Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award in India. The first award was given in 1954. The number of annual awards is limited to three people per year. It is awarded in recognition of any exceptional service/ performance of high order in any field. And also it is not necessary that Bharat Ratna is given every year.
Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian honor conferred for exceptional service towards any field of human endeavor, without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. No award is given in 2020 and 2021. The award does not carry any monetary benefits, however there several special entitlements which include: The medallion and miniature A Sanad (certificate) signed by the President of India. The award was started by former President Dr. Rajendra Prasad on January 2, 1954.
Awardee of 2024 Bharat Ratna
- Laal Krishna Advani
- Karpoori Thakur
Bharat Ratna Awardees List (1954-2021)
| S. No | Winners Name | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Parnab Mukherjee | 2019 |
| 2. | Bhupen Hazarika | 2019 |
| 3. | Nanaji Deshmukh | 2019 |
| 4. | Madan Mohan Malaviya | 2015 |
| 5. | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 2015 |
| 6. | Sachin Tendulkar | 2014 |
| 7. | C.N.R. Rao | 2014 |
| 8. | Pandit Bhimsen Joshi | 2008 |
| 9. | Lata Mangeshkar | 2001 |
| 10. | Ustad Bismillah Khan | 2001 |
| 11. | Prof. Amartya Sen | 1999 |
| 12. | Lokpriya Gopinath Narayan | 1999 |
| 13. | Loknayak Jayprakash Narayan | 1999 |
| 14. | Pandit Ravi Shankar | 1999 |
| 15. | Chidambaram Subramaniam | 1998 |
| 16. | Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi | 1998 |
| 17. | Dr. Abul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam | 1997 |
| 18. | Aruna Assaf Ali | 1997 |
| 19. | Gulzari Lal Nanda | 1997 |
| 20. | Jahangir Ratanji Dadabhai Tata | 1992 |
| 21. | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad | 1992 |
| 22. | Satyajit Ray | 1992 |
| 23. | Morarji Desai | 1991 |
| 24. | Rajiv Gandhi | 1991 |
| 25. | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel | 1991 |
| 26. | Dr. B.R Ambedkar | 1990 |
| 27. | Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela | 1990 |
| 28. | Marudur Gopalan Ramchandran | 1988 |
| 29. | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan | 1987 |
| 30. | Acharya Vinoba Bhave | 1983 |
| 31. | Mother Teresa | 1980 |
| 32. | Kumaraswamy Kamraj | 1976 |
| 33. | Varahagiri Venkata Giri | 1975 |
| 34. | Indira Gandhi | 1971 |
| 35. | Lal Bahadur Shastri | 1966 |
| 36. | Dr. Pandurang Vaman Kane | 1963 |
| 37. | Dr. Zakir Hussain | 1963 |
| 38. | Dr. Rajendra Prasad | 1962 |
| 39. | Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy | 1961 |
| 40. | Purushottam Das Tandon | 1961 |
| 41. | Dr. Dhonde Keshav Karve | 1958 |
| 42. | Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant | 1957 |
| 43. | Dr. Bhagwan Das | 1955 |
| 44. | Jawaharlal Nehru | 1955 |
| 45. | Dr. M Vivesvaraya | 1955 |
| 46. | Chakravarti Rajagopalachari | 1954 |
| 47. | Dr. Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman | 1954 |
| 48. | Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan | 1954 |
General Info of Bharat Ratna
There is no formal provision that Bharat Ratna Awardees should be Indian citizens. It has been awarded to a naturalised Indian citizen. Mother Teresa in 1980, and to two non-Indians, Abdul Ghaffar Khan of Pakistan in 1987 and the former South African president Nelson Mandela in 1990. The original 1954 specifications of the award was a circle made of gold. 1+3⁄8 inches (35 mm) in diameter with a centred sun burst design on the obverse side. The text “Bharat Ratna”, in Devanagari Script, is inscribed on the upper edge in silver gilt with a wreath set along on the lower edge. A platinum State Emblem of India was placed in the center of the reverse side with the national motto, “Satyameva Jayate” in Devanagari Script.
A year later, the design was modified. The current medal is in the shape of a peepal leaf, approximately 2+5⁄16 inches (59 mm) long, 1+7⁄8 inches (48 mm) wide and 1⁄8 inch (3.2 mm) thick and rimmed in platinum.
FAQs👇🏼:
Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan won the first Bharat Ratna in 1954.
Parnab Mukherjee, Bhupen Hazarika and Nanaji Deshmukh won Bharat Ratna in 2019.
Maximum of three Bharat Ratna award is given in a year.
Laal Krishna Advani and Karpoori Thakur won highest award of India Bharat Ratna in 2024.
Sachin Tendulkar in 2014 is the youngest Bharat Ratna Awardee.
A total of 50 people has been awarded Rharat Ratna.
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