Bharat Ratna facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bharat Ratna
Awarded for	Highest Civilian Award of the Republic of India
Presented by	President of India
Country	India

The Bharat Ratna (which means Jewel of India) is the highest award a civilian can get in India. It was started on January 2, 1954. This award is given to people who have done something truly amazing for the country. It doesn't matter what their background, job, or gender is.

At first, the award was only for achievements in arts, literature, science, and public service. But in December 2011, the Government of India changed the rules. Now, it can be given for "any field of human effort." The Prime Minister of India suggests names for the award to the President of India.

People who receive the Bharat Ratna get a special certificate called a Sanad. It is signed by the President. They also get a medal shaped like a peepal leaf. There is no money given with the award. Bharat Ratna winners are ranked seventh in the Indian order of precedence, which is a list of important people in India.

The first people to receive the Bharat Ratna were C. Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and C. V. Raman in 1954. Since then, 53 people have received the award. This includes 18 people who received it after they had passed away. The rules were changed in 1966 to allow awards after death.

In 2014, the famous cricketer Sachin Tendulkar became the youngest person to get the award at age 40. The social reformer Dhondo Keshav Karve was the oldest, receiving it on his 100th birthday. Most winners are Indian citizens. However, Mother Teresa, who became an Indian citizen, and two non-Indians, Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Nelson Mandela, have also received it.

The Bharat Ratna award was paused twice. Once from 1977 to 1980, and again from 1992 to 1995. This happened because of changes in government or legal challenges. In 1992, there was a plan to give the award to Subhas Chandra Bose after his death. But this was canceled because some people did not believe he had died. This is the only time the award was announced but not given.

History of the Award

On January 2, 1954, the Indian government announced two new civilian awards. The highest was the Bharat Ratna (Jewel of India). Below it was the Padma Vibhushan, which had three levels.

In 1955, the Padma Vibhushan was split into three separate awards. These are the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan, and the Padma Shri.

The award was stopped for a short time twice. The first time was in 1977 when Morarji Desai became Prime Minister. He stopped all personal civilian awards. But in 1980, when Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister again, the award was brought back.

The award was stopped a second time in 1992. This was because some people questioned if the awards were allowed by the Constitution of India. In December 1995, the Supreme Court of India allowed the awards to be given again.

There are no strict rules that only Indian citizens can get the Bharat Ratna. Mother Teresa, who became an Indian citizen, received it in 1980. Two non-Indians also received it: Abdul Ghaffar Khan from Pakistan in 1987 and Nelson Mandela from South Africa in 1990.

Sachin Tendulkar became the youngest person and the first sportsperson to receive the award at age 40. Dhondo Keshav Karve was the oldest living person to get it. He received it on his 100th birthday in 1958. As of 2024, 50 people have received the award, with 15 of them getting it after their death.

Rules for the Bharat Ratna

The Bharat Ratna is given for "exceptional service/performance of the highest order." It is given without looking at a person's race, job, position, or gender. When it started in 1954, it was only for arts, literature, science, and public service. But in December 2011, the rules changed to include "any field of human effort." The 1954 rules did not allow awards after death. However, this changed in 1966, and Lal Bahadur Shastri was the first to receive it posthumously.

There is no official way to nominate someone for the award. Only the Prime Minister can suggest names to the President. The person who receives the award gets a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President. They also get a medal, but no money.

Winners can use phrases like "Awarded Bharat Ratna by the President" or "Recipient of Bharat Ratna Award." They cannot use "Bharat Ratna" as a title before their name. People who receive the Bharat Ratna are ranked seventh in the Indian order of precedence.

When someone receives the award, it is announced in The Gazette of India. This is an official government publication. If an award is taken back or given back, it is also noted in the Gazette. If an award is taken back, the person must return their medal. Their name is also removed from the official list.

What the Medal Looks Like

Bharat Ratna medal

The first Bharat Ratna medal in 1954 was a gold circle. It was about 1.375 inches (35 mm) wide. On the front, it had a picture of the sun. The words "Bharat Ratna" were written in Devanagari script in silver. A wreath was placed at the bottom.

