Kumar was chosen for the prestigious award for his Malayalam travelogue 'Hymavathabhoovil', which dwells upon ancient trails of Indian culture, myth, literature and people strewn in the plains, valleys and mountains of India".
The award was presented by Jnanpith laureate M T Vasudevan Nair at a function at the Tagore Centenary Hall here.
The book also highlights environmental concerns over "fragile mountain ecosystem" and calls for action over lack of water resources and waste disposal systems.
Kumar, who earlier won the Sahitya Akademi award for the same book, is also the Kerala state unit President of Janata Dal (United).
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