New Delhi, Jan. 30: Noted Hindi writer and veteran Gandhian Vishnu Prabhakar today decided against returning the Padma Bhushan award to the government after a meeting with the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

?The President is appealing to me and hence, I am taking back my decision. After talking to him I got the impression that he does not have any ill-feeling towards Hindi,? the 93-year-old author said after his half-hour meeting with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Prabhakar had threatened to return the award after the ?misbehaviour? of security guards at a recent Rashtrapati Bhavan function.

Earlier in the week, noted historian Romila Thapar had announced her decision to return the Padma Bhushan award to the government, saying she would only accept awards from academic circles.

The writer, along with other guests, was invited to tea with the President on January 26 evening. At the gates, the guards pointed out that the invitation was for Prabhakar and his wife and refused to allow his son in. The author argued he was old and could not stand for long. He needed his son for support. When the guards refused to listen to his request, the irate Gandhian returned home without attending the function and announced his decision to return the Padma Bhushan award to the government.

He, however, said his decision was not because of any personal insult but because the President had not replied to five letters he had written to him in Hindi.