The scholastic and multi-faceted contribution of Dr. Kumarpal Desai in the fields of literature, education, journalism, social service, sports and philosophy makes him a versatile personality of Gujarat. It is commonly experienced that a person achieves distinguished position at the most in a single sphere of activity but Dr. Kumarpal Desai has distinguished himself in various fields of human activity. Dr. Kumarpal Desai, over a period of five decades, has acquired a challenging reputation as a writer of inspirational, spiritual, and value-enriched literature not only in the state of Gujarat or the country but at the international level too. His contribution to the fields of journalism, literature, and education in particular and society, in general, has been noteworthy. He espouses human values and his writings reflect these values in abundance.
As a crowning glory to his illustrious career, spanning four decades, the Government of India conferred on him the coveted ‘Padmashri’ Award on 26th January 2004, in recognition of his invaluable contribution to education, literature, and culture at the hand of the then President of India Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Only rare individuals have received this honour in the field of Gujarati literature and education.