in 1986, Padma Vibhushan in 2006 and Banga Bibhushan in 2011. Devi passed away in July, 2016 following a heart attack and other age-related illnesses.