Thousands pay tribute to Mahasweta Devi

Among those to paid their respects were the Lodhas of the erstwhile Midnapur district and the Kheria Sabars of Purulia -- who revered Mahasweta as their mother. Coming all the way from the districts, the members of the twin tribal groups carried copies of a letter Mahasweta had written to the various authorities highlighting the stigma attached to the tribals who were notified as "criminals" during the British rule. "We have lost our mother. We have lost the voice that inspired us to continue our fight," said one of the tribals who had assembled under the banner of Lodha and Sabar Kalyan Samiti.