Bharat Ratna

Bharat Ratna
Award Information
Type Civilian
Category National
Instituted 1954
Last Awarded 2008
Total Awarded 41
Awarded by Government of India
Description An image of the Sun along with the words "Bharat Ratna", inscribed in Devanagari script, on a peepul leaf
First Awardee(s) C. Rajagopalachari
Last Awardee(s) Bhimsen Joshi
Award Rank
None ← Bharat Ratna → Padma Vibhushan

Bharat Ratna (Hindi: भारत रत्न, translates to Jewel of India[1] or Gem of India[2] in English) is the Republic of India's highest civilian award, awarded for the highest degrees of national service. This service includes artistic, literary, and scientific achievements, as well as "recognition of public service of the highest order."[3] In 2011, the Minister for Home Affairs and Prime Minister of India agreed to change the eligibility criteria to allow sportspersons to receive the award.[4]

The holders of the Bharat Ratna rank 7th in the Indian order of precedence; however, unlike knights they do not carry any special title nor any other honorifics.

Contents

History

The order was established by Rajendra Prasad, President of India, on 2 January 1954.[5] The original statutes of January 1954 did not make allowance for posthumous awards (and this perhaps explains why the decoration was never awarded to Mahatma Gandhi), though this provision was added in the January 1955 statute. Subsequently, there have been twelve posthumous awards, including the award to Subhash Chandra Bose in 1992, which was later withdrawn due to a legal technicality, the only case of an award being withdrawn. The award was briefly suspended from 13 July 1977 to 26 January 1980.

While there was no formal provision that recipients of the Bharat Ratna should be Indian citizens, this seems to have been the general assumption. Of the 41 awards so far, there has been one award to a naturalised Indian citizen, Mother Teresa (1980), and to two non-Indians, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) and Nelson Mandela (1990). The awarding of this honour has frequently been the subject of litigation questioning the constitutional basis of such.

Originally, the specifications for the award called for a circular gold medal carrying the state emblem and motto, among other things. It is uncertain if a design in accordance with the original specifications was ever made. The actual award is designed in the shape of a peepul leaf and carries with the words "Bharat Ratna", inscribed in Devanagari script. The reverse side of the medal carries the state emblem and motto. The award is attached to a 2-inch-wide (51 mm) ribbon, and was designed to be worn around the recipient's neck.

Specifications

The original specifications for the award called for a circular gold medal, 35 mm in diameter, with the sun and the Hindi legend "Bharat Ratna" above and a floral wreath below. The reverse was to carry the state emblem and motto. It was to be worn around the neck from a white ribbon. There is no indication that any specimens of this design were ever produced and one year later the design was altered.

List of recipients

S.No Name Image Birth / death Awarded Born State/Country Notes
1. Chakravarti Rajagopalachari 1878–1972 1954 Tamil Nadu Independence activist, last Governor-General
2. C. V. Raman 1888–1970 1954 Tamil Nadu Physicist
3. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan 1888–1975 1954 Tamil Nadu Philosopher, second President
4. Bhagwan Das 1869–1958 1955 Uttar Pradesh Independence activist, author
5. Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya 1860–1962 1955 Karnataka Civil engineer, Diwan of Mysore
6. Jawaharlal Nehru 1889–1964 1955 Uttar Pradesh Independence activist, author, first Prime Minister
7. Govind Ballabh Pant 1887–1961 1957 Uttarakhand Independence activist, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Home Minister
8. Dhondo Keshav Karve 1858–1962 1958 Maharashtra Educator, social reformer
9. Bidhan Chandra Roy 1882–1962 1961 Bihar Physician, Chief Minister of West Bengal
10. Purushottam Das Tandon 1882–1962 1961 Uttar Pradesh Independence activist, educator
11. Rajendra Prasad 1884–1963 1962 Bihar Independence activist, jurist, first President
12. Zakir Hussain 1897–1969 1963 Andhra Pradesh Scholar, third President
13. Pandurang Vaman Kane 1880–1972 1963 Maharashtra Indologist and Sanskrit scholar
14. Lal Bahadur Shastri 1904–1966 1966 Uttar Pradesh Posthumous, independence activist, second Prime Minister
15. Indira Gandhi 1917–1984 1971 Uttar Pradesh Fourth Prime Minister
16. V. V. Giri 1894–1980 1975 Orissa Trade unionist and fourth President
17. K. Kamaraj 1903–1975 1976 Tamil Nadu Posthumous, independence activist, Chief Minister of Madras State
18. Mother Teresa 1910–1997 1980 Macedonia Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of Charity
19. Vinoba Bhave 1895–1982 1983 Maharashtra Posthumous, social reformer, independence activist
20. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan 1890–1988 1987 Pakistan First non-citizen, independence activist
21. M. G. Ramachandran 1917–1987 1988 Sri Lanka Posthumous, film actor, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
22. B. R. Ambedkar 1891–1956 1990 Madhya Pradesh Posthumous, chief architect of the Indian Constitution, politician, economist, and scholar
23. Nelson Mandela b. 1918 1990 South Africa Second non-citizen and first non-Indian recipient, Leader of the Anti-Apartheid movement
24. Rajiv Gandhi 1944–1991 1991 Maharashtra Posthumous, Seventh Prime Minister
25. Vallabhbhai Patel 1875–1950 1991 Gujarat Posthumous, independence activist, first Home Minister
26. Morarji Desai 1896–1995 1991 Gujarat Independence activist, fifth Prime Minister
27. Abul Kalam Azad 1888–1958 1992 Saudi Arabia Posthumous, independence activist, first Minister of Education
28. J. R. D. Tata 1904–1993 1992 France Industrialist and philanthropist
29. Satyajit Ray 1922–1992 1992 West Bengal Bengali filmmaker
30. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam b. 1931 1997 Tamil Nadu Aeronautical Engineer,11th President of India
31. Gulzarilal Nanda 1898–1998 1997 Pakistan Independence activist, interim Prime Minister
32. Aruna Asaf Ali 1908–1996 1997 Haryana Posthumous, independence activist
33. M. S. Subbulakshmi 1916–2004 1998 Tamil Nadu Classical Carnatic singer
34. Chidambaram Subramaniam 1910–2000 1998 Tamil Nadu Independence activist, Minister of Agriculture
35. Jayaprakash Narayan 1902–1979 1999 Bihar Posthumous, independence activist and politician
36. Ravi Shankar b. 1920 1999 Uttar Pradesh Sitar player
37. Amartya Sen b. 1933 1999 West Bengal Economist
38. Gopinath Bordoloi 1890–1950 1999 Assam Posthumous, independence activist, Chief Minister of Assam
39. Lata Mangeshkar b. 1929 2001 Madhya Pradesh Playback singer
40. Bismillah Khan 1916–2006 2001 Bihar Hindustani classical shehnai player
41. Bhimsen Joshi 1922–2011 2008 Karnataka Hindustani classical singer

