Noted Punjabi novelist Gurdial Singh, the second from the state after Amrita Pritam to win the Jnanpith award, died in Bathinda on Tuesday, reported PTI. He was 83. According to the Hindustan Times, Singh had been ill for quite some time, and was put on ventilator support on August 13.

Among his most celebrated works is Marhi da Deewa. A film based on the novel, which had a Dalit sharecropper as the protagonist, won the National Award for the Best Feature Film in the Punjabi category in 1989. His 1976 novel, Anhey Ghore Da Daan, was made into a feature film by Gurvinder Singh, which won four National Awards, the Golden Peacock Award, the Black Pearl Trophy and was also shortlisted as India’s entry into the Oscars.

Known for the simplicity in his works, Singh also wrote short stories for children. He was given the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1975, the Soviet Nehru Award in 1986, Padma Shri in 1998 and Jnanpith Award in 1999.

Several celebrities and politicians mourned his demise. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal conveyed his condolences and called him “a son of the soil”.