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Bharat Ratna

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Bharat Ratna- The Jewel of India

The Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in the country, was instituted in 1954. It is awarded in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour. No formal recommendation for the award is necessary. This is made by the Prime Minister himself to the President. The number of awards is restricted to 3 annually. On conferment of the award, the recipient receives the Sanad (Certificate) and a Medallion from the President. The award does not carry any monetary grant (Ministry of Home Affairs site- mha.gov.in).

The medallion is designed in the shape of a peepal leaf with the obverse having the Bharat Ratna inscribed in Devanagari script under the image of a sun. The reverse side has the motto, ‘Satyamev Jayate’ written under the Emblem of the State. The emblems, the sun and the rim of the medal are made of platinum whilst the inscriptions are in burnished bronze. The awards are created at the Kolkotta Alipore Mint along with the prestigious Padma awards and the Param Veer Chakra. The award is worn around the neck by a white ribbon.  An interesting fact is that the Bharat Ratna cannot be used as a prefix or suffix with the recipient’s name( India Today).

Let’s look at the subject in the context of the highest honours conferred in other democratic nations. The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established by President Kennedy in 1963. There have been 647 recipients and whilst it is a civilian award it can also be awarded to military personnel and worn on the uniform. An equivalent honour is the Congressional Gold Medal presented by the United States Congress.  Thus far 184 individuals and institutions have received this prestigious prize since 1776. If institutions also are considered for our highest award, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be a leading candidate.

The Legion of Honour is the highest decoration in France and is divided into 5 categories with the Grand Croix (Grand Cross) at the highest. This was instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte in the year 1802. On average 2000 French and 300 foreigners are decorated each year. And here lies the rub. Around 3000 French citizens have received the Grand Cross since inception averaging around 14 per year.  The current French population is around 7 crores. India has 140 crores. We are also 4X of the US population. The fact is that the Bharat Ratna and even the Padma awards have literally been rationed out.

70 years after the first awards were conferred; we have only 53 recipients of our highest civilian award. The limitation of a max of only 3 awards per year has brought us to this ridiculous situation. This limit has been breached by 4 awards in 1999 and 5 awards in 2024. Another big disappointment is that the Bharat Ratna was not awarded between 2020 and 2023. The award doesn’t need to be given every year.

Controversies related to the Bharat Ratna are all about political colour and affiliations. A few of the names in this ultimate roll-call of honour may make your eyebrows rise. Dr Radhakrishnan was conferred the honour in 1954 as a sitting Vice President. Sardar Patel, India’s first Home Minister and Deputy Prime minister, credited with the seminal achievement of preserving the Union of India was honoured posthumously only in 1991, four decades after his demise. PM Nehru was a recipient in 1955 with the Congress supporters and Nehruvian followers insisting that the President presented it to him suo-moto. Again, Smt Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister in 1971 when she received the top honours. Earnestly hope that such an event does not happen again in the next few years. In 1992, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was awarded the Bharat Ratna reigniting controversies regarding his death. This was the only instance where the award was announced and withdrawn. This historical wrong should now be corrected.

There is no formal provision that the decoration be given only to Indian citizens. It has been conferred on a naturalised Indian citizen, Mother Theresa in 1980, which begs the question as to why it has not yet been conferred on the Dalai Lama. The two foreign recipients are Abdul Ghaffar Khan, born in British India, but a Pakistani citizen at the award ceremony in 1987; the other being the iconic South African leader and President Nelson Mandela. Whilst the Pakistani national received India’s highest honour, Dilip Kumar got the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Pakistan’s highest civilian honour) in 1998. Here’s hoping that India’s first ‘Method Actor’ Dilip Saab moves from the Padma Vibhushan award in 2015 to a richly deserved Bharat Ratna, albeit posthumously. Surprise, Surprise!!  Morarji Desai remains the only Indian honoured with both the Bharat Ratna and the Nishaan-e-Pakistan (the second-highest civilian award in Pakistan).

