National Civilian Awards
Bharat Ratna
India's highest civilian honour — established 1954
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Established | 1954 |
| Awarded by | President of India |
| Criteria | Exceptional service to nation / outstanding achievement in any field |
| Posthumous | Permitted |
| Design | Peepal leaf shaped; sun + state emblem |
| Precedence | Highest civilian; after Param Vir Chakra in order |
Selected Bharat Ratna Recipients:
| Year | Recipient | Field |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | C.V. Raman | Science (first scientist) |
| 1954 | C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) | Politics/Literature |
| 1954 | S. Radhakrishnan | Philosophy (later President) |
| 1955 | Jawaharlal Nehru | Statesman |
| 1980 | Mother Teresa | Service |
| 1990 | Dr. B.R. Ambedkar | Posthumous |
| 1997 | A.P.J. Abdul Kalam | Science |
| 1998 | M.S. Subbulakshmi | Music (first musician) |
| 2001 | Lata Mangeshkar | Music |
| 2001 | Ustad Bismillah Khan | Music |
| 2008 | Pandit Ravi Shankar | Music |
| 2014 | Sachin Tendulkar | Cricket (first sportsperson) |
| 2015 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Statesman |
| 2019 | Pranab Mukherjee | Statesman |
| 2024 | M.S. Swaminathan | Agriculture (posthumous) |
| 2024 | Karpoori Thakur | Social justice (posthumous) |
| 2024 | L.K. Advani | Politics |
| 2024 | P.V. Narasimha Rao | Statesman (posthumous) |
| 2024 | Chaudhary Charan Singh | Agriculture/Politics (posthumous) |
Total recipients (2024): 53
Tamil Nadu laureates: C. Rajagopalachari, C.V. Raman, M.S. Subbulakshmi, M.S. Swaminathan
Padma Awards
Three tiers — awarded on Republic Day (January 26):
| Award | Rank | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Padma Vibhushan | 2nd highest civilian | Exceptional distinguished service |
| Padma Bhushan | 3rd | Distinguished service of a high order |
| Padma Shri | 4th | Distinguished service in any field |
- Awarded posthumously since 1955
- Foreign nationals also eligible (rare)
- Cannot be used as prefix/suffix to name
- Announced on Republic Day eve
Sports Awards
National Sports Awards (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports)
| Award | For | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna | Highest sports honour; spectacular performance over 4 years | ₹25 lakh |
| Arjuna Award | Outstanding performance + 4-year consistency | ₹15 lakh + Arjuna statue |
| Dronacharya Award | Outstanding coaches | ₹15 lakh |
| Dhyan Chand Award | Lifetime contribution to sport | ₹10 lakh |
| Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar | Organisations promoting sports | — |
Khel Ratna renamed (2021): Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna → Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (India's hockey legend; 1905–1979)
Recent Khel Ratna winners:
- 2018: Neeraj Chopra (javelin), Virat Kohli (cricket), Mirabai Chanu (weightlifting)
- 2020: Rohit Sharma (cricket), Rani Rampal (hockey), Mariyappan Thangavelu (para)
- 2021: Neeraj Chopra (javelin — after Olympic gold)
- 2023: Chirag Shetty + Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (badminton pair)
Major Dhyan Chand (Hockey wizard):
- Born August 29, 1905; died December 3, 1979
- Won Olympic golds: 1928 (Amsterdam), 1932 (Los Angeles), 1936 (Berlin)
- August 29 = National Sports Day (his birthday)
India at the Olympics
Medal Tally — Recent Olympics
Tokyo 2020 (held 2021) — 7 medals (best ever till then):
| Medal | Athlete | Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Neeraj Chopra | Javelin throw (first athletics/track & field gold) |
| Silver | Mirabai Chanu | Weightlifting (49 kg) |
| Silver | Ravi Kumar Dahiya | Wrestling (57 kg freestyle) |
| Bronze | P.V. Sindhu | Badminton |
| Bronze | Lovlina Borgohain | Boxing (69 kg) |
| Bronze | Bajrang Punia | Wrestling (65 kg freestyle) |
