The Voice of Tribals in Mahasweta Devis Works

Abstract

newline Mahasweta Devi (1926 2016), born in a middle class Bengali family in Dhaka to literary parents, migrated to India after partition. First as a humanist and next as a writer, Devi left an indelible impression on the minds of the people and chose to work on the most deprived communities in India. She emerged as one of the greatest contemporary Indian writers by becoming a voice of the tribals in India. She played the role of both an activist and a writer. She was successful in juxtaposing creativity and reality in her writings. Most of her writings were based on the factual information gathered by her by touring the tribal areas where no writer would have ever ventured to go. Her oeuvre includes many short stories, novels most of which reflected the despondent life, depressed living conditions, the customs and habits of the Indian tribes. Yet, her novels were never without novelty as she carved a niche for her narrative style.