The one Mega film star to make this august list is M G Ramachandran (MGR) who also became Chief Minister of the State of Tamil Nadu. But overlooked is his Telugu counterpart N T Rama Rao, ‘the God of Telugu Cinema’ not only because of his stirring portrayals of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna but also of several inspiring historical characters. His huge following also made him the Chief Minister of the then Andhra Pradesh. Dr Rajkumar was the colossus of the Kannada film industry- an accomplished playback singer, the SuperStar in more than 200 hit films and a social-cultural symbol in the State like none other. Vara Nada (Gifted Actor) and Bangarada Manushya (Man of Gold) for his legion of fans. The top civilian award also eluded Sivaji Ganesan, hailed as Nadigar Thilagam (Prince of Actors) in the Tamil film industry. His versatility and brilliance in over 280 films have made him the inspiration for generations of Tamil and Indian actors after him. The venerated Mohanlal and Manmooty from Malayalam cinema should also make the shortlist for the Bharat Ratna awards.

Winner of the first National Award in 1967 for Best Actor, Mahanayak Uttam Kumar is the most successful and influential actor in Bengali film history. His name will add lustre to the top national honour. As will that of the consummate actress Suchitra Sen who co-starred with him in many memorable films. Another name that readily comes to mind- the accomplished actress and dancer from Hindi films, Waheeda Rehman.

No case needs to be made for Amitabh Bachchan, ‘The Star of the Millenium’. A real anecdote will suffice. In the 1980’s when his stardom was at its peak, the stunned Egyptian film industry came up with the decree that no Indian film should be allowed a consecutive run of more than 4 weeks. The Soft Power of Indian Cinema was first exemplified by Raj Kapoor whose films ‘Awara’ ( 1951) and ‘Shree 420’ ( 1955) captivated audiences across the Soviet Union and China. The celebrated Satyajit Ray remains the only filmmaker in the list of 53 recipients thus far. Guru Dutt the maker of internationally acclaimed films like ‘Pyaasa’ and ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool’ has also been ignored. Let recognition be delayed, but not denied. Rajamouli Garu and Mani Ratnam are also staking their claims for this highest accolade. But are the powers- that- be paying any attention?!

Lata Mangeshkar’s golden voice floated in the air when the award was conferred on her in 2001. Classical Maestros like Bhimsen Joshi, Bhupen Hazarika, M S Subbalakshmi and Ravi Shankar have also been so honoured. But surely cherished household names Mohammad Rafi Saab, Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle do not have to prove ‘ their performance of the highest order’ in their artistic space. The sublime voice of S P Balasubramaniam has not only captivated South Indian film audiences but also those of popular Hindi cinema. Kerala’s iconic singer KJ Yesudas has sung mellifluously in multiple Indian languages and bagged 8 National Awards. Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain after 3 Grammy Awards is again knocking on the door.

In 2014, Sachin Tendulkar became the youngest recipient and the only sportsman to make the honour list. You may well ask- what about Sunil Gavaskar who scored tons of runs against the dreaded West Indian fast bowlers without wearing a helmet?! Or Kapil Dev, lifting the World Cup at Lords in 1983, which remains to this day the most seminal moment in Indian cricket history. Five times World Champion Vishwanathan Anand’s name does not make the honour list – shocking in a country which invented the game of chess in the 6th century Gupta period. To a forgotten hockey hero Balbir Singh Sr part of the Olympic gold medal winning teams in 1948, 1952 and again as captain in 1956. Eligible for the Bharat Ratna- a no-brainer one would think!! Mary Kom, bronze medallist at the 2012 Olympics and the most successful boxer in the history of the World Championships also deserves the highest civil recognition in India,

A welcome news has been of the late PM Narasimha Rao being awarded the Bharat Ratna for opening up and liberalising the Indian economy in the early 1990s. Surely his partner in arms Dr Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister and architect of critical economic reforms in a major crisis situation deserves the same laurels. Jan Nayak and ex-Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur’s belated recognition also raise hope that Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik gets his place in the sun. The hugely popular Naveen Babu’s administration (+ NDMA) handling of recurrent cyclones has been highlighted as the model for disaster management globally. His initiatives have pulled his State from its acute poverty and Naxal insurgencies and made it an attractive FDI and Domestic investment destination. Add to this the sponsoring of the Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams till 2033 and it remains for the Honourable Prime Minister to take the right call.

The socialist/leftist mindset that prevailed for over 5 decades ensured that only JRD Tata received the Bharat Ratna award as a hugely respected business leader.  Ratan Tata has followed in his footsteps through generous philanthropy, especially in health care and education and the Tata Group is now valued at $370 billion which is more than the current GDP of Pakistan, estimated at $341 billion by the IMF. Azim Premji at Wipro and Narayana Murthy at Infosys ushered in the IT revolution in India. Nandan Nilekani, a co-founder at Infosys, is also known as the father of the Aadhar Card (Unique Identity for Indian citizens) which along with the digital revolution and Unified Payments Interface (UPI)I has been the ultimate game-changer for the economy, trade and business and for e-governance. Capitalists and Business Houses are not the derisive words as bandied around in the license-raj times from the 1950s to the late 1980s.  All these gentlemen are now seen as role models and champions of a resurgent India.

