Vinod Kumar Shukla receives Jnanpith in ceremony at his Raipur home

Raipur, Nov 21 (PTI) Eminent Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla was presented the 59th Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary honour, in a simple ceremony at his residence here on Friday, the Bharatiya Jnanpith said.

The 88-year-old writer had been named recipient of the award in March this year.

"The award was presented to Shukla by R N Tiwari, Director General of the Bharatiya Jnanpith. Many prominent figures from the world of literature, art, and culture were present at the ceremony," it said in a release.

Shukla's son Shashwat Gopal Shukla said that Tiwari presented the veteran writer the award along with a statue of Goddess Saraswati and the award cheque.

Expressing gratitude to his readers, Vinod Kumar Shukla said, "I thank everyone for the Jnanpith Award. I received this honour because of all of you readers. Readers are part of the public.

"When there is talk of a crisis for all languages, including Hindi, I have full hope that the new generation will respect every language and every ideology. The destruction of a language or a good idea is the destruction of humanity," he added.

"I have great expectations from children, adolescents, and young people. I have always said that every person should write a book in their life. Good books should always be with them," the writer said.

We must develop our vision to "see the good in the world", Shukla said, adding that "hope is the greatest strength in life." "For me, reading and writing are like breathing," he said.

During the ceremony, Shukla also recited one of his poems, "Sabke Sath Sabke Saath Ho Gaya Hoon (I've been with everyone, with everyone)." Among Shukla's acclaimed works are the novel "Naukar Ki Kameez" (1979) and his first collection of poems, "Lagbhag Jai Hind"(1971). PTI COR KRK