Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian honour in India. It is given to an individual for exceptional service in any field of human endeavour. The award is given without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. The provision of Bharat Ratna was introduced in 1954.
The first Bharat Ratna Award winners included famous scientists like Dr. Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman. Indian independence activist and lawyer C. Rajagopalachari was also among the first awardees. Additionally, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, India’s first Vice President, received the coveted award.
Since then, many dignitaries have been honoured with this highly prestigious award. Each recipient has excelled in varied aspects of their careers.
In this blog, we will look into the list of Bharat Ratna Award recipients.
Bharat Ratna Award Winners List: 2024
Every year, three Bharat Ratna Awards are distributed. However, for the year 2024, a total of five recipients have received the Bharat Ratna Award. The Indian Government announced that Karpoori Thakur and Chaudhary Charan Singh have been posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna. Lal Krishna Advani, Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, and PV Narasimha Rao are also among the recipients of this prestigious award.
Below is the 2024 Bharat Ratna Award Winners list:
1. Karpoori Thakur (24 January 1924 – 17 February 1988): He was an Indian politician. He served two terms as the 11th Chief Minister of Bihar. He was popularly known as Jan Nayak.
2. Chaudhary Charan Singh (23 December 1902 – 29 May 1987): He was an Indian politician. He served as the 5th Prime Minister of India. His term lasted from 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980.
3. Lal Krishna Advani (born 8 November 1927): He is an Indian politician. He served as the 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. He is one of the co-founders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Additionally, he is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is a right-wing Hindu nationalist volunteer organization.
4. MS Swaminathan (born 7 August 1925): Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan was an Indian agronomist and agricultural scientist. He was also a plant geneticist, administrator, and humanitarian. Swaminathan was a global leader of the Green Revolution.
5. PV Narasimha Rao (born 28 June 1921): Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao, popularly known as P. V. Narasimha Rao, was an Indian lawyer, statesman, and politician. He served as the 9th prime minister of India from 1991 to 1996. He is known for introducing various liberal reforms to India’s economy.
Bharat Ratna Award Winners
The recommendations for the Bharat Ratna awardees are given by the Prime Minister of India. It is awarded by the President of India.
- A total of 48 eminent persons have been awarded the Bharat Ratna Award.
- The Bharat Ratna Award can also be presented posthumously; to date, 14 individuals have received it posthumously.
- Under Article 18 (1) of the Indian Constitution, no titles, including military or academic distinctions, can be conferred by the state.
- Awards like Bharat Ratna cannot be used as suffixes or prefixes to the names of awardees.
- There are no monetary grants associated with the Bharat Ratna Award.
- Awardees receive a Certificate/Sanad signed by the current president of India.
- The award includes a peepal-leaf-shaped medal.
- The medal features the state emblem of India and the inscription “Satyamev Jayate.”
List of Bharat Ratna Award Recipients: 1954 to 2024
There are many stories related to the Bharat Ratna Award nomination. For instance, the Government of India decided to present this award posthumously to Subhash Chandra Bose in 1992. However, his family members and supporters did not allow this, as they did not believe in his death. Many times in the past, the name of Major Dhyanchand, known as the Magician of Hockey, has been raised for the Bharat Ratna Award. Yet, he has not yet been awarded this honor.
Below is the complete list of Bharat Ratna Award recipients:
| Year | Laureates | Brief Description |
| 1954 | C. Rajagopalachari | Rajagopalachari, an Indian independence activist, statesman, and lawyer, was the only Indian and the last Governor-General of independent India. He was the Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency (1937–39) and Madras State (1952–54) and founder of the Indian political party, the Swatantra Party. |
| Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | He served as India’s first Vice President (1952–62) and second President (1962–67). Since 1962, his birthday on September 5 has been observed as “Teachers’ Day” in India. | |
| C. V. Raman | Widely known for his work on the scattering of light and the discovery of the effect, now better known as “Raman scattering,” Raman primarily worked in the fields of atomic physics and electromagnetism and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. | |
| 1955 | Bhagwan Das | An independence activist, philosopher, and educationist, and co-founder of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, worked with Madan Mohan Malaviya for the foundation of Banaras Hindu University. |
| M. Visvesvaraya | A civil engineer, statesman, and Diwan of Mysore (1912–18), he was a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire. His birthday, September 15, is observed as “Engineer’s Day” in India. | |
| Jawaharlal Nehru | Independence activist and author Nehru is the first and longest-serving Prime Minister of India (1947–64). | |
| 1957 | Govind Ballabh Pant | Independent activist Pant was