Also missing from the list of awardees are extraordinary personalities like the late Ela Bhatt, labour lawyer and organiser par-excellence, who formed SEWA- Self Employed Women’s Association- a trade union for women workers in India’s huge informal sector. What about Verghese Kurien, the architect of India’s ‘white revolution’, which transformed the country from an importer of dairy products to the world’s largest milk producer through a system of farmer’s co-operatives – pushing out the middlemen. Another hero who deserves the highest laurels posthumously is Dr Govind Venkataswamy, the founder of the Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai. Internationally reputed for its high quality, high volumes and low-cost service model. Do these worthies come up to the criteria of ‘exceptional service/ performance of the highest order’?! –the key requirement for the Bharat Ratna award.

‘Extraordinary contribution in any field of human endeavour.’ If you are the Prime Minister will you recommend Salim Ali, India’s celebrated ornithologist and naturalist- known as ‘the Birdman of India.’ Or Kailash Sankhala noted wild-life conservationist, whose passionate efforts virtually saved the Indian tiger from becoming extinct. Or Rajendra Singh, who renewed traditional techniques for storage and conservation of water in hundreds of villages in Rajasthan and made them inhabitable again.

The above is merely a wish-list of some richly deserving individuals who have been overlooked. You will have your own opinions and your own choices. Respect. The bottom line is that the entire process and dimension and scale of evaluating India’s most prestigious award needs to be revisited and revamped.

Restricting the Bharat Ratna to a quota of 3 awards per year beggars disbelief in a nation of 140 crore Indians. 15 awards annually, including posthumous recognition, is the least correction to be made. Having a jury of 12 upstanding and accomplished citizens from various walks of life to recommend 30 deserving names to the Prime Minister for his final review and selection will greatly enhance the aura of the awards. Let’s celebrate the extraordinary achievements and influence of this unique group of Indians- without distinction of race, caste, creed, occupation, position or gender. Let’s celebrate the Naya Bharat.

INDIA POSITIVE- The Saga Continues

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When on the 23rd of August 2023, Chandrayaan 3 landed its rover on the south side of the moon, crores of Indians across the globe were all over the moon. The ISRO scientists and engineers were lauded and feted across the world. The success put India’s ‘rocket women’ in the spotlight- over 100 were closely associated with the lunar mission. Another surprising revelation was that only 2% of the ISRO space scientists had IIT affiliations.  Most of them were from Regional Engineering Colleges such as the COE Thiruvananthapuram.  Shri S Somnath had done his Mechanical Engineering degree from Kollam, Kerala. ISRO’s partners in this historic project were companies Hindustan Aeronautics, Bharat Heavy Electricals, Godrej Aerospace, Larsen & Toubro, MTAR Technologies… A satisfying ‘Make in India roll-call list’. However, what has stunned the international space community is that the Chandrayaan 3 mission cost only $75 million whereas the Russian Luna 25mission cost around $200 million. The Hollywood movie’ Interstellar’ had a production and marketing budget of $165 million. So ISRO is best placed to be the launch pad for global satellites outbidding rival agencies in the US & Europe. Satellite launches + satellite manufacturing services also.  India’s space economy which is valued at $8 billion is expected to grow to $40 billion by 2040. Forbes India has said that it may even catapult to $100 billion over the next 15 years. Since 1999 ISRO has put 381 foreign satellites in space for 34 countries and earned $279 million in revenue.

Covaxin, India’s indigenous Covid 19 vaccine was developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV). Around 35 million doses of Covaxin were administered effectively (1.69 billion doses of CovidShield). A recently released film, ‘The Vaccine War’ celebrates the dedication of Dr Bhargava (Director ICMR & team) and Dr Priya Abraham (Director NIV & team). Again, a number of women virologists and bio-scientists made a significant contribution when it really mattered. That India supplied almost 24 crore doses of the vaccines to 101 countries, mainly through grants, is hardly a footnote.

