Kolkata bids farewell to their beloved writer and teacher Nabaneeta Dev Sen

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar paid floral tributes to the writer as her last journey on Friday was marked by the presence of numerous people and aficionados of her writings.

He tweeted: "Paid floral tributes at Bhallo Basa' to Nabaneeta Dev Sen. Sahitya Akademy, Padma Shri winner who made Bengal and Jadavpur University proud. Consoled her two daughters actor Nandana Sen [Dev Sen] and journalist Antara Sen [Dev Sen]. May her soul rest in peace."

A literary giant of Bengal, who was the first wife of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen,  Nabaneeta Dev Sen was born on January 13, 1938.  She is survived by her two daughters- Nandana Dev Sen (actress) and Antara Dev Sen (a journalist). 

The Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi winning author, who was 81, was suffering from protracted illness.

Her daughter Nandana Sen told media: "Her condition was not good for the past few days. I and my sister were singing and my mother went away listening to our song. It is a sad thing to lose our mother. We are still not prepared to be without her."

Meanwhile, social media has been flooding with comments ever since the news of her death spread on Thursday.

Actress Arpita Chatterjee tweeted: "Deeply suddened by the demise of Nabaneeta Dev Sen. You are still loved and forever will be. May your soul rest in peace @nandanadevsen."

Writer Amitav Ghosh said: "Saddened to hear of the passing of Nabaneeta Deb Sen. She was a woman of incredible warmth and generosity, a dear friend and a wonderful writer. I will miss her greatly."

Bengali film industry superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee posted: "Some losses can never be expressed in words. An epitome of indomitable spirit, Nabaneeta Dev Sen shall always be remembered fondly. May her soul rest in peace."

Nabaneeta Dev Sen, who studied English and Comparative Literature in Presidency College, Jadavpur University and Harvard University and was known for her erudition and writings that included poems, satires, novels, travelogues and even fables, was the daughter of the poet-couple Narendra Dev and Radharani Devi. She grew up in Bengal and graduated with a master's degree in 1958.

In 1959, she married Amartya Sen (who later won the Nobel in Economics) but they parted ways in 1976. The Nobel laureate speaking from abroad expressed his sadness over the news of her demise.