Chief Minister Raman Singh on Wednesday expressed his deep shock over the demise of famous saint-poet and former Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister Pawan Diwan.
The saint and poet passed away at Gurgaon-based Medanta Hospital early on Wednesday morning.
On the directives of Chief Minister Raman Singh, the mortal remains of legendary poet and saint was brought to Raipur by a special chartered flight from New Delhi.
Chief Minister said that the former MP’s final journey will be accorded full State Honours.
Singh in a condolence message said the sudden death had created vacuum in the spiritual and cultural fields. He was a shining star in the firmament.
The saint-poet had contributed a lot in the creation of new state Chhattisgarh and in spreading awareness among the masses. The towering personality through his poems in Hindi and Chhattisgarhi expressed his emotions for the humanity at large and educated the masses regarding a need for Chhattisgarh State.
He spread ‘Bharatiya’ culture and spirituality among the masses through his teachings and preaching on Ramayan and Bhagawat. His contributions can never be forgotten in the State.
Singh was elected as an MlA from Rajim in 1977-78 in the then undivided Madhya Pradesh Assembly and went on to become Minister for Jails.
He was elected Member of Parliament from Mahasamund constituency and as president of Chhattisgarh State ‘Gow-Seva Ayog’ had contributed immensely.
Singh expressed his deep sympathies to the members of the bereaved family and prayed for peace to the departed soul.
It may be recalled that Saint Pawan Diwan was born on January 1, 1945 at village Kirwai in Rajim district. His father Sukhramdhar Diwan was a teacher.
The Saint did his M.A. (Sanskrit literature) at Government Sanskrit College Raipur. He completed his education in M.A. (Hindi) M.A. (English) and M.A. (Chhattisgarhi language) .
The former MP was well- versed in Sanskrit, Hindi and English languages. He was instrumental for ‘Brahmacharya Ashram’ at Rajim.
His ‘Mera Har Swar Uska Poojan’ and ‘Amber Ka Ashish’ will be remembered forever. He Edited and published ‘Antariksh’ in 1970s in the days of cyclo-styled publications. He was also associated with ‘Mata Kaushalya Gourav Abhiyan’ recently.