Noted storyteller and Padma Shri awardee Malti Joshi passed away at the age of 90 years at her residence in New Delhi on 15 May 2024. She was suffering from oesophagus cancer. Malti Joshi was known for her work in Hindi and Marathi language. She was awarded Padam Shri in 2018.
Malti Joshi was born on June 4, 1934, in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Malti Joshi was brought up in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. She did her schooling at Malav Kanya Vidyalaya in the city. She completed her graduation from the Holkar College of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Indore. He also did her Master's from the same university in Hindi literature in 1956.
She was a prolific writer who wrote in Hindi and Marathi. However, she is best known for her Hindi literature works.
In the early stages of her writing, Malti Joshi wrote poems, and in college she was famous as Meera of Malwa.
Malti Joshi's major story collections include Pashan Yug, Madhyantar, Samarpan ka Sukh, Mann Na Hue Dus Bees, Malti Joshi's ki Kahaniyan, Ek Ghar Ho Sapno Ka, Vishwas Gatha, Aakhri Shatti, Mori Rang De Chunariya, Ek Sarthak Din, etc. She has also written children's story collections like Dadi Ki Ghadi, Jeene Ki Raah, Pariksha Aur Puraskar, Sneh K Swar, Sacha Singar, etc.
She has also written novels and auto-memoirs. Patakshep, Sahcharini, Shobha Yatra, Raga Virag, etc., are prominent among the novels. At the same time, she also wrote a song collection, Mera Chhota Sa Apnapan.
She also wrote a memoir autobiography called Is Pyaar Ko Kya Naam doon.
Malti Joshi's work has been translated into other Indian languages like Marathi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Malayalam, and Kannada. Her work has also been translated into foreign languages like Russian, Japanese and English.
Several of Malti Joshi’s stories were adapted for television, which was telecasted by Doordarshan. The Saat Phere serial, telecasted on Doordarshan and produced by Jaya Bachchan, was based on Malti Joshi’s story. Her story is also featured in the television serial ‘Kiraddar’, produced by Gulzar.