President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday said that literature had a key role to play in building a prosperous nation.
Speaking after conferring the Jnanpith Award for 2005 on eminent Hindi poet Kunwar Narain at a function at the Parliament Library Building here, Ms. Patil said there was a need to provide good quality literature to create an ideal society. “The role of literature is not limited to entertaining the reader, but also to guide him along the right path.”
She said Mr. Narain’s poetry bears testimony to his talent and dedication.
The award carries a cheque for Rs. 7 lakh, a shawl and a bronze statue of Vagdevi Saraswati.
