Nanak Singh (1897-1971) is regarded as the father of the Punjabi novel. His first publication, a set of hymns written in 1918, sold over a hundred thousand copies before he was twenty-one. Over the next forty-seven years, he wrote forty thousand pages in the Gurmukhi script. Recognition came in the form of a host of honours including Punjab's highest literary award in 1960 and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1962. Nanak Singh's birth centenary celebrations in 1997 demonstrated his undiminished popularity. I.K. Gujral, the then prime minister, released a postage stamp and a first day cover to mark the centenary.