On the back, there was a platinum State Emblem of India in the middle. The national motto, "Satyameva Jayate" (meaning "Truth alone triumphs"), was written below it in silver.

A year later, the design was changed. The medal now looks like a peepal leaf. It is about 2.3 inches (59 mm) long, 1.875 inches (48 mm) wide, and 0.125 inches (3.2 mm) thick. It has a platinum rim. The sun design on the front is also made of platinum.

The words "Bharat Ratna" on the front are still the same as the 1954 design. The emblem of India and "Satyameva Jayate" on the back are also the same. A white ribbon, about 2 inches (51 mm) wide, is attached to the medal. This allows it to be worn around the neck. In 1957, the silver parts were changed to a shiny bronze. The medals are made at the Alipore Mint in Kolkata.

Benefits of the Award

While the Bharat Ratna cannot be used as a title, recipients can say they were "Awarded Bharat Ratna by the President" or are a "Recipient of Bharat Ratna Award." The award does not come with money. However, it includes several special benefits:

• The medal and a smaller version of it.
• A Sanad (certificate) signed by the President of India.
• Being treated as a state guest by state governments when traveling within a state.
• Indian embassies abroad are asked to help recipients if needed.
• The right to have a diplomatic passport.
• Being placed seventh in the Indian order of precedence.
• Discounted fares on the national airline, Air India.

Popular Demands for the Award

Even though only the Prime Minister can suggest names for the Bharat Ratna, many political parties have publicly asked for their leaders to receive the award. For example, in 2008, L. K. Advani asked the Prime Minister to consider Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the award. Other parties have also asked for their leaders like Jyoti Basu, N. T. Rama Rao, Kanshi Ram, and Parkash Singh Badal to be honored.

In 2015, the Shiv Sena party asked for the award for independence activist Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. However, his family said they were not asking for it. They felt he was already recognized for his work.

Originally, sportspeople could not get the award. But the rules changed in 2011 to include "any field of human effort." After this, many suggested names like hockey player Dhyan Chand and chess champion Viswanathan Anand. In 2013, the government chose cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as the first sportsperson to receive the honor. This decision caused some debate.

In 2012, a legal case was filed asking the court to give the Bharat Ratna to Mahatma Gandhi. The court said that deciding who gets the award is up to the government's highest authority and not something a court can decide.

