List of Bharat Ratna Winners (1954-2019)

Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award in India. Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award in India. It was instituted in the year 1954 and the first recipients of the Bharat Ratna were politician C. Rajagopalachari, philosopher Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and scientist C. V. Raman.

The Bharat Ratna is conferred “in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order”, without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. Bharat Ratna can be awarded posthumously. Youngest Bharat Ratna recipient is cricketer Sachin Tendulkar who received the award at the age of 40 in the year 2014. The oldest recipient is social reformer Dhondo Keshav Karve who received the award at the age of 100 years.

Following non-India-born people have been conferred with Bharat Ratna:

• Mother Teresa (Albania-born, naturalized Indian citizen) was awarded in 1980
• Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Pakistani citizen) was awarded in 1987
• Nelson Mandela (South African citizen) was awarded in 1990

The following Bharat Ratna winners have also won the Nobel Prize:

• CV Raman (Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930; Bharat Ratna in 1954)
• Mother Teresa (Nobel Peace Prize in 1979; Bharat Ratna in 1980)
• Amartya Sen (Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998; Bharat Ratna in 1999)

Award composition: a medal is in the shape of a peepal leaf, a certificate signed by the President of India. There is no cash component in the award. The holders of the Bharat Ratna rank seventh in the Indian order of precedence.

The Bharat Ratna medals are produced at Alipore Mint, Kolkata, West Bengal.

List of Bharat Ratna Winners

So, this was the complete list of Bharat Ratna winners. Do let us know your thoughts on this article!