| Bronze | Men's Hockey team | Field hockey (first medal since 1980) |
Paris 2024 — 6 medals:
| Medal | Athlete | Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | Neeraj Chopra | Javelin throw |
| Silver | Aman Sehrawat | Wrestling (57 kg freestyle) |
| Bronze | Manu Bhaker | Shooting (10m air pistol women) |
| Bronze | Manu Bhaker + Sarabjot Singh | Shooting (10m air pistol mixed team) |
| Bronze | Swapnil Kusale | Shooting (50m rifle 3 positions) |
| Bronze | Men's Hockey team | Field hockey |
Manu Bhaker: First Indian woman to win shooting Olympic medal; first Indian in modern Olympics to win 2 medals in same Games
Historic Olympic Milestones
| Year | Achievement |
|---|---|
| 1900 | Norman Pritchard — first Olympic medal (2 silvers, athletics); first Asian to win Olympic medal |
| 1928–1964 | India's hockey golden era — 6 consecutive golds (1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956); 8 golds total |
| 1948 | India competed independently for first time (post-independence) |
| 2008 | Abhinav Bindra — first individual Olympic gold (10m air rifle, Beijing) |
| 2012 | Sushil Kumar — Olympic silver + bronze (only Indian to win 2 individual Olympic medals before 2024) |
| 2020 | Neeraj Chopra — first track & field gold; 7 medals (record) |
Commonwealth Games
CWG 2022 (Birmingham)
India finished 4th overall: 22 Gold + 16 Silver + 23 Bronze = 61 medals
Key performers:
- Weightlifting: Jeremy Lalrinnunga (Gold, 67 kg), Achinta Sheuli (Gold, 73 kg), Mirabai Chanu (Gold, 49 kg)
- Wrestling: 12 medals; Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat
- Lawn Bowls: Women's team won gold — first time India won lawn bowls CWG gold
- Table Tennis: Gold in team events
- Badminton: PV Sindhu gold; Lakshya Sen gold
India has never won CWG overall — Australia, England, Canada typically top
Asian Games
Asian Games 2023 (Hangzhou, China)
India's best-ever performance: Finished 4th 28 Gold + 38 Silver + 41 Bronze = 107 medals (record)
Historic achievements:
- Cricket: Men's team won gold (first Asian Games cricket gold)
- Athletics: Multiple golds in track events; Neeraj Chopra gold
- Shooting: India's largest haul from shooting
- Kabaddi: Men's gold (7th consecutive Asian Games gold)
- Esports: Medal events for first time; India won medals
Nobel Prize — Indian Connection
| Year | Name | Field | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Rabindranath Tagore | Literature | First Asian Nobel laureate; Gitanjali |
| 1930 | C.V. Raman | Physics | Raman Effect; National Science Day = Feb 28 |
| 1968 | Har Gobind Khorana | Medicine | Genetic code; Indian-American |
| 1979 | Mother Teresa | Peace | Albanian-born Indian citizen |
| 1983 | Subramanyan Chandrasekhar | Physics | Chandrasekhar Limit; Tamil origin |
| 1998 | Amartya Sen | Economics | Welfare economics; poverty; Bengal famine |
| 2001 | V.S. Naipaul | Literature | Indian-Trinidadian |
| 2009 | Venkatraman Ramakrishnan | Chemistry | Ribosome structure; Tamil origin (Chidambaram) |
| 2014 | Kailash Satyarthi | Peace | Child rights; Bachpan Bachao Andolan |
| 2019 | Abhijit Banerjee | Economics | Poverty economics; MIT; Indian-American |
Tamil Nadu Nobel connections:
- C.V. Raman (1930): Physics — Raman Effect; born Tiruchirapalli
- Subramanyan Chandrasekhar (1983): Physics — Chandrasekhar Limit; born Lahore, Tamil family from Chennai
- Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (2009): Chemistry — Ribosome; born Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu
Other Major Awards
Sahitya Akademi Award
- Given for outstanding literary contribution in 24 recognized languages
- Tamil winners include: U.V. Swaminatha Iyer, Jayakanthan, Sujatha (S. Rangarajan)
Jnanpith Award (highest literary award)
- 58 total recipients; for outstanding contribution to Indian literature
- Tamil winners: G. Sankara Kurup (1965, first winner), U.R. Ananthamurthy, Girish Karnad