List of Recipients

List of recipients of Bharat Ratna

Year	Image	Recipient	State / Country	Life span	Notes
1954		C. Rajagopalachari	Tamil Nadu	1878–1972	Rajagopalachari was an independence activist. He was the last Governor-General of India from 1948 to 1950. He also served as the first governor of West Bengal and later as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu.
		Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan	Tamil Nadu	1888-1975	Radhakrishnan was the first Vice-President of India (1952–1962). He then became the second President of India (1962–1967). His birthday, September 5, is celebrated as Teachers' Day in India.
		C. V. Raman	Tamil Nadu	1888-1970	Raman was a famous physicist. He is known for discovering Raman scattering, which is about how light changes when it hits something. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.
1955		Bhagwan Das	Uttar Pradesh	1869-1958	Bhagwan Das was an independence activist and educator. He helped start Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith and worked to set up Banaras Hindu University.
		M. Visvesvaraya	Karnataka	1861-1962	Visvesvaraya was a civil engineer and a statesman. He was the 19th Diwan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918. His birthday, September 15, is celebrated as Engineer's Day in India.
		Jawaharlal Nehru	Uttar Pradesh	1889-1964	Nehru was an independence activist and politician. He was the first and longest-serving Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1964.
1957		Govind Ballabh Pant	Uttar Pradesh	1887-1961	Pant was an independence activist and politician. He served as the first chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. He was also the Union Home Minister.
1958		Dhondo Keshav Karve	Maharashtra	1858-1962	Karve was a social reformer and educator. He worked to improve education for women and allow Hindu widows to remarry. He started the SNDT Women's University in 1916.
1961		Bidhan Chandra Roy	West Bengal	1882-1962	Roy was a physician, politician, and educationist. He was the second Chief Minister of West Bengal. He is known as the "Maker of Modern West Bengal." His birthday, July 1, is National Doctors' Day in India.
		Purushottam Das Tandon	Uttar Pradesh	1882-1962	Tandon was an independence activist and politician. He worked to make Hindi an official language of India.
1962		Rajendra Prasad	Bihar	1884-1963	Prasad was an independence activist and lawyer. He worked with Mahatma Gandhi in the Champaran Satyagraha. He was the first President of India (1950–1962).
1963		Zakir Husain	Telangana	1897-1969	Husain was an independence activist and philosopher. He became the third President of India (1967–1969).
		Pandurang Vaman Kane	Maharashtra	1880-1972	Kane was a scholar of Indian history and Sanskrit. He is known for his five-volume work, History of Dharmaśāstra.
1966		Lal Bahadur Shastri#	Uttar Pradesh	1904-1966	Shastri was an independence activist. He was the second Prime Minister of India (1964–1966). He led India during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
1971		Indira Gandhi	Uttar Pradesh	1917-1984	Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India from 1966–1977 and 1980–1984. She is known as the "Iron Lady of India." She led India during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
1975		V. V. Giri	Odisha	1894-1980	Giri was an independence activist who worked with trade unions. He became the fourth President of India, serving from 1969 to 1974.
1976		K. Kamaraj#	Tamil Nadu	1903-1975	Kamaraj was an independence activist and politician. He was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for over nine years. He was known as the "King Maker" for his role in choosing Prime Ministers.
1980		Mother Teresa +	West Bengal (b.Skopje, North Macedonia)	1910-1997	Mother Teresa was a Catholic nun. She founded the Missionaries of Charity, which helps sick people. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work.
1983		Vinoba Bhave#	Maharashtra	1895-1982	Bhave was an independence activist and social reformer. He was a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi. He is known for his Bhoodan movement, which encouraged land donation.
1987		Abdul Ghaffar Khan*	Pakistan	1890-1988	Khan was an independence activist and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. He was known as "Frontier Gandhi." He worked for Hindu–Muslim unity in the subcontinent.
1988		M. G. Ramachandran#	Tamil Nadu	1917-1987	Ramachandran was an actor and politician. He founded the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party. He was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for over ten years.
1990		B. R. Ambedkar#	Maharashtra	1891-1956	Ambedkar was a social reformer and lawyer. He led the committee that wrote the Indian Constitution. He worked against social discrimination and the caste system in India.
		Nelson Mandela*	South Africa	1918-2013	Mandela was a leader of the Anti-Apartheid Movement in South Africa. He later became the President of South Africa (1994–1999). He was often called the "Gandhi of South Africa." He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
1991		Rajiv Gandhi#	Uttar Pradesh	1944-1991	Rajiv Gandhi was a pilot who became a politician. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989.
		Vallabhbhai Patel#	Gujarat	1875-1950	Patel was an independence activist. He was the first Deputy Prime Minister of India (1947–1950). He was known as the "Iron Man of India" for uniting many small states into India.
