President Pratibha Patil on Thursday presented the Moortidevi award of the Bharatiya Jnanpith to Union Law and Justice Minister M. Veerappa Moily for his work ‘Sree Ramayana Mahanveshanam' (great exploration and examination of the Ramayana).
Praising Mr. Moily for his “exceptional distinction” of being both a prolific writer and a person actively involved in public life, Ms. Patil noted that the award was an acknowledgement of the contribution his works have made to Indian literature.
Describing him as a “harbinger of change,” Ms. Patil noted that Mr. Moily had not been a “mere bird of passage” but had left an imprint on whatever work he had done.
‘Fresh context'
Mr. Moily, in his acceptance speech, said the work on Ramayana was a “unique structure and a fresh context.”