Famous Indian and American writer cum documentary filmmaker Gita Mehta passed away at her residence, in New Delhi, after a brief illness, on September 16, 2023.
Mehta was aged 80.
Mehta grew up in India, schooled at Girton College, and later obtained a degree from Cambridge University.
She was a trained journalist who specialized in covering war and conflict. She had worked briefly as a war correspondent for the NBC in the early 1970s. At the time, she produced the documentary – Dateline Bangladesh – based on the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war.
The documentary had earned critical acclaim in India and across the world.
As an author, Mehta had published five books which are available in over 21 languages, and have become best-sellers in Europe, the US, and India.
Most of her works were focused on India’s history & culture, war and conflict, but targeted at the Western audience.
In 2019, Mehta was honoured with “the Padma Shri”, which is India’s fourth highest civilian award.
Mehta was married to late Indian editor and the editor-in-chief of Alfred A. Knopf, Sonny Mehta. She is survived by her son, Aditya Singh Mehta.