Gita Mehta, a renowned writer-filmmaker and the sister of Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, passed away on Saturday in New Delhi. She was 80.
Naveen Patnaik will leave for the national capital in a while. The daughter of legendary Biju Patnaik, Gita Mehta was ailing for some time.
Born in 1943 to Biju and Gyan Patnaik in New Delhi, Gita Mehta had completed her education in India and University of Cambridge in the UK. She had written three books Karma Cola, Snake and Ladders, A River Sutra, Raj and The Eternal Ganesha.
“Saddened” by the passing away of noted writer, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X (formally Twitter), “She was a multifaceted personality, known for her intellect and passion towards writing as well as film making. She was also passionate about nature and water conservation. My thoughts are with @Naveen_Odisha Ji and the entire family in this hour of grief. Om Shanti.”
Union minister from Odisha Dharmendra Pradhan also reacted to the death of Gita Mehta. “Saddened to hear about the passing away of Gita Mehta ji, a prominent author. This is a major loss to the literary and cultural world. Sincere condolences to Hon. CM Odisha and family. Pray to Almighty to give strength to his family and friends to bear this loss. Om Shanti,” Pradhan wrote.
In 2019, Gita Mehta had declined the Padma Shri award citing the “timing of the award” as the reason for refusing to accept it.
In a statement issued from New York, Gita Mehta had said, “I am deeply honoured that the Government of India should think me worthy of a Padma Shri but with great regret I feel I must decline as there is a general election looming and the timing of the award might be misconstrued, causing embarrassment both to the Government and myself, which I would much regret.”
Odisha figured prominently on the political map of both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) of Naveen Patnaik.
