From Jawaharlal Nehru To Narasimha Rao, Here's A List of Recipients of Bharat Ratna
The 96-year-old BJP veteran is credited with crafting the party's rise through the 90s when it came to power for the first time as the head of coalition governments under Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Former Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh and agricultural scientist Dr MS Swaminathan will be conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Narasimha Rao for his “visionary leadership", which was key in “making India economically advanced, laying a solid foundation for the country’s prosperity and growth".
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While PM Modi said that the Bharat Ratna is dedicated to former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh’s incomparable contribution to the country. “He had dedicated his entire life to the rights and welfare of farmers," he wrote.
Last week, BJP stalwart and former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani accepted the honour of ‘Bharat Ratna’ with “humility and gratitude" and said that the motto — “This life is not mine. My life is for my Nation" — is what inspired his life.
Advani said that ever since he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a volunteer at the age of 14, he has sought just one thing in his life, that is to be “dedicated and selfless" in his service to the nation in “whatever task life assigned" to him.
The announcement came days after the President’s office said socialist leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur will be conferred Bharat Ratna posthumously.
Also Read: LK Advani to be Conferred Bharat Ratna, PM Modi Hails His ‘Monumental Contributions’
Popularly known as Jan Nayak, Thakur was born into an impoverished family in Bihar’s Samastipur district but went on to make giant strides in politics that earned him the epithet Jannayak (people’s leader)
The Bharat Ratna is India’s highest civilian award. It was instituted in the year 1954 and is awarded to people for their exceptional public service and performance of the highest order in any field like literature, science and art.
The Bharat Ratna award has been conferred on 50 people so far, of which 15 were awarded posthumously.
Bharat Ratna Winners From 1954 to 2024
| Name | Field | State | Year | |
| 1 | PV Narasimha Rao (Posthumous) (1921-2004) | Politician | Telangana | 2024 |
| 2 | Chaudhary Charan Singh (Posthumous) (1902-1987) | Politician | Uttar Pradesh | 2024 |
| 3 | Dr MS Swaminathan (Posthumous) (1925-2023) | Scientist | Tamil Nadu | 2024 |
| 4 | LK Advani(b-1927) | Politician | Delhi | 2024 |
| 5 | Karpoori Thakur (Posthumous) (1924-1988) | Politician | Bihar | 2024 |
| 6 | Nanaji Deshmukh (Posthumous) (1916-2010) | Social Activist | Maharashtra | 2019 |
| 7 | Bhupendra Kumar Hazarika (Posthumous) (1926-2011) | Playback Singer, Lyricist, Musician, Poet, and Filmmaker | Assam | 2019 |
| 8 | Pranab Mukherjee (1935-2020) | Politician | West Bengal | 2019 |
| 9 | Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (Posthumous) (1861-1946) | Scholar & Educational Reformer | Uttar Pradesh | 2015 |
| 10 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924-2018) | Politician | Uttar Pradesh | 2015 |
| 11 | Sachin Tendulkar (b-1973) | Cricketer | Maharashtra | 2014 |
| 12 | CNR Rao (b-1934) | Chemist & Professor | Karnataka | 2014 |
| 13 | Bhimsen Joshi (1922-2011) | Hindustani Classical Vocalist | Karnataka | 2009 |
| 14 | Bismillah Khan (1916-2006) | Hindustani Classical Shehnai Player | Uttar Pradesh | 2001 |
