Patna, April 08: Eminent Hindi poet Acharya Janaki Ballabh Shastri died tonight after protracted illness at his residence in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur town, about 85km from here, family sources said.
He was 95 and is survived by his wife Chhaya Devi and an adopted daughter.
Conferred with Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour in 2010, Acharya Shastri is the author of many well-known stories, novels, plays, essays, ghazals, songs and biography in Hindi besides being a critic.
His famous works include ‘Roop Aaroop’, ‘Teer Tarang’, ‘Meghgeet’, ‘Pashani’, ‘Tamsa’ and ‘Iravati’.
He had been conferred various awards like Rajendra Shikhar Samman, Bharat Bharati Award and Shivpujan Sahay Award.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said Shastri’s death has created a vacuum in the field of writing in India, particularly in the state.