Krishna Sobti, renowned Hindi writer dies

Renowned Hindi writer Krishna Sobti died at the age of 93 today. Sobti won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1980 for her novel Zindaginama and in 1996, was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the highest award of the Akademi. In 2017, she received the Jnanpith Award for her contribution to Indian literature.

Sobti is best known for her 1966 novel Mitro Marajani, an unapologetic portrayal of a married woman's sexuality.

Krishna Sobti was born in Gujrat, Punjab, now in Pakistan and was educated in India, in Delhi and Shimla. Sobti also writes under the name Hashmat and has published Hum Hashmat, a compilation of pen portraits of writers and friends.

Sobti was offered the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2010, which she declined, stating that, "As a writer, I have to keep a distance from the establishment. I think I did the right thing."