Padma Shri Ram Nath Shastri, known as the "Father of Dogri" for his pivotal role in the revival and resurgence of the Dogri language, was born on 15 April 1914.
He was a versatile and prolific litterateur who excelled as Dogri poet, dramatist, fiction writer, lexicographer, essayist, educationist, translator, and editor.
Through his writings in the various genres he has succeeded in urshering Dogri language on the national stage.
In 2001, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, awarded by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, the highest literary honour conferred by the Government of India.