The Bharat Ratna, sometimes known as the “Jewel of India,” is the Republic of India’s highest civilian honor. Established on January 2nd, 1954. The prize was initially only given for accomplishments in the humanities (arts, literature, science, and public service), but in December 2011, the government broadened the definition to encompass all areas of human endeavor. The Prime Minister recommends candidates for the Bharat Ratna to the President, with no more than three recipients, recognized a year. A certificate from the President and a medallion in the form of a peepal (holy fig) leaf are presented to the winners.
The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna were C. Rajagopalachari, the previous Governor-General of the Dominion of India and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the second President and first Vice President of India, and physicist and Nobel Prize winner C. V. Raman. They were all recognised in 1954.
The Bharat Ratna and other personal civil honors were temporarily suspended from July 1977 to January 1980 due to a change in the national administration. They were also temporarily suspended again from August 1992 to December 1995 as a result of legal challenges to the awards’ constitutionality. Those who had failed to acknowledge the fact of Subhas Chandra Bose’s death objected in 1992 when the government decided to give him the award posthumously. Bose’s prize was revoked in response to a 1997 Supreme Court ruling; this was the only instance in which the award was declared but not given.
No prefix or suffix can be used with Bharat Ratna. Awarded Bharat Ratna by the President or Recipient of Bharat Ratna Award are two ways that recipients may identify themselves. Although there are no financial rewards associated with the award, there are a number of unique privileges, including:
- The miniature and medal
- A document bearing the President of India’s signature.
- When going within a state, you will be treated as a guest of the state.
- When asked, Indian missions abroad offered to help recipients.
- Possession of a diplomatic passport.
- Free executive class flights on Air India for life. (May change due to the privatization of Air India)
- Ranked seventh in the Indian hierarchy of importance.