Living recipients

Indian recipients

Foreign recipients

Controversies

Award to Subhas Chandra Bose

Indian freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1992. The award was later withdrawn due to a legal technicality. This is the only case of an award being withdrawn. It was withdrawn in response to a Supreme Court of India directive following a Public Interest Litigation filed in the Court against the posthumous nature of the award. The Award Committee could not give conclusive evidence of Bose’s death and thus it invalidated the posthumous award.

Award to Abul Kalam Azad

When the award was offered to freedom fighter and India's first Minister of Education, Abul Kalam Azad, he promptly declined it saying that it should not be given to those who have been on the selection committee. Later he was awarded posthumously in 1992.[6]

References

  1. ^ Mahajan, Vidya Dhar (1971). The Constitution of India. Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Eastern Book Company. p. 169. 
  2. ^ Hoiberg, Dale; Indu Ramchandani (2000). Students' Britannica India. New Delhi: Encyclopædia Britannica (India). Vol. 3, p198. ISBN 978-0-85229-760-5. 
  3. ^ Pylee, Moolamattom Varkey (1971). The Constitution of India. New Delhi: S. Chand & Company Ltd.. p. 114. ISBN 978-81-219-2203-6. 
  4. ^ "Govt changes criteria for Bharat Ratna; now open for all". The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 16 December 2011. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2720348.ece. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
  5. ^ Dhawan, S. K. (1991). Bharat Ratnas, 1954–1991. Wave Publications. p. 9. ASIN B0006EYROK. 
  6. ^ Those who said no to top awards The Times of India, 20,Jan 2008.

External links

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1954) · C. Rajagopalachari (1954) · C. V. Raman (1954) · Bhagwan Das (1955) · Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya (1955) · Jawaharlal Nehru (1955) · Govind Ballabh Pant (1957) · Dhondo Keshav Karve (1958) · Bidhan Chandra Roy (1961) · Purushottam Das Tandon (1961) · Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1962) · Dr. Zakir Hussain (1963) · Pandurang Vaman Kane (1963) · Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966) · Indira Gandhi (1971) · V. V. Giri (1975) · K. Kamaraj (1976) · Mother Teresa (1980) · Acharya Vinoba Bhave (1983) · Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) · M. G. Ramachandran (1988) · B. R. Ambedkar (1990) · Nelson Mandela (1990) · Rajiv Gandhi (1991) · Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1991) · Morarji Desai (1991) · Abul Kalam Azad (1992) · J. R. D. Tata (1992) · Satyajit Ray (1992) · A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1997) · Gulzarilal Nanda (1997) · Aruna Asaf Ali (1997) · M. S. Subbulakshmi (1998) · Chidambaram Subramaniam (1998) · Jayaprakash Narayan (1998) · Ravi Shankar (1999) · Amartya Sen (1999) · Gopinath Bordoloi (1999) · Lata Mangeshkar (2001) · Bismillah Khan (2001) · Bhimsen Joshi (2008)
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