		Morarji Desai	Gujarat	1896-1995	Desai was an independence activist and politician. He was the fourth Prime Minister of India from 1977 to 1979. He was the first Prime Minister not from the Indian National Congress party.
1992		Abul Kalam Azad#	West Bengal	1888-1958	Azad was an independence activist and politician. He was the first education minister of India. His birthday, November 11, is celebrated as National Education Day in India.
		J. R. D. Tata	Maharashtra	1904-1993	Tata was a businessman, helper of good causes, and aviation pioneer. He was the chairman of the Tata Group. He founded many educational and research institutes.
		Satyajit Ray	West Bengal	1922-1992	Ray was a famous film director. He directed his first film Pather Panchali in 1955. He helped bring Indian cinema to worldwide attention.
1997		Gulzarilal Nanda	Punjab	1898-1998	Nanda was an independence activist and politician. He served as the interim Prime Minister of India in 1964 and 1966.
		Aruna Asaf Ali#	West Bengal	1909-1996	Ali was an independence activist. She is known for raising the Indian flag in Bombay during the Quit India Movement in 1942. She later became Delhi's first mayor.
		A. P. J. Abdul Kalam	Tamil Nadu	1931-2015	Kalam was a scientist who worked on aerospace and defense. He later became the eleventh President of India (2002–2007). He helped develop India's first satellite launch vehicle.
1998		M. S. Subbulakshmi	Tamil Nadu	1916-2005	Subbulakshmi was a Carnatic classical vocalist. She was known for her songs and religious chants. She was the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay award.
		C. Subramaniam	Tamil Nadu	1910-2000	Subramaniam was an independence activist and politician. He served as the minister of agriculture. He is known for his work in the Green Revolution in India.
1999		Jayaprakash Narayan#	Bihar	1902-1979	Narayan was an independence activist and social reformer. He was called "Loknayak" ("People's Leader"). He is known for the Total Revolution Movement in the 1970s.
		Amartya Sen	West Bengal	1933-	Sen is an economist. He won the Nobel memorial prize in economic sciences in 1998.
		Gopinath Bordoloi#	Assam	1890-1950	Bordoloi was an independence activist and politician. He was the first chief minister of Assam. He helped keep Assam united with India.
		Ravi Shankar	Uttar Pradesh	1920-2012	Ravi Shankar was a musician and sitar player. He won four Grammy Awards. He is known for bringing Hindustani classical music to the world.
2001		Lata Mangeshkar	Maharashtra	1929-2022	Mangeshkar was a playback singer, known as the "nightingale of India." She sang songs in over 36 languages. She received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1989.
		Bismillah Khan	Bihar	1916-2006	Khan was a shehnai player. He played the instrument for over eight decades. He helped make the shehnai popular in Indian music.
2009		Bhimsen Joshi	Karnataka	1922-2011	Joshi was a Hindustani classical vocalist. He was known for his Khyal style of singing.
2014		C. N. R. Rao	Karnataka	1934-	Rao is a chemist and scientist. He specializes in solid state chemistry. He has written many research papers and books.
		Sachin Tendulkar	Maharashtra	1973-	Tendulkar is a cricketer. He is considered one of the greatest batters of all time. He played over 600 international cricket matches and holds many records.
2015		Atal Bihari Vajpayee	Madhya Pradesh	1924-2018	Vajpayee was a politician. He served as the Prime Minister of India three times. He was a member of parliament for over four decades.
		Madan Mohan Malaviya#	Uttar Pradesh	1861-1946	Malaviya was a scholar and educational reformer. He founded the Banaras Hindu University. He was also the President of the Indian National Congress four times.
2019		Pranab Mukherjee	West Bengal	1935-2020	Mukherjee was a politician. He served as the 13th President of India from 2012 to 2017. He held many important government jobs.
		Bhupen Hazarika#	Assam	1926-2011	Hazarika was a singer, lyricist, musician, poet, and filmmaker. He was known as Sudhakantha. His songs were about justice and peace.
		Nanaji Deshmukh#	Maharashtra	1916-2010	Deshmukh was a social activist and politician. He worked in education, health, and rural self-reliance. He was also a member of the Rajya Sabha.
2024		Karpoori Thakur#	Bihar	1924-1988	Thakur was a politician. He served two terms as the 11th Chief Minister of Bihar. He introduced a reservation policy for state government jobs.
		L. K. Advani	Delhi	1927-	Advani is a politician. He was the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. He helped found the Bharatiya Janata Party.
		P. V. Narasimha Rao#	Telangana	1921-2004	Narasimha Rao was a lawyer and politician. He was the 9th Prime Minister of India from 1991 to 1996. He was the first Prime Minister from South India. He is known for bringing in new economic reforms.
		Chaudhary Charan Singh#	Uttar Pradesh	1902-1987	Charan Singh was an Indian politician and independence activist. He was the 5th Prime Minister from 1979 to 1980. He is known as the "Champion of India's peasants." He brought in land reform laws.
		M. S. Swaminathan#	Tamil Nadu	1925-2023	Swaminathan was an Indian agronomist and geneticist. He was a global leader in the Green Revolution. He helped develop high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice in India.

See also

In Spanish: Premio Bharat Ratna para niños

• Orders, decorations, and medals of India
• Padma Vibhushan
• Padma Bhushan
• Padma Shri