Kalidas Samman
- MP Government; classical arts
Kalaimamani (Tamil Nadu)
- TN Govt award for arts/literature; most prestigious state arts award
Ramon Magsaysay Award ("Asian Nobel")
- Given by Philippines foundation; public service
- Indian winners: Vinoba Bhave (1958), Jayaprakash Narayan (1965), Mother Teresa (1962), Ela Bhatt, Aruna Roy, Arvind Kejriwal, Kailash Satyarthi, T.N. Seshan (Election Commissioner)
Key Sports Personalities
| Name | Sport | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| Neeraj Chopra | Javelin | Olympic gold (2020), silver (2024); World Champion 2023 |
| P.V. Sindhu | Badminton | 2 Olympic medals (2016 silver, 2020 bronze); World Champion 2019 |
| Mirabai Chanu | Weightlifting | Olympic silver (2020); CWG gold; World Champion |
| Manu Bhaker | Shooting | 2 medals Paris 2024; first Indian woman Olympic shooting medallist |
| Sachin Tendulkar | Cricket | Bharat Ratna (first sportsperson); 100 international centuries |
| Viswanathan Anand | Chess | 5-time World Chess Champion; Padma Vibhushan; from Chennai |
| Abhinav Bindra | Shooting | First individual Olympic gold (2008 Beijing) |
| Bajrang Punia | Wrestling | Olympic bronze (2020); CWG gold; Asian Games gold |
| Saina Nehwal | Badminton | 2012 Olympic bronze; World #1; Padma Bhushan |
| Mary Kom | Boxing | 6-time World Champion; Olympic bronze (2012); Padma Vibhushan |
Tamil Nadu sports personalities:
- Viswanathan Anand — Chess (born Chennai)
- Sathiyan Gnanasekaran — Table Tennis; Arjuna Award
- Elavenil Valarivan — Shooting; Arjuna Award; from Gujarat but Tamil roots
- P.R. Sreejesh — Hockey goalkeeper (Kerala); Dronacharya/Khel Ratna
Board Exam Tips
- Bharat Ratna: Highest civilian award; 53 recipients (2024); Sachin Tendulkar = first sportsperson (2014)
- M.S. Swaminathan: Bharat Ratna 2024 (posthumous); father of Green Revolution in India
- Tamil Nadu Bharat Ratna: Rajaji, C.V. Raman, M.S. Subbulakshmi, M.S. Swaminathan
- Khel Ratna renamed Major Dhyan Chand in 2021; National Sports Day = August 29
- Tokyo 2020: 7 medals; Neeraj Chopra = first track & field Olympic gold
- Paris 2024: 6 medals; Manu Bhaker = first Indian woman Olympic shooting medal; 2 medals (record)
- India's most Olympic golds: Hockey (8 golds 1928-1980)
- Abhinav Bindra: First individual Olympic gold (2008 Beijing, 10m air rifle)
- Nobel: Tagore (1913, first Asian), C.V. Raman (1930, Physics), Amartya Sen (1998, Economics)
- Tamil Nobel: C.V. Raman, Subramanyan Chandrasekhar, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan
- Asian Games 2023: India 4th; 107 medals (record); Cricket gold (first time)
- CWG 2022 Birmingham: India 4th; 61 medals; Lawn Bowls gold (historic first)
- Viswanathan Anand: 5-time World Chess Champion; from Chennai; Padma Vibhushan
Frequently Asked Questions
Bharat Ratna: India's highest civilian honour — awarded for exceptional service to the nation or outstanding achievement in any field (art, literature, science, public service, sports). Established 1954. Can be awarded posthumously. No limit on number per year. Recent recipients: M.S. Swaminathan (2024 — posthumous, agricultural scientist), Karpoori Thakur (2024 — posthumous, Bihar CM), L.K. Advani (2024), Chaudhary Charan Singh (2024 — posthumous), P.V. Narasimha Rao (2024 — posthumous). Earlier notable recipients: C.V. Raman (1954), Jawaharlal Nehru (1955), Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (posthumous, 1990), Rajiv Gandhi (posthumous, 1991), Sachin Tendulkar (2014 — first sportsperson), A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (1997), Atal Bihari Vajpayee (2015). Tamil Nadu connections: C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji, 1954), M.S. Subbulakshmi (1998 — first musician), C.N. Annadurai (nominated, not received — CM of TN). Total recipients (2024): 53 individuals.