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Kalam confers Jnanpith award to Tamil author Jayakanthan
Indo-Asian News Service

New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS) President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Tuesday conferred the 38th Jnanpith award, the country's top literature prize, for 2002 to Tamil author Jayakanthan.

"I extend my congratulations to Thiru Jayakanthan. He is a landmark in Tamil prose writing and contributed immensely to the enrichment of the language through his short stories, novellas, novels and essays during the last five decades," Kalam said.

Kalam also shared his memories of meeting Jayakanthan and also quoted his favourite passages from the Tamil author's works.

"The whole motto of his writings was to awaken the society to meet the developmental needs of the hour. We can see how relevant it is in the present day context when the nation is endeavouring to unshackle itself from the dormancy which has set in over a period of time," Kalam said.

Addressing a gathering of litterateurs, Kalam took the opportunity to speak about the world of books.

"Coming into contact with a good book and possessing it is indeed an everlasting enrichment of life. Book becomes a permanent companion. Sometimes, they are born before us; they guide us during our life journey and continue for many generations," he said.

"I feel that the our galaxy of thinkers and writers can facilitate the creation of enlightened leaders amongst our youth. This is not a duty cast on the authors, but it is their privilege that they can help mankind endure adversities and succeed in life," he said.