Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has left for New Delhi. He will pay his last respects and join the last rites of sister Gita Mehta, who died yesterday in Delhi at the age of 80. She was unwell for quite some days and was under treatment.
Naveen left Bhubaneswar in a special flight to Delhi and will reach Delhi in the afternoon. The last rites of Gita Mehta will be held tomorrow.
Born in 1943 to legendary Biju Patnaik and Gyana Patnaik, Gita Mehta was an acclaimed writer, documentary maker and journalist. She had her education in India and Cambridge University. Gita Mehta’s first literary creation – Karma Cola, which was published in 1979, got critical acclaim and established her as a fine writer. The non-fiction work explores the impact of Western culture on India. The book was a critical and commercial success and topped the charts. Some of her notable works include Raj – A novel about the last days of British rule in India; Snakes and Ladders – A non-fiction work that explores the lives of ordinary people in India; A River Sutra – A non-fiction work that explores the relationship between the Narmada River and the Indian people; and Eternal Ganesha: From Birth to Rebirth.