Remembering Mahasweta Devi, the Creator of ‘Hajar Churashir Ma’

In the history of Bengali literature, Mahasweta Devi stands at the very forefront among the few writers who remained uncompromising throughout their lives on the issues of protest, humanity, and the rights of marginalized people. She was not only a renowned novelist, short story writer, and journalist, but also a fearless human rights activist who turned her pen into a weapon for the struggle of the exploited and deprived.

With extraordinary literary power, she brought the life struggles, state neglect, exploitation, and history of deprivation of various indigenous communities in India—particularly the Santal, Lodha, Sabar, Munda, and Kheria—onto the global stage. Her literature is not merely a world of imagination, but a document of real life.

Mahasweta Devi was born on January 14, 1926, into a culturally refined and educated family in Dhaka. Her father, Manish Ghatak, was a prominent writer of the Kallol era, and her mother, Dharitri Devi, was also a writer and social worker. The legendary filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak was her paternal uncle, and the economist Sachin Chaudhuri was her maternal uncle. She grew up amidst an atmosphere of literature, art, and culture.

Her educational life began at Patha Bhavana in Santiniketan. Later, she earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Calcutta and her master’s degree in English literature from Visva-Bharati University.

In 1964, she began teaching at Bijaygarh College in Kolkata. At the same time, she devoted herself to journalism and literary practice. However, moving beyond the boundaries of teaching, she traveled to fields and villages to closely observe the lives, struggles, and deprivations of indigenous people. It was this experience that imparted unique realism and depth to her literature.

Her famous novel ‘Hajar Churashir Ma’ (Mother of 1084) unforgettably portrays a mother’s grief, state oppression, and the brutal reality of the times against the backdrop of the Naxalite movement. The novel is considered one of the greatest political-humanitarian novels in Bengali literature and was later adapted into a film.

Her other notable works include Aranyer Adhikar, Rudali, Chotti Munda O Tar Tir, Agnigarbha, Titu Mir, Stanadayini, Shikar Parba, Badhakhanda, Prasthanparba, Ganesh Mahima, Nil Chhabi, Mukh, Krishna Dwadashi, Bene Bou, Milur Jonno, Ghorano Siri, and many others. Many of her writings have been translated into various languages, including English.

In recognition of her extraordinary contributions to literature, she received numerous domestic and international honors, including the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Jnanpith Award (1996), the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1997), the Padma Vibhushan (2006), and the SAARC Literary Award (2007). However, her greatest reward was the love and trust of marginalized people.

In her personal life, she was the wife of the renowned playwright and pioneer of the People’s Theatre movement, Bijon Bhattacharya. Their only son, Nabarun Bhattacharya, is a bright and distinct voice in Bengali literature.

Mahasweta Devi was not confined to literature alone; she actively participated in various democratic and human rights movements, including the anti-land acquisition movements in Nandigram and Singur. Throughout her life, she remained vocal on behalf of the oppressed.

She breathed her last at the age of 90 in Kolkata on July 28, 2016. Yet, her pen still lives on as a language of protest against injustice, discrimination, and exploitation.

Mahasweta Devi taught us that literature is not merely the pursuit of beauty; literature can be a powerful instrument for justice, protest, and the struggle for human liberation.

Today, on her death anniversary, we offer our deepest respect and humble salutations. May her creative works and humanitarian ideals serve as a guiding beacon from generation to generation.