Many Indians take pride in the ever-expanding list of Indian-origin global CEOs. Sundar Pichai (Alphabet/Google), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Leena Nair (Chanel)… Rishi Sunak (PM-UK) and Leo Varadkar (PM-Ireland) have given hope to some that a certain Vivek Ramaswamy may be the next occupant of the White House with the blessings of a certain Donald Trump. Shuddering thought!! Why indulge in these vicarious feelings when actually good things are happening in our country.  Like the expanding global footprints of Indian MNCs.  Bharat Forge is the world’s largest forging company with manufacturing facilities in India, Germany, and Sweden. Tata Steel, JSW Steel, SAIL & Arcelor Mittal are amongst the largest steel manufacturers in the world. Bajaj Auto (3rd largest 2wh- manufacturer) is the most valued 2wh company with a market cap of $13 billion. Asian Paints makes the top 10 peer list with a valuation of $2.18 billion. Sun Pharma has broken into the pharma companies’ elite top 25 club. Indian Pharma is also the world’s largest producer of low-cost generic drugs which is God Sent to developing nations. Airtel Africa (Bharti Airtel) is the first or second largest operator by customer market share in 13 out of the 14 African countries it operates in with its 4 G services. As of April 2023, India has claim to 167 billionaires, behind the US and China. This is in the context of the Indian economy being opened up only in 1991 by the Shri PV Narasimha Rao government with Dr. Manmohan Singh as the Finance Minister.  In the India Positive saga, it is also interesting to note that the Women’s Reservation Bill was first tabled in the Lok Sabha by the Shri Deve Gowda government in 1996. This much-needed legislation has finally become an Act just last month.

A lot of positive developmental work is happening on the ground. The media does not share any good news as everything is seen through a political lens. So hit the road in the next few months to find out that the Raipur-Vishakhapatnam 6-lane Greenfield highway has reduced the distance from 590 km to 464 km and the travel time from 14 hours to 7 hours. The Meerut to Prayagraj Ganga Expressway will also halve the travel time from 12 hours to 6 hours. The Bengaluru-Chennai 258 km expressway which will be open to traffic from Jan 2024 has reduced the stretch by 50 km and commute time by 30%. 4 lanes are expandable to 8. All part of the 202 NH projects worth Rs 80,000 crs are under implementation and crisscrossing the country, with a special focus on the North East.

The 1483 km Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor through Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat & Maharashtra will have industrial zones, logistic hubs, power plants, ports access, schools, and hospitals –creating new economic centers with large employment potential. The ambitious Narmada Valley project seeks to optimize water resource management and generation of power through a network of canals and small dams. Another objective is to raise the groundwater level tables in the adjoining areas. The Chenab Rail Bridge (1.3 km) is expected to open to rail traffic soon. It will connect the Kashmir Valley to the Rest of India- Baramullah- Srinagar-Udhampur. The new international airport terminal at Bengaluru (T2) is expected to take air passenger footfalls to 55 million in the near future (currently 32 million annually). With a T3 planned annual air passenger traffic can move to Heathrow levels. If critical projects are completed within timelines- the economic, social, and employment impact will be huge.

The Ayushman Bharat National Public Health Insurance Scheme already has around 24 crore card holders with the GOI aiming at 50 crore registered members from the low-income earners or ration card holders. The cashless health care benefits provided – Rs 5 lakhs per eligible family per year at empaneled hospitals and designated health care centers. Sure, there are problems of corruption, fraudulent claims, and excessive billing. But a welfare scheme at such a large level will have to face, confront, and resolve such issues.

India is a happening place as a medical tourism destination. Around 2 million patients from around 78 countries sought medical, wellness, and IVF treatments in India, and the numbers are growing. The current $6 billion revenue is expected to double by 2026 with a boost from the GOI ‘Heal in India’ initiative. Chennai hospitals are especially sought after for their high-quality treatments with more than 40% of the overseas health tourists’ traffic landing in the city.

The Indigenisation of Defence Production is another stellar chapter in the India Positive story. Indian defense exports have leapfrogged from Rs 1500 crs in 2016-17 to the current levels of Rs 16000 crs. To friendly countries in South East Asia & Africa with an intent of a long-lasting relationship for military hardware. Prithvi (surface-to-surface missile), Akash (surface-to-air), Trishul (naval version of Prithvi), Nag (anti-tank), Agni(anti-ballistic missile), and Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas) have received some coverage in the media. However, India’s specialisation in Weapon Simulators, Night vision- Monocular and binocular, Weapon locating radar, Coastal Surveillance Radar, Torpedo loading machines have invited a lot of interest from countries like the Philippines. Although 80% of the defense production is by Government establishments like HAL, DRDO and BEML private companies like Bharat Forge, Mahindra Aerospace, and MATR Technologies are stepping forward as trusted partners.

