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Mahasweta Devi

Mahasweta Devi

महाश्वेता देवी

Literature & writing Great mind of history

Mahasweta Devi was an Indian Bengali language writer and activist. Her notable literary works include Hajar Churashir Maa, Rudali, and Aranyer Adhikar.

BORN

14 January 1926

DIED

28 July 2016

HONOUR

Banga Bibhushan, 2011

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Key facts

Born
14 January 1926, Dhaka
Died
28 July 2016, Kolkata
State of birth
Dhaka
Sector
Literature & writing
Profession
Indian Bengali fiction writer and socio-political activist (1926-2016)
Gender
Female

Biography

Mahasweta Devi was an Indian Bengali language writer and activist. Her notable literary works include Hajar Churashir Maa, Rudali, and Aranyer Adhikar. She was a leftist who worked for the rights and empowerment of the tribal people of West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states of India. She was honoured with various literary awards such as the Sahitya Akademi Award, Jnanpith Award and Ramon Magsaysay Award along with India's civilian awards Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan.

Summary based on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed by the RochakDuniya editorial team.

Timeline

  1. 1926Born in Dhaka
  2. 1979Awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in Bengali
  3. 1986Awarded the Padma Shri in social work
  4. 1996Awarded the Jnanpith Award
  5. 1997Awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award
  6. 2003Awarded the Officer of Arts and Letters
  7. 2006Awarded the Padma Vibhushan in literature & education
  8. 2007Awarded the SAARC Literary Award
  9. 2011Awarded the Banga Bibhushan
  10. 2016Dies in Kolkata
Sources & licences Last checked against Wikidata: 27 Sep 2026
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