He is the first Kashmiri writer to be awarded the Jnanpith, India's highest literary award for his poetic collection Siyah Rood Jaeren  Manz (In Black Drizzle).
He is the inaugural Kashmiri author to receive the Jnanpith, India's premier literary prize for his poetic anthology Siyah Rood Jaeren  Manz (In Black Drizzle).