President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday presented the 24th Saraswati Samman for 2014 to Congress leader M.Veerappa Moily for his epic "Sri Ramayana Mahanveshanam" written in Kannada.
Speaking on the occasion, Mukherjee said, "I find, in his message, an echo of my own perceptions - that our democracy can only flourish if there is an active parliament, if the representatives of the people have a clear vision, if their efforts are supported and supplemented by a diligent government and an independent judiciary."
He congratulated Moily, a sitting MP and a former union minister and Karnataka chief minister, for contributing to literature through his prolific writings along with having a successful political career.
"In his magnificent composition of 43,000 lines inspired by the original Valmiki epic, Moily has shared with us his unique insight into contemporary situations. He has addressed them through the prism of the eternal principles of good governance, high morality and righteousness," the president said.
"Moily has shared his belief that present day India has a lot to learn from the Ramayana - especially that our nation-building effort must be based on the strong foundation of tolerance, pluralism and inclusiveness," he said.
Comparing the essence of Moily's creation with that of Ramayana, the president said: "Just as good prevails over evil in the Ramayana - and Gandhiji's words 'Satyamev Jayete' remind us that truth alone triumphs, Moily's epic brings to us such ageless values as compassion, self-correction and discipline in thought and deed."