Mr Nandan Nilekani has often referred to India’s new model of growth with technology drivers whilst remaining anchored to inclusivity and the Greater Good values. This Digital Transformation is dramatically changing India from an informal, fragmented, cash-driven, and inefficient economy to a formal, organized and high-productivity economy. Mr Nilekani should know as the father of the Aadhar card issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Remember this happened in 2009 under Dr Manmohan Singh’s UPA 2 government. Although it took its time to take off, there are 1.3 billion Indians with digital ID’s today. The Aadhar was the ID layer. In late 2014 the Jan Dhan Yojana was announced and in a few years 400 million new bank accounts were opened and India went from being one of the most unbanked countries in the world to one of the most banked ones. The account holders have now crossed 50 crs and have the added facility of the Ru Pay debit card. In 2016 the scenario became turbo-charged with the launch of the UPI (Unified Payments Interface) payment scheme and the advent of smartphones. Block Building. The payment layer and the data layer became naturally integrated. KYC (Know your customer) with 10 million authentications per day (OTP, Iris, Face, Fingerprint) became the gateway for not only opening bank accounts or securing mobile connections but for pensions, mutual funds, and insurance. One may recall that with EKYC, Jio issued 100 million SIM cards in just 6 months. Being financially inclusive and connected meant that almost $5 billion of welfare funds were directly transferred to the accounts of 160 million beneficiaries who were in dire straits during the pandemic.

UPI has catalyzed and streamlined the economy in just 7 years.  300 million active monthly users, 500 million merchants who use UPI to accept money for their businesses, and 7.6 billion transactions a month. In September 2016 the RBI launched the Bharat QR code and by Dec 2022 the Bharat QR had 4.9 million users and UPI QR-238 million. Vegetable vendors, farmers, shopkeepers, merchants, and professionals are all embracing the QR code for receiving payments, delivery of services, seeking feedback on services…

The Digital Revolution has become a way of life. As the ex- Infosys Chairman succinctly puts it, “the change and momentum is irreversible.” The Digi Locker (GOI cloud) was rolled out in 2015. As per the latest data 134 million Indians securely store their documents on the cloud- Aadhar, PAN card, Driving License, CoWin certificate… Fast-Tag has released the traffic jams at highway toll booths and also plugged considerable leakage. 324 crs (number of) transactions were done vide Fast Tag in 2022-23. The Digital Tax system for Income Tax and Indirect Taxes has made matters more efficient and transparent. The competition between Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone has ensured that the cost of consumption of data on our smartphones is amongst the lowest in the world.

At the cutting edge is the AI for Bharat- a voice tool in 22 regional languages. A farmer can raise his query about the sowing season timing, the weather, or the markets and receive a quick response in his own language. Some of the information will be facilitated by GPT. Let’s talk about another game-changer ONDC (Open Network for Digital Communication- GOI-Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade). “An advanced ecosystem that enables smooth and interoperable online transactions; ONDC provides an open protocol that envelopes different aspects of e-commerce for a streamlined exchange of goods and services.” Small and medium businesses can directly engage with potential customers or clients without the demands of intermediaries; it can provide a collaborative channel between the logistics and the seller to make deliveries more timely and efficient; small businessmen or farmers in Tier 3 and rural areas can access the App in their own language. They no longer have to rely on big firms, agencies or markets to sell their products and services.

By 2030 India is expected to become the 3rd largest economy in the world, overtaking Japan. But per-capita income is what we should be tackling on a war footing. Our current ranking is a dismal 141 out of 197 nations. The economy has to grow at 6.5% to 7% CAGR every year for the next 20 years if we have to be accepted and acknowledged as an advanced economy. There is surely some progress to cheer about but it is a long haul ahead. It is incumbent upon whichever future government is in power to relentlessly focus on a vibrant economy and real & inclusive growth. Good Economics is the Best Politics. In 2047, the Indian tricolor should unfurl after 100 years of Independence to represent one of the leading global powers and celebrate being one of the most progressive nations on Earth.