Renowned writer-filmmaker Gita Mehta passed on Saturday in New Delhi. She was 80 years old. 

• Mehta had written books including Karma Cola, Snakes and Ladders, A River Sutra, Raj and Eternal Ganesha. She also produced and directed at least 14 television documentaries for UK, European and US networks.
• Mehta was the daughter of Biju Patnaik and the sister of Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik. She was married to American publisher Sonny Mehta, who died in December 2019.
• Several senior politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, express their condolences on social media.