Malti Joshi (4 June 1934 – 15 May 2024) was an Indian novelist, essayist and writer, who wrote primarily in the Hindi and Marathi languages. She was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honours, in 2018.[1] [2]
Joshi was born in 1934, in Aurangabad, Hyderabad State, British India, and was educated in Madhya Pradesh, graduating from Holkar College, Dr, Bhimrao Ambedkar University, in Indore. Her family spoke Marathi at home, but she was educated primarily in Hindi. Following her undergraduate education, she earned a master's degree in arts in Hindi literature, in 1956.[3]
Joshi died in New Delhi on 15 May 2024, at the age of 89.[4]
Joshi began writing poetry and short stories as a teenager, contributing to Hindi children's magazines such as Parag. In 1971, she published a short story in the Hindi literature magazine, Dharmayug, which was then produced by the Times group. She continued to publish stories in several well-circulated Hindi magazines, including Saptahik Hindustan, Manorama, Kadambini, and Sarika. She also launched the magazine "Shubh Sankalp" edited by Dr. Sunita Shrivastava. Joshi also participated the practice of kathakathan, or oral recitation, performing her stories for audiences in live settings. Her stories have been collected and published in several volumes, and she has also written two novels, publishing fifty books in all.[5]
Joshi's work has been translated to Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Malayalam, and Kannada.[6] Her works have been translated to English, Russian, and Japanese. In addition to her short story collections, which were primarily written in Hindi, she has published eleven books in Marathi.
Some of Joshi's stories were later adapted by the Indian government broadcaster, Doordarshan, for television. They featured as part of the television show 'सात फेरे' (Seven Turns) produced by Jaya Bachchan, and 'किरदार' (Character) produced by Gulzar.
In an interview with Aaj Tak, a Hindi-language news channel, Joshi stated that she drew her characters from her family and social circle, preferring to narrate the experience of middle-class families in India. She cited Amritlal Nagar, P. L. Deshpande, and Sharad Joshi as some of her influences.
| 1999 | Bhavbhuti Alankaran | Madhya Pradesh Sahitya Sammelan | ||
| 2006 | Shikhar Samman | Government of Madhya Pradesh | ||
| 2011 | Dushyant Kumar Sahitya Samman | |||
| 2011 | Ojaswini Samman | |||
| 2013-14 | Rashtriya Maithalisharan Gupt Samman | Government of Rajasthan | ||
| 2013 | Vanmali Katha Samman | The Foundation for Vanmali Jagannath Prasad Chaubey | ||
| 2016 | Kamleshwar Smruti Puraskar | Kathabimb (literary magazine) | ||
| 2018 | Padma Shri for contributions to literature & education | |||
| 20182 | Hindi Sevi Samman | Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University |