‘Gita was Full of Life, Closer to Brother Naveen’: Well-Wishers Recall Renowned Author & Patnaiks

It was a sombre and the last reunion for the children of former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik and Gyan Patnaik at their family home at 3 Abdul Kalam Road in New Delhi, with one sibling having fallen silent forever.

Gita Mehta, Biju Patnaik’s only and accomplished daughter, passed away in the late evening of September 16, at their family home. Her brother and five-time Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reached Delhi from Bhubaneswar a little after 12 pm on September 17, while Gita’s other brother, businessman Prem Patnaik, his wife and son Arun, were already at the family home.

Speaking to reporters waiting at the Delhi airport, Naveen Patnaik said, “I am in Delhi for the very sad demise of my elder sister, Gita Mehta. I am in Delhi for that.” The wait continued for the arrival of Mehta’s son Aditya and his family from London before a decision could be taken on the last rites of the remarkable person. In fact, the very sparse and private mourning perhaps indicated the heavy shroud of grief that enveloped the family.

Gita Mehta was a war correspondent in the 1970s, a documentary filmmaker who produced films for international networks and also a best-selling author. Her titles ‘Karma Cola’, ‘Snakes and Ladders’, ‘A River Sutra’, ‘The Eternal Ganesha’ have become part of common discourse. In 2019, Gita Mehta was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri, one the country’s highest civilian honours, which she refused to accept as it might be “misconstrued”. She had issued a statement from New York, “I am deeply honoured that the Government of India should think me worthy of a Padma Shri but with great regret I feel I must decline as there is a general elections looming and the timing of the award may be misconstrued causing embarrassment both to the government and myself, which I would much regret”.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Pinaki Misra, one of the few visitors at the Patnaik-Mehta home, remarked, “politically she was extremely conscious, extremely aware. She is from a political family so naturally she would be extremely aware”.

Gita Mehta was married to legendary publisher Sonny Mehta and divided her time in three continents — Asia, America and Europe. She was close to her father Biju Patnaik, had incredible love for younger brother Naveen, and deep knowledge in all matters specially concerning Odisha from the Jagannath culture to the detailed history and politics of the state. Of course, as her career indicates, she was perhaps Odisha’s dear global citizen who made her mark abroad before returning home.

BJD MP Misra recollects time shared with Mehta: “I have interacted with her a lot when she stayed in America, New York, London — their circle included past presidents of United States, secretaries of states from Bill Clinton to Obama to Henry Kissinger, they were their friends. She and her husband were regarded as a real power couple in international publishing, and Sonny Mehta has published for six ex-presidents, 25-plus Nobel laureates. So, he was, in his time, probably the most powerful publisher in the world. In his time, there was no-one who was more powerful a publisher than him. His passing away led Gita ji to be deeply wounded”.

After the demise of her husband Sonny in 2019, Gita lived in India for the most part of her remaining days. She had suffered from a stroke and was on her way to recovery but did not make it. Misra believes that Gita’s deep anguish on the loss of her husband led to her illness, “she had become very frail. She lived a full life. But the sadness of her husband passing away, she could never get over. They were deeply in love, a wonderful couple. They were the toast of NY and London, of High Society there, of intellectuals there. So, former President of United States, secretaries of states, chancellor of the exchequer of the United States… I have seen them interact with the high and mighty in both the US and UK. So, they were both in a sense a real power couple apart from being a very loving couple. So, his passing away caused her immense grief and she never got over that.”

Baijayant Panda, once close to the Patnaik family, and now BJP’s national vice-president, remembered Gita’s quicksilver curiosity and intellect. “Gita had an avid curiosity which was evident in her bestselling books. It also manifested in her interest in a range of subjects beyond what she used to write about. I remember many animated conversations over dinner on some of these topics. For example, based on her readings and research, she rued the fact that many rural Odias no longer grew and ate ‘sajana’ (moringa/drumsticks) at their homes. This loss of a cultural heritage had led to vitamin deficiencies and health vulnerabilities, and she used to passionately advocate awareness campaigns and government programmes to re-instil the practice of growing moringa in the backyards of rural people’s homes”.

Striking a nostalgic note, Panda recollects how in this age of instant photography, Gita loved to sketch. “Like her mother before her, who used to spend her winter in Odisha, while staying the rest of the time in Delhi, Gita over the last couple of decades began visiting the state more often after her brother became the CM. She invariably had a sketch pad with her, and would often spend time at places like Chilika Lake, and many other beautiful locales, sketching. It was a throwback to a glorious old era before the invention of cameras, let alone digital photography”.

The Patnaik siblings share a close bond and for the brothers — Prem and Naveen — the loss of their only sister is a huge blow, especially for the younger Naveen.

In the run-up to the general elections in 2019, responding to a question by this correspondent on who does he feel close to, Naveen on the campaign trail, replied, “My sister, Gita Mehta. She lives in New York”. In fact, even though, Gita did not visit Odisha frequently, she is believed to be Naveen’s pillar of strength. She was present in Bhubaneswar during the swearing-in ceremony of the CM in May, 2019.

As Misra puts it, “She was one of the sharpest intellects I have had the pleasure of interacting with. All the siblings are sharp but she was very sharp. Her love for her brother Naveen Babu was extraordinary. I have actually seen her virtually mother him. So, for Naveen Babu, the loss is particularly excruciating. So, he has been devastated by the loss. I was with him in Bhubaneswar last night and I saw the grief and it was indescribable.

As the day wore on, there were almost no visitors at 3 Abdul Kalam Road; the instructions were that the family wanted to keep the mourning strictly private. However, some people did turn up. Among them was an ageing Dr Sidharth Mehta who has been the family doctor for more than 45 years. While Dr Mehta was lucky to be allowed a moment to pay his last regards to Gita, renowned artist Jatin Das was not so lucky despite making several attempts. The last time he had visited the Patnaik-Mehta house was 40 years ago!

Das reminiscences, “When Biju Babu left this world, there were only four people by his side. And I was one of them”. He adds, “Guddu (Prem), their elder son, and Gita was also very dear to me. Naveen Babu also knows me very well. I had come to meet them. Gita was very close. She was full of life. She was always laughing. She was not uptight. She was very exuberant. I have come to this house, almost after 40 years. During those days, Mrs Patnaik (Gyan) was here along with Biju. I used to have lunch here. That time is gone.”

The mortal remains of Gita Mehta were consigned to flames by her son Aditya late morning of September 18 at Lodhi Road crematorium in Delhi in the presence of her brothers Prem and Naveen, and close friends.

Gita Mehta was born in Delhi in 1943 and breathed her last there in 2023. She was 80 years’ old.