Patna: The Bihar government Friday decided
to accord state funeral to eminent Hindi poet and writer Acharya Janaki Ballabh Shastri, who died at his residence in Muzaffarpur town of Bihar.
"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has decided to accord
state funeral to Shastri," an official spokesman said.
Shastri died after protracted illness at his
residence in Bihar's Muzaffarpur town, about 85 km from here,
late last night.
He was today cremated in Muzaffarpur, family sources
said.
He is survived by 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.
PTI
First Published: Friday, April 08, 2011, 12:46