Ranchi, April 16: As a young columnist and writer, she had trekked remote villages of Bihar and Bengal, espoused the cause of downtrodden minorities and blatantly sported an anti-establishment streak.

At 84, she is frail, albeit with the been-there-done-that air about her and her perceptive persona still pursuing her favoured cause — tribal uplift.

Noted social activist and litterateur Mahasweta Devi is in the state to adopt legendary tribal leader Birsa Munda’s ancestral village of Ulihatu, 60km from the capital, in Khunti district through a trust named after her.

The Mahasweta Devi Trust was constituted in December 2009 with the sole purpose of developing remote villages. It will begin its welfare journey from Ulihatu because of the writer’s association with Birsa Munda in her works.

After arriving at Birsa Munda Airport along with Rajya Sabha member Ram Dayal Munda, she said she would meet the tribal icon’s descendants at Ulihatu tomorrow. “I want to gift them an oil extraction machine.”

The novelist, who has been honoured with Jnanpith and Magsaysay awards, has earned much acclaim for her works on Birsa’s freedom struggle like Aranyer Adhikar and Choti Munda Aur Unka Teer. “I have written about him, but never visited his village. This is a long-cherished dream.”

Mahasweta said the machine would help the people of Ulihatu extract oil from mahua, neem, kumum and other seeds found in forests. “This,” she said, “will also inspire them to protect forests.” The writer plans to undertake economic uplift of the village by promoting self-help groups and lac cultivation.

Her associate B.M. Lal added: “Initially, we will donate the oil extraction machine and help market the produce. Later, we will take up other welfare programmes.”

Lal said development would be need-based as the trust was still rustling up funds.Tomorrow, she will visit a small complex at Ulihatu, where the house of Birsa once stood, and a school for tribal children, besides homes of the tribal leader’s ancestors.

On the sidelines, the writer opposed the anti-Naxalite operations across the country, saying that it would not solve problems.

“The government should hold talks with rebels as well as tribals. Naxalism thrives on resentment.”

Mahasweta said that the tribals felt cheated when their land was usurped for setting up industries.

“They had given land in the hope that their economic condition will improve, which did not happen. Now, industries are eyeing more acres and this is generating further resentment in the community,” she said before leaving for Jamshedpur.