After battling illness for months, the last two of which were spent at a private hospital in Kolkata, acclaimed writer and social activist Mahasweta Devi died of multiple organ failure on Thursday afternoon. She was 90 and had been suffering from kidney, lung and other age-related ailments for a long time. Doctors at Belle Vue Clinic Hospital, where she had been admitted on May 22, said she died of a cardiac arrest at 3.16 pm, which was preceded by multi-organ failure. In the past few weeks, doctors said, the writer’s condition had worsened. “She was on life support as her condition had deteriorated. She had been initially responding to treatment, but on Monday, her conditioned worsened. Following which, she remained on ventillation support,” said a doctor. Mourning her death, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that her body would be kept at Peace World mortuary on Thursday. The next morning, it would be brought to Rabindra Sadan, where the public can pay their last respects. In the afternoon, she would be cremated with full state honours. “India has lost a great writer. Bengal has lost a glorious mother. I have lost a personal guide. Mahashweta Di rest in peace”, Mamata said recalling her association with Mahasweta, who had supported her in the fight against acquisition of land in Singur and Nandigram. President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the nation in mourning the death of writer Mahasweta Devi, calling her the “collective conscience of society” and someone who “illustrated the might of the pen”. Watch Video: What's making news “Mahasweta Devi’s voice was seen as collective conscience of society reflecting its yearning for justice and equality,” Mukherjee said in a Twitter post. “But works of Smt. Mahasweta Devi will remain forever inspiring the people to strive to build a better India.” Prime Minister Modi said Mahasweta Devi was a “voice of compassion, equality and justice”. “Mahasweta wonderfully illustrated the might of the pen. She leaves us deeply saddened,” Modi tweeted. Congress president Sonia Gandhi remembered her as someone who fought injustice, oppression, inequality and bias through her writings. She deeply loved and celebrated the tribal life, was brutally honest and echoed her inner voice, Sonia said. Rahul Gandhi said Mahasweta Devi was a “powerful voice against injustice and inequality”. Her words will continue to inspire and educate, he said. Condolences poured in from political leaders, artists and social activists. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, BJP president Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Raghvendra Rathore all took to Twitter to express their condolences on the death of the writer. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje also posted their messages on social media. Governor Kesari Nath Tripathi, in his condolence message, said, “I am deeply grieved to learn about the sad demise of Padma Bibhusan Mahasweta Devi, a renowned author and social activist. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and her numerous fan-followers.” He added that the writer was famous for her writings and work related to the study of the Lodhas and Shabars, the tribal communities of West Bengal, women and Dalits. “In her elaborate Bengali fiction, she depicted the brutal oppression of tribal people and untouchables by potent, authoritarian land lords, lenders and venal government officials,” Tripathi said in his message.
