He was apparently suffering from depression for the past six months, his close associates said, adding he was found dead last night.
Satnam, whose real name was Gurmeet Singh, was cremated here today.
'Jangalnama', a travelogue, authored by him in Punjabi in 2004, was his most famous work. It was later translated into Hindi and English.
The book gave an insight into the lives of the adivasis of Bastar and was an account of his travels in the Maoist guerrilla zone.
He is survived by his daughter. He hailed from a village in Amritsar and was living alone in Patiala.