Why this matters now
Mahasweta Devi is tested for the bridge she built between literature and activism. Tested for: her novels Aranyer Adhikar (Right to the Forest, 1979 — on Birsa Munda’s Ulgulan) and Hajar Churashir Maa (Mother of 1084, 1974 — on the Naxal violence), her tribal-rights work for Lodhas/Sabars/Kheria-Sabars, and her last cause — opposing the West Bengal Government’s 2007 Singur and Nandigram land acquisitions.
Early life: a literary family
Born on 14 January 1926 in Dhaka (then Bengal Presidency) to Manish Ghatak (Kallol-era poet, novelist, brother of director Ritwik Ghatak) and Dharitri Devi (writer-social-worker), Mahasweta grew up steeped in literature. Educated at Visva-Bharati Santiniketan (BA English 1946) and Calcutta University (MA 1963). Married playwright Bijon Bhattacharya (a founder of IPTA, the Indian People’s Theatre Association) in 1947; divorced 1959.
Major works
| Work | Year | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Jhansir Rani | 1956 | Biography of Rani Laxmibai — first book. |
| Hajar Churashir Maa (Mother of 1084) | 1974 | Mother of a Naxalite numbered prisoner. Made into a 1998 Hindi film with Jaya Bachchan. |
| Draupadi (short story) | 1978 | Naxalite tribal Draupadi Mejhen — powerful protest against state violence on women’s bodies. Banned and reinstated multiple times. |
| Aranyer Adhikar (Right to the Forest) | 1979 | Birsa Munda’s Ulgulan (1899-1900). Won Sahitya Akademi Award 1979. |
| Chotti Munda evam Tar Tir | 1980 | Munda tribal society and rebellion. |
| Bashai Tudu | 1990s | Santhal Naxalite saga. |
| Breast Stories, Imaginary Maps | 2001+ | English translations by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. |
Activism: tribal rights and Singur
From the 1970s Mahasweta Devi worked directly with the Lodha and Sabar tribes of West Bengal’s Purulia, Midnapore and Bankura districts — communities historically classified as “Criminal Tribes” under the Criminal Tribes Act 1871. She co-founded the Pashchim Banga Kheria Sabar Kalyan Samiti and the journal Bortika. Sustained protests against bonded labour, illegal forest-department evictions and police brutality. Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad and Bangladesh Bhasha Akademy honoured her.
In 2007, Mahasweta Devi led the literary-intellectual opposition to the West Bengal Government’s land acquisition for the Nano plant at Singur and SEZ at Nandigram. Her open letter to Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee galvanised the artist-intellectual community. The political fallout — combined with the violence — ended 34 years of Left rule and brought Mamata Banerjee to power in 2011.
Honours and death (2016)
Sahitya Akademi 1979, Padma Shri 1986, Jnanpith Award 1996 (8th woman recipient), Ramon Magsaysay Award 1997 for “Journalism, Literature and the Creative Communication Arts”, Sahitya Akademi Fellowship 2007, Padma Vibhushan 2006, Bangla Akademi’s Rabindra Puraskar 1979. She died at Kolkata on 28 July 2016 aged 90. The Asian Conference on Tribal Studies was renamed after her; the chair at IGNCA Delhi bears her name.
UPSC angle
Know Mahasweta Devi (b. Dhaka 14 Jan 1926, d. Kolkata 28 July 2016) — Bengali writer-activist; father Manish Ghatak (Kallol-era poet, brother of director Ritwik Ghatak); Visva-Bharati BA English 1946; married playwright Bijon Bhattacharya (IPTA founder) 1947 divorced 1959; major works: Jhansir Rani 1956 (first book), Hajar Churashir Maa 1974 (Mother of 1084 Naxal numbered prisoner, 1998 Hindi film Jaya Bachchan), Draupadi 1978 short story (Naxalite tribal Draupadi Mejhen), ARANYER ADHIKAR 1979 (Birsa Munda Ulgulan, Sahitya Akademi 1979), Chotti Munda evam Tar Tir 1980; English translations by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak; activism for LODHA and SABAR tribes WB Purulia/Midnapore/Bankura, co-founded Pashchim Banga Kheria Sabar Kalyan Samiti + journal Bortika; led literary opposition to West Bengal Govt’s 2007 SINGUR + NANDIGRAM land acquisition (contributed to Left govt ouster 2011); honours Sahitya Akademi 1979, Padma Shri 1986, JNANPITH 1996 (8th woman), MAGSAYSAY 1997, Padma Vibhushan 2006.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hajar Churashir Maa?
“Mother of 1084” (1974) — a novel by Mahasweta Devi about a mother whose Naxalite son was killed and identified only by a prisoner number 1084. Filmed in 1998 with Jaya Bachchan.
What is Aranyer Adhikar?
“Right to the Forest” (1979) — a novel on Birsa Munda’s 1899-1900 Ulgulan revolt. Won the 1979 Sahitya Akademi Award.
What was her role in Singur/Nandigram?
She led the literary-intellectual opposition to the 2007 West Bengal Government land acquisitions for the Nano plant at Singur and SEZ at Nandigram — contributing to the Left government’s ouster in 2011.
Who translated Mahasweta Devi’s work to English?
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak — the noted Columbia University literary theorist — translated <em>Breast Stories</em>, <em>Imaginary Maps</em> and others.