September 18, 2023
Gita Mehta Age, Death, Husband, Family, Biography & More
Quick Info→
Age: 80 Years Husband: Ajai Singh Mehta Hometown: Delhi, India
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Other name | Gita Patnaik |
| Profession(s) | Author, Documentary filmmaker, Journalist, Director |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Career | |
| Notable Works | • 1979: Karma Cola • 1993: A River Sutra • 2006: Eternal Ganesha |
| Award | She was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Awards for publishing in India, the UK, and the United States. |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | Year, 1943 |
| Birthplace | Delhi, British India |
| Date of Death | 16 September 2023 |
| Place of Death | Delhi |
| Age (at the time of death) | 80 Years |
| Death Cause | Oldage ailments [1]India Today |
| Nationality | American |
| Hometown | Delhi, India |
| School | She went to boarding school age the age of three. [2]Random House |
| College/University | Girton College, University of Cambridge, England |
| Controversy | In 2019, she refused to accept Padma Shri award by the Government of India. [3]The Hindu |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status (at the time of death) | Widow |
| Affairs/Boyfriends | Ajai Singh Mehta (Sonny Mehta) |
| Marriage Date | Year, 1965 |
| Family | |
| Husband/Spouse | Ajai Singh Mehta (Sonny Mehta) (d. 2019) (journalist and businessman) |
| Children | Son– Ajay Singh Mehta |
| Parents | Father– Bijayananda Patnaik (politician, aviator, and businessman)
Mother– Gyan Patnaik (commercial pilot of India) |
| Siblings | Brothers– 2 • Naveen Patnaik (Younger) (14th Chief Minister of Odisha) • Prem Patnaik (Elder) (businessman) |
| Other Relatives | Father-in-law– Amrik Singh Mehta (Indian diplomat) |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Gita Mehta
- Gita Mehta was an Indian and American author, journalist, and documentary filmmaker who focused on war and conflict including the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War in her writings. She was the author of five books which were translated into over 21 languages. Her work primarily focussed on Indian issues which were intended to interpret the country for a vast Western audience.
- Once, in a media conversation, Gita Mehta revealed that she was sent to a boarding school at the age of three as her father was detained by the Britishers, and her mother was busy trying for his release. She said,
I was sent off to boarding school at the age of three, because my mother was racing around trying to get my father out of jail.”
A childhood picture of Gita Mehta with her brothers
- When she was studying at Cambridge, Gita Mehta met Sonny Mehta and got married to him in 1965. The couple moved to New York after their marriage and shifted to London in 1987. Her husband was the editor-in-chief of Alfred A. Knopf and chairman of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Her father-in-law, Amrik Singh Mehta, was an officer in the Royal Indian Air Force and was one of the first Indian diplomats after India’s independence.
A young Gita Mehta
- Gita Mehta is known for producing and directing many documentaries for British, European, and American channels. She served as a reporter for a US television network named NBC from 1970 to 1971.
- In 1972, Gita Mehta made a film titled ‘Dateline Bangladesh,’ which was based on the Bangladesh war (1971). The film was released in theatres across India and several other countries.
A snip of the documentary ‘Dateline Bangladesh’
- In her first book, “Karma Cola” (1979), Gita Mehta talked about those Western people who thought that they could find instant spiritual knowledge and enlightenment by going to India and meeting a guru.
The cover of the book Karma Cola
- In 1989, in her fictional book “Raj,” she wrote a story about a princess named Jaya Singh, the daughter and wife of Indian kings who were the rulers of two independent kingdoms of India.
- In 1993, her second fiction book, “A River Sutra,” was a collection of short stories that explained Indian life to Westerners. In this book, Gita Mehta mixed Indian mythology with tales of love in different ways. The book was about a government worker who felt unhappy with life, and he learnt important lessons of life by visiting six Indian pilgrims that were situated on the banks of India’s most sacred river.
The cover of the book A River Sutra
- Gita Mehta’s book “Snakes and Ladders” (1997) was a bunch of essays about India and life in the country. She released this book on India’s 50th Independence Day.
The cover of the book Snakes and Ladders (1997)
- Once, in a media conversation, Gita Mehta said that she wanted to make modern India accessible to Westerners and new Indian generations through her books. She said,
I wanted to make modern India accessible to Westerners and to a whole generation of Indians who have no idea what happened 25 years before they were born.”
Gita Mehta while in a conversation with a media house
- Later, her books were translated into 21 languages and had been on the best sellers list in Europe, the US, and India. Her fiction and non-fiction literary works focussed primarily on India’s culture and history, especially how people in the West see it.
- Gita Mehta declined the Padma Shri award, which was bestowed on her by the Narendra Modi Government in 2019. She explained the reason for rejecting the award just before the 2019 general elections. [4]India Today Gita Mehta said,
I am deeply honoured that the government of India should think we 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 may be misconstrued, causing embarrassment both to the government and myself, which I would much regret.”
References/Sources:[+]
| ↑1 | India Today |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Random House |
| ↑3 | The Hindu |
| ↑4 | India Today |