Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today left for Delhi to be part of his sister Gita Mehta's funeral.

Eminent author and journalist Gita Mehta, daughter of legendary leader late Biju Patnaik and elder sister of CM Naveen Patnaik, passed away yesterday at her residence in Delhi. She was 80.

She had been staying in India since the demise of her husband Sonny Mehta in 2019. She was ailing for the last two years.

Born in 1943, Gita pursued her education in India and University of Cambridge in the UK. She married renowned American publisher Sonny Mehta in 1965.

She has penned five books: 'Karma Cola', 'Snake and Ladders', 'A River Sutra', 'Raj' and 'The Eternal Ganesha'.

Gita had portrayed India’s glorious history, culture and religion in her writings. Her books were translated into 13 languages and published in 27 countries.

She had produced and directed 14 television documentaries for UK, European countries and United States.

Gita was the war correspondent for the United States television network of National Broadcasting Company during the 1970s.

In 2019, the Centre had nominated her for Padma Shri award, but she declined to accept it.