LUCKNOW, July 30 -- Mehru Jaffer, a celebrated author, journalist and academician from Lucknow, passed away in Goa in the early hours of Wednesday. The eldest daughter of late veteran actor Farrukh Jaffar and freedom fighter Syed Muhammad Jaffar, she was a voice known for her deep and engaging literary contributions. She was in her mid 70s.

Her cousin, senior career counsellor Naheed Verma, confirmed the news. "It was very sudden," Verma said. "She was in Lucknow recently for a book reading and returned to Goa, where she had been living since her mother's demise. She suffered an intestinal obstruction that led to sepsis, which spread very quickly. She fell ill only recently and was admitted to hospital, where her condition deteriorated,"...