Bharat Ratna Award

TPS

Dear Prime Minister,

“Grapevine as well as personal hunch tells me that BHARAT RATNA AWARD might be declared before going to polls sometimes in 2019”.

I am quite conscious that both ‘the Grapevine’ and ‘Hunches’ do not necessarily fructify into real time events. Nevertheless it prompted me to look at the list of BHARAT RATNA AWARDEES on the internet. Since most of us, me included, look at such information merely as a news item, I thought it appropriate to list out the distribution of the highest civilian award amongst various segments of the expertise. No guess is required that most number of awardees were POLITICIANS. The distribution is as below (1954-2017):-

  • Politicians                  24 (includes FOUR former PRESIDENTS and SIX PMs)
  • Scientists/Scholars   06 (includes former PRESIDENT Dr APJ Abdul Kalam)
  • Artists                         06
  • Social Workers         05
  • Foreigners                 02
  • Industrialists            01
  • Sports Persons         01

          Total                          45

Only THREE out of the FORTY FIVE AWARDEES are alive.

Mr Prime Minister don’t you think that the above data is skewed in favour of politicians or put differently the decision makers have consistently ignored the rest of the ‘DISCIPLINES’, which have decidedly contributed to NATION BUILDING in far greater measure than the politicians.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY NOT ONE SOLDIER FINDS A PLACE.

Is it not a matter of shame and disgrace for all Indians? USA awards the highest civilian honour to her ASTRONAUTS and not PRESIDENTS or the Secretary of State and so on.

I am nearly certain that BHARAT RATNA AWARD announcement could be made anytime from now till just before elections are announced and “AACHAR SANHITA COMES INTO PLAY”. It might be postponed only and only if Mr Amit Shah is absolutely certain of achieving his 350+ ambition in 2019 general elections. To me it seems far fetched. Entirely on your merit and broad shoulders NDA might win 272 seats in Lok Sabha. I would be delighted to be proved wrong. Country needs your leadership for at least another tenure.

As an ordinary Indian citizen of extremely mediocre intellect, may I recommend the following personalities for BHARAT RATNA AWARD:-

  1. Late Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw
  2. Late Major Dhyan Chand
  3. Late Sri Dhirubhai Ambani
  4. Nobel Laureate Sri Kailash Satyarthi

Mr Prime Minister, in your opinion is there a requirement to even mention their individual accomplishment/achievement/contribution in their respective fields. But I will, given the standard of education in our schools and colleges. Children may not even have heard these names.

  1. Sam Manekshaw. Led Indian Armed Forces to most resounding victory over Pakistan in 1971, which led to creation of a new country, BANGLA DESH. Let me, for the benefit of ‘Nay-Sayers’ in close proximity to you, state that merely awarding FIELD MARSHAL RANK is/was not good enough. Mr Prime Minister time is ripe to correct the grave injustice done to one of the finest soldier of India.
  2. Major Dhyan Chand. Should we Indians forget the OLYMPIC GOLD WINNING HOCKEY TEAM CAPTAIN of INDIA? Let us look beyond cricket.
  3. Sri Dhirubhai Ambani. The man, who started a small business venture with Rs 15,000/- and created an empire of over Rs 15,000/- crore in less than 20 years by creating RELIANCE INDUSTRIES, the first Indian Company to feature in the list of FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES LIST OF THE WORLD. Single handedly he changed the face of business in India.
  4. Sri Kailash Satyarthi. Only the SECOND GENUINE INDIAN NOBEL LAUREATE after Sri CV Raman. Other Indians viz Sri Amaratya Sen etc are not Indian Citizens. By the way I hope you know how Pakistan has promoted Ms Malala Yusufzai at UN, who does not stay in Pakistan. Is it not a quandary that India has failed to recognize her genuine Nobel Laureate? Should it not be corrected?

Precedence of awarding more than one BHARAT RATNA in a year already exists. Four personalities were conferred BHARAT RATNA in 1999.

I deliberately omit the exercise of mentioning names of ‘LESS THAN DESERVING’ BHARAT RATNA AWARDEES for two reasons;

Firstly, Quite a few of them are no longer alive. There is a saying in Persian “MURDA RA BABADI YAD MA KUN”. Translated into English it means that the “dead must not be remembered with an ill will, notwithstanding their deeds”.

Secondly, the award is essentially meant for those, who have contributed towards nation building, brought laurels to the country. A look at politicians category, in particular, would indicate that quite a few awardees were at best regional satraps. Their contribution to ‘INDIAN NATION’ was minimal. Award to them was conferred entirely due to political compulsions of the time.

There is a need to urgently correct the highly skewed nature of distribution. For instance in my view no politician, irrespective of his/her capability, be considered for Bharat Ratna award until the figure of 15 is reached in respect of following categories:-

  • Scientists/Scholars
  • Social Activists
  • Artists

‘BHARAT RATNA’ award should be conferred only on a ‘GENUINE BHARAT RATNA’, at least during your tenure at the helm.

17-Oct-2018

Published by TPS

Born in a legal practitioner’s family of repute in 1950, I chose to serve the finest institution of any nation, The Military. Over three decades with the IAF, I spent nearly quarter century sitting in the close confines of magnificent flying machines viz MiG-21 and MiG-29, a different world altogether. I have had the opportunity to walk the corridors of power and witness profligate governance by the politicians and bureaucrats alike with military leadership not lagging too far behind. I have traveled extensively across Middle East, South East Asia, most of Europe, China and the USA. I have authored a book titled “Profligate Governance--- Implications for National Security” dealing with national and international affairs, specific military affairs, geo-strategic scenario etc. In the twilight of my life my interest revolves around improving standards of Primary Education in the country. Whatever I save from my pension goes towards establishing libraries for children in village schools.

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