| Bharat Ratna | ||
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| 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) | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | |
| 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 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] Unlike knights, holders of the Bharat Ratna carry no special title nor any other honorifics, but they do have a place in the Indian order of precedence.
The award was established by the first President of India, Rajendra Prasad, on 2 January 1954.[4] Along with other major national honours, such as the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, the awarding of the Bharat Ratna was suspended from 13 July 1977 to 26 January 1980.
The honour has been awarded to forty one people, a list which includes two non-Indians and a naturalized Indian citizen. Tamil Nadu is the state with the highest number of awardees (8) followed closely by Uttar Pradesh (7).[citation needed] 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 two-inch wide ribbon, and was designed to be worn around the recipient's neck.
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History
The order was established by Rajendra Prasad, President of India, on 2 January 1954. 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 26 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. There has been one award to a naturalized Indian citizen, Mother Teresa (1980), and two to non-Indians, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) and Nelson Mandela (1990). The awarding of this honor though, has frequently been the subject of litigation questioning the constitutional basis of such.
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.[5]
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.
Living recipients
Indian recipients
- A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1997)
- Ravi Shankar (1999)
- Amartya Sen (1999)
- Lata Mangeshkar (2001)
- Bhimsen Joshi (2008)
Foreign recipients
- Nelson Mandela (1990)
Complete list of awardees
| S.No | Name | Birth / death | Awarded | Notes | Indian state or country of origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | 1888–1975 | 1954 | Second President, First Vice President, Philosopher. | Tamil Nadu |
| 2. | C. Rajagopalachari | 1878–1972 | 1954 | Last Governor-General, independence activist. | Tamil Nadu |
| 3. | C. V. Raman | 1888–1970 | 1954 | Nobel-prize winning Physicist | Tamil Nadu |
| 4. | Bhagwan Das | 1869–1958 | 1955 | Literature, independence activist | Uttar Pradesh |
| 5. | Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya | 1861–1962 | 1955 | Civil Engineer, Dam Architect, Diwan of Princely state of Mysore | Karnataka |
| 6. | Jawaharlal Nehru | 1889–1964 | 1955 | First Prime Minister, independence activist, Author. | Uttar Pradesh |
| 7. | Govind Ballabh Pant | 1887–1961 | 1957 | independence activist, Home Minister | Uttar Pradesh (now Uttarakhand) |
| 8. | Dhondo Keshav Karve | 1858–1962 | 1958 | Educationist, Social Reformer, Awarded in his birth centenary year. | Maharashtra |
| 9. | Bidhan Chandra Roy | 1882–1962 | 1961 | Physician, Politician, Former Chief Minister of West Bengal | West Bengal |
| 10. | Purushottam Das Tandon | 1882–1962 | 1961 | independence activist, Educationist | Uttar Pradesh |
| 11. | Rajendra Prasad | 1884–1963 | 1962 | First President, independence activist, Jurist | Bihar |
| 12. | Zakir Hussain | 1897–1969 | 1963 | Former President, Scholar. | Andhra Pradesh |
| 13. | Pandurang Vaman Kane | 1880–1972 | 1963 | Indologist and Sanskrit scholar | Maharashtra |
| 14. | Lal Bahadur Shastri | 1904–1966 | 1966 | Posthumous, Second Prime Minister, independence activist | Uttar Pradesh |
| 15. | Indira Gandhi | 1917–1984 | 1971 | Former Prime Minister | Uttar Pradesh |
| 16. | V. V. Giri | 1894–1980 | 1975 | Former President, Trade Unionist. | Orissa |
| 17. | K. Kamaraj | 1903–1975 | 1976 | Posthumous, independence activist, Chief Minister-Tamil Nadu. | Tamil Nadu |
| 18. | Mother Teresa | 1910–1997 | 1980 | Nobel Laureate (Peace, 1979). | West Bengal |
| 19. | Vinoba Bhave | 1895–1982 | 1983 | Posthumous, Social Reformer, independence activist. | Maharashtra |
| 20. | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan | 1890–1988 | 1987 | First non-citizen, independence activist. | Pakistan |
| 21. | M. G. Ramachandran | 1917–1987 | 1988 | Posthumous, Chief Minister-Tamil Nadu, Actor. | Tamil Nadu |
| 22. | B. R. Ambedkar | 1891–1956 | 1990 | Posthumous, Architect-Indian Constitution,Social Reformer, Economist and Scholar | Maharashtra |
| 23. | Nelson Mandela | b. 1918 | 1990 | Second non-citizen and first non-Indian, Leader of Anti-Apartheid movement. | South Africa |
| 24. | Rajiv Gandhi | 1944–1991 | 1991 | Posthumous, Former Prime Minister | New Delhi |
| 25. | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel | 1875–1950 | 1991 | Posthumous, independence activist, First Home Minister of India. | Gujarat |
| 26. | Morarji Desai | 1896–1995 | 1991 | Former Prime Minister, independence activist. | Gujarat |
| 27. | Abul Kalam Azad | 1888–1958 | 1992 | Posthumous, independence activist, First Education Minister of India | West Bengal |
| 28. | J. R. D. Tata | 1904–1993 | 1992 | Industrialist and philanthropist | Maharashtra |
| 29. | Satyajit Ray | 1922–1992 | 1992 | Film director | West Bengal |
| 30. | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam | b. 1931 | 1997 | Former President, scientist. | Tamil Nadu |
| 31. | Gulzarilal Nanda | 1898–1998 | 1997 | independence activist, former Prime Minister. | Punjab |
| 32. | Aruna Asaf Ali | 1908–1996 | 1997 | Posthumous, independence activist. | West Bengal |
| 33. | M. S. Subbulakshmi | 1916–2004 | 1998 | Carnatic music vocalist. | Tamil Nadu |
| 34. | Chidambaram Subramaniam | 1910–2000 | 1998 | independence activist, Minister of Agriculture. | Tamil Nadu |
| 35. | Jayaprakash Narayan | 1902–1979 | 1999 | Posthumous, independence activist, Social Reformer. | Bihar |
| 36. | Ravi Shankar | b. 1920 | 1999 | Sitar player | United States |
| 37. | Amartya Sen | b. 1933 | 1999 | Nobel-prize winning Economist | West Bengal |
| 38. | Gopinath Bordoloi | 1890–1950 | 1999 | Posthumous, independence activist, Chief Minister | Assam |
| 39. | Lata Mangeshkar | b. 1929 | 2001 | Singer | Maharashtra |
| 40. | Bismillah Khan | 1916–2006 | 2001 | Classical musician, shehnai maestro | Bihar |
| 41. | Bhimsen Joshi | b. 1922 | 2008 | Hindustani Classical vocalist | Karnataka |
References
- ^ Mahajan, Vidya Dhar (1971). The Constitution of India. Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Eastern Book Company. pp. 169.
- ^ Hoiberg, Dale; Indu Ramchandani (2000). Students' Britannica India. New Delhi: Encyclopedia Britannica (India). Vol. 3, p198. ISBN 0-85229-760-2.
- ^ Pylee, Moolamattom Varkey (1971). The Constitution of India. New Delhi: S. Chand & Company Ltd.. pp. 114. ISBN 81-219-2203-8.
- ^ Dhawan, S. K. (1991). Bharat Ratnas, 1954-1991. Wave Publications. pp. 9.
- ^ Those who said no to top awards The Times of India, 20 Jan 2008.
External links
- "Bharat Ratna Award". Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. http://india.gov.in/myindia/bharatratna_awards.php.
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