Bhopal: Noted Hindi writer Kailash Chandra Pant died on Friday following cardiac arrest, family members said.
Pant (90), a Padma Shri awardee and former director of Hindi Bhavan, Bhopal, was unwell for some time.
His last rites will be performed at Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat here on Saturday, said his brother Chandrashekhar Pant.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav condoled Pant's death in a post on X.
He remained actively associated with the Madhya Pradesh Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti for a long time and his contribution to the promotion of Hindi would always be remembered, Yadav said.
Pant, whose family hailed from Khantoli village in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district, was born on April 26, 1936, in Mhow near Indore.
He served as a lecturer at the Union Theological Seminary in Indore before becoming principal of the Panchayat Raj Training Centre in Bhopal. He also edited literary journals, including Shiksha Pradeep, Jandharma and Durgami Ahwan.
Besides heading the Hindi Bhavan in Bhopal, he held key positions in several literary and cultural organisations, including the Bharat Krishak Samaj, Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti and Madhya Bharat Hindi Sahitya Samiti.
His notable works include "Kaun Kiska Aadmi", "Dhundh Ke Aar-Paar", "Shabd Ka Vichar-Path" and "Shailesh Matiyani: Srijan Yatra".
He was conferred the Padma Shri earlier this year for his contribution to Hindi literature. He was also the recipient of the Sahitya Bhushan Samman, Nirala Sahitya Samman, Sahitya Shiromani Samman and Sanskriti Gaurav Samman.
