This article is about the highest civilian award in India (List of Bharat Ratna Awardees) – Bharat Ratna Is the highest civilian award in India and it’s known as the ‘Jewel of India’. The Bharat Ratna Awards were started on 02 January 1954 and it is awarded for exceptional service to the nation in recognition of various fields such as science, arts, literature, polity, sports, and social work of the highest order. So far it has been given to only 48 people (16 posthumously). It is always proposed by the Prime Minister of India and given by the President of India and It is provided to a maximum of 3 people per year.
| Award Name | Bharat Ratna |
| Award Type | National civilian |
| Country | India |
| Presented by | President of India |
| Established | 1954 |
| First awarded | 1954 |
| Last awarded | 2019 |
| Total | 48 |
The medal is made like a peepal tree leaf with incense in the center and the Bharat Ratna is engraved below it. The medal is made of bronze. On the backside, the emblem of India is embossed and Satyameva Jayate is inscribed in the Devanagari script. The award does not carry any monetary arrangements.
The Short History of Bharat Ratna
- The award was instituted on 2 January 1954 by the former President of India, Rajendra Prasad. When the Bharat Ratna Award was instituted, it was given to the nation for exceptional service in the fields of science, art, literature, politics, and social work of the highest order. Then in 2011, the Bharat Ratna Award was given for exceptional service to the nation in any field.
- The provision for awarding posthumously in January 1955 was added to the statute of this prestigious award.
- The first posthumously received the Bharat Ratna Award – Shanti Purush Lal Bahadur Shastri
- The first youngest sportsman to receive the Bharat Ratna Award – Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (at the age of 40)
- The first oldest person to receive the Bharat Ratna Award – Dhondo Keshav Karve (at the age of 100)
- Nationalized Indians received the Bharat Ratna Award – Mother Teresa
- The first foreigner received the Bharat Ratna Award – Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Nelson Mandela (former prime minister of South Africa)
List of Bharat Ratna Awardees From 1954 To 2023
Here is the complete list of Bharat Ratna Awardees from 1995 to 2023. Also, you can download the Bharat Ratna Award list PDF below. Let’s take a look at the List of Bharat Ratna Awardees.
| Awardees | Year | About |
|---|---|---|
| C. Rajagopalachari | 1954 | He was the last Governor-General of India and an Indian politician, independence activist, lawyer, writer, historian, and statesman. |
| Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | 1954 | First Vice President of India and Indian philosopher and statesman |
| C. V. Raman | 1954 | Indian physicist who carried out ground-breaking work in the field of light scattering |
| Bhagwan Das | 1955 | Indian Theosophist and a part of the Central Legislative Assembly of British India |
| M. Visvesvaraya | 1955 | Civil Engineer and Statesman |
| Jawaharlal Nehru | 1955 | Indian independence activist, the First Prime Minister of India |
| Govind Ballabh Pant | 1957 | Indian freedom fighter, One of the architects of modern India |
| Dhondo Keshav Karve | 1958 | A social reformer in India in the field of women’s welfare |
| Bidhan Chandra Roy | 1961 | An eminent Indian physician, educationist, philanthropist, freedom fighter, and politician, He served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1948 |
| Purushottam Das Tandon | 1961 | A freedom fighter from Uttar Pradesh, India. He has put enormous efforts into achieving the Official Language of India status for Hindi. |
| Rajendra Prasad | 1962 | First President of India |
| Zakir Husain | 1963 | Third President of India |
| Pandurang Vaman Kane | 1963 | Indologist and Sanskrit scholar |
| Lal Bahadur Shastri | 1966 | Second President of India |
| Indira Gandhi | 1971 | The only female Prime Minister of India |
| V. V. Giri | 1975 | Fourth President of India |
| K. Kamaraj | 1976 | A leader of the Indian National Congress |
| Mother Teresa | 1980 | An Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary |
| Vinoba Bhave | 1983 | An Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights |
| Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan | 1987 | A Pashtun independence activist |
| M. G. Ramachandran | 1988 | An Indian actor, filmmaker, and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. |
| B. R. Ambedkar | 1990 | An Indian jurist, economist, politician, and social reformer who was a part of the Dalit Buddhist movement |
| Nelson Mandela | 1990 | A South African revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa |
| Rajiv Gandhi | 1991 | An Indian politician who served as the 6th Prime Minister of India |
| Vallabhbhai Patel | 1991 | The First Deputy Prime Minister of India |
| Morarji Desai | 1991 | An Indian independence activist, 4th Prime Minister of India |
| Abul Kalam Azad | 1992 | An Indian scholar, independence activist, and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress |
| J. R. D. Tata | 1992 | Chairman of Tata Group |
| Satyajit Ray | 1992 | Indian filmmaker, screenwriter, music composer, graphic artist, lyricist, and author |
| Aruna Asaf Ali | 1997 | An Indian independence activist and the First Mayor of Delhi |
| Gulzarilal Nanda | 1997 | Indian politician and economist who specialized in labor issues |
| Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam | 1997 | Missile Man of India |
| M. S. Subbulakshmi | 1998 | Indian Carnatic singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu |
| Chidambaram Subramaniam | 1998 | An Indian politician and Independence activist |
| Jayaprakash Narayan | 1999 | Indian independence activist, theorist, socialist and political leader |
| Amartya Sen | 1999 | Indian economist and philosopher |
| Gopinath Bordoloi | 1999 | First Chief Minister of Assam |
| Ravi Shankar | 1999 | An Indian musician and a composer of Hindustani classical music |
| Lata Mangeshkar | 2001 | Indian playback singer and music director |
| Bismillah Khan | 2001 | Indian musician credited with popularizing the shehnai |
| Bhimsen Joshi | 2009 | Indian vocalist from Karnataka |
| C. N. R. Rao | 2014 | Currently, the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 2014 | Former captain of the Indian national team and one of the greatest batsmen in the history of Cricket. |
| Madan Mohan Malaviya | 2015 | An Indian educationist and politician |
| Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 2015 | Indian politician, statesman, and poet. He served three terms as the Prime Minister of India |
| Pranab Mukherjee | 2019 | 13th President of India |
| Nanaji Deshmukh | 2019 | Social Activist |
| Bhupen Hazarika | 2019 | An Indian playback singer, lyricist, musician, singer, poet, and film-maker from Assam |
