<span style="color: #222222;">Noted academic, poet, and Kashmir's first Jnanpith awardee, Professor Rehman Rahi, passed away at his Srinagar residence on Monday morning after a brief illness. He was 98.<br />''<br />''Prof Rahi was an acclaimed poet who also translated the works of many renowned poets and writers into the Kashmiri language. In 2007, he was awarded the country's highest literary award, the Jnanpith, for his work "Siyah Rood-e-Jaerenn Manz" (In the black downpours). Among other awards, the globally acclaimed poet also received Padma Shri in 2000.<br />''<br />''Many noted personalities and literary organisations have condoled the demise of Prof Rahi. Taking to Twitter, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, wrote that he was deeply saddened by the demise of Rahi and termed him as one of the most influential Kashmiri poets in recent times.<br />''The LG said that Prof Rahi's passing away marks an end of an era.</span><br />