for exceptional contribution to public service and exceptional work intens
The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of our country. It is given
such as the arts, literature and science. In 2019, the recipients were forme
president Pranab Mukherjee, late Assamese singer Bhupen Hazanka
late social activist Nanaji Deshmukh (posthumously)
Complete this crossword on famous Bharat Ratna awardees.
Across
3. Won Nobel Prize for Economics in 1998 (7.3)
5. A respected physician and freedom fighter, served as the Chief
Minister of West Bengal for 14 years (1, 1, 3)
9. Architect of the Indian Constitution (8)
10. A famous sitarist, set the music for Saare Jahan Se Achha
(4.7)
Down
1. First name Nelson, he fought against apartheid in
South Africa (7)
2. A former President of India whose birthday is celebrated as
Teachers' Day (13)
4. Youngest Prime Minister of India, also a pilot (5.6)
6. Awarded Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930 (1, 1, 5)
7. First to receive commercial pilot's licence and a legendary
businessman (1, 1, 1, 4)
8.
Known as Gandhi of the South, awarded Bharat Ratna in 19
(1,7)
Answers
The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna were: the last Governor-General of the Dominion of India – C. Rajagopalachari, second President and the first Vice President of India – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and Nobel Prize Laureate, Physicist C. V. Raman; who were honoured in 1954. Since then, the award has been bestowed upon 48 individuals, including 16 who were awarded posthumously. The original statutes did not provide for posthumous awards but were amended in January 1955 to permit them. Former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri became the first individual to be honoured posthumously. In 2014, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, then aged 40, became the youngest recipient; while social reformer Dhondo Keshav Karve was awarded on his 100th birthday. The first singer to be awarded Bharat Ratna was M. S. Subbulakshmi. Though usually conferred on India-born citizens, the Bharat Ratna has been awarded to one naturalised citizen – Mother Teresa, and to two non-Indians: Abdul Ghaffar Khan (born in British India and later citizen of Pakistan) and Nelson Mandela, born in and citizen of South Africa. On 25 January 2019, the government announced the award to social activist Nanaji Deshmukh (posthumously), singer-music director Bhupen Hazarika (posthumously) and to the former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee.
The Bharat Ratna, along with other personal civil honours, was briefly suspended from July 1977 to January 1980, during the change in the national government; and for a second time from August 1992 to December 1995, when several public-interest litigations challenged the constitutional validity of the awards. In 1992, the government's decision to confer the award posthumously on Subhas Chandra Bose was opposed by those who had refused to accept the fact of his death, including some members of his extended family. Following a 1997 Supreme Court decision, the press communiqué announcing Bose's award was cancelled; it is the only time when the award was announced but not conferred.
Several bestowals of the award have met with criticism. The posthumous award for M. G. Ramachandran (1988) was considered to have been aimed at placating the voters for the upcoming assembly election and posthumous awards of Madan Mohan Malaviya (2015) and Vallabhbhai Patel (1991) drew criticism because they died before the award was instituted.