| 15 | Lata Mangeshkar (1929-2022) | Playback Singer | Maharashtra | 2001 |
| 16 | Ravi Shankar (1920-2012) | Sitar Player | Uttar Pradesh | 1999 |
| 17 | Gopinath Bordoloi (Posthumous) (1890-1950) | Independence Activist | Assam | 1999 |
| 18 | Amartya Sen (b-1933) | Economist | West Bengal | 1999 |
| 19 | Jayaprakash Narayan (Posthumous) (1902-1979) | Independence Activist & Social Reformer | Bihar | 1999 |
| 20 | Chidambaram Subramaniam (1910-2000) | Independence Activist | Tamil Nadu | 1998 |
| 21 | MS Subbulakshmi (1916-2005) | Carnatic Classical Vocalist | Tamil Nadu | 1998 |
| 22 | A P J Abdul Kalam (1931-2015) | Aerospace & Defence Scientist | Tamil Nadu | 1997 |
| 23 | Aruna Asaf Ali (Posthumous) (1909-1996) | Independence Activist | West Bengal | 1997 |
| 24 | Gulzarilal Nanda (1898-1998) | Independence Activist | Punjab | 1997 |
| 25 | Satyajit Ray (1922-1992) | Filmmaker | West Bengal | 1992 |
| 26 | JRD Tata (1904-1993) | Industrialist | Maharashtra | 1992 |
| 27 | Abdul Kalam Azad (Posthumous) (1888-1958) | Independence Activist | West Bengal | 1992 |
| 28 | Morarji Desai (1896-1995) | Independence Activist | Gujarat | 1991 |
| 29 | Sadar Vallabhbhai Patel (Posthumous) (1875-1950) | Independence Activist | Gujarat | 1991 |
| 30 | Rajiv Gandhi (Posthumous) (1944-1991) | Politician | Uttar Pradesh | 1991 |
| 31 | Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) | Anti-apartheid Activist | South Africa | 1990 |
| 32 | B R Ambedkar (Posthumous) (1891-1956) | Social Reformer | Maharashtra | 1990 |
| 33 | M G Ramachandran (Posthumous) (1917-1987) | Actor & Politician | Tamil Nadu | 1988 |
| 34 | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890-1988) | Independence Activist | Pakistan | 1987 |
| 35 | Vinoba Bhave (Posthumous) (1895-1982) | Independence Activist & Social Reformer | Maharashtra | 1983 |
| 36 | Mother Teresa (1910-1997) | Catholic Nun | West Bengal | 1980 |
| 37 | K Kamaraj (Posthumous) (1903-1975) | Politician | Tamil Nadu | 1976 |
| 38 | V V Giri (1894-1980) | Independence Activist | Odisha | 1975 |
| 39 | Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) | Politician | Uttar Pradesh | 1971 |
| 40 | Lal Bahadur Shastri (Posthumous) (1904-1966) | Independence Activist | Uttar Pradesh | 1966 |
| 41 | Pandurang Vaman Kane 1880-1972) | Indologist & Sanskrit Scholar | Maharashtra | 1963 |
| 42 | Zakir Husain (1897-1969) | Independence Activist & Philosopher | Andhra Pradesh | 1963 |
| 43 | Rajendra Prasad (1884-1963) | Independence Activist & Scholar | Bihar | 1962 |
| 44 | Purushottam Das Tandon (1882-1962) | Independence Activist | Uttar Pradesh | 1961 |
| 45 | Bidhan Chandra Roy (1882-1962) | Philanthropist, Politician, Social Worker | West Bengal | 1961 |
| 46 | Dhondo Keshav Karve (1858-1962) | Social Reformer & Educator | Maharashtra | 1958 |
| 47 | Govind Ballabh Pant (1887-1961) | Independence Activist | Uttarakhand | 1957 |
| 48 | Jawahar Lal Nehru (1889 -1964) | Independence Activist | Uttar Pradesh | 1955 |
| 49 | M Visvesvaraya (1861-1962) | Civil Engineer, Statesman, & Diwan of Mysore | Karnataka | 1955 |
| 50 | Bhagwan Das (1869-1958) | Independence Activist & Philosopher | Uttar Pradesh | 1955 |
| 51 | CV Raman (1888-1970) | Physicist | Tamil Nadu | 1954 |
| 52 | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) | Philosopher & Politician | Tamil Nadu | 1954 |
| 53 | C Rajagopalachari (1878-1972) | Statesman, Writer, Lawyer, & Independence Activist | Tamil Nadu | 1954 |
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