Social activist and writer Mahesweta Devi was born into a family where women were treated with dignity, but she recognized early on that she was part of a minuscule section of the privileged class where women were accorded the right and where a girl child was welcomed by all members of the family.

The pioneering feminist, activist, playwright, novelist and orator says that as long as the majority of Indian women remain powerless, even emancipated women suffer from lack of opportunities.   Mass representation at the political level and self-empowerment at every level are the goals for the Indian woman.  Mahasweta has long been involved with native tribes, living with them, helping them to evolve an economically independent life.

Born in 1926 in Dhaka (Bangladesh), Mahesweta Devi studied in Shantiniketan and became involved in politics early in life. She still remains an activist, with social cause taking over political considerations. Her writings expressed the raw anguish of the oppressed woman; her protagonists ranging from the ravaged tribal woman to the powerless wet nurse, or the mother of a revolutionary.  Mahasweta has won the Akademi Award in 1971 for Aronyer Adhikar, and the Padmasree Award in 1986. She has also been awarded the Sahitya Akademi (1979) and Jnan Peeth (1996) Awards among several other literary awards.