From TheBestLinks.com
Bharat Ratna is India's highest civilian award. The Bharat Ratna is India's supreme decoration and honor, 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." Unlike knighthood, holders of the Bharat Ratna neither carry a special title nor assume a certain precedence or status.
Bharat Ratna medallion: An image of the Sun along with the words "Bharat Ratna", inscribed in
Devanagari script, on a
peepul leaf
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 (and there have, subsequently, been seven posthumous awards). 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 (to Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, better known as "Mother Theresa," in 1980) and two to non-Indians (to Nelson Mandela in 1990 and to Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan in 1988).
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.
Complete list of the Awardees
See also
de:Bharat Ratna
fr:Bhârat Ratna
Related links
Top visited
0 of
0 links
[no links posted yet]
>> place link >>
Discussion
Last posted
0 of
0 messages
[no messages posted yet]
>> post message >>
Watch
You can
add this article to your own "watchlist" and receive e-mail notification about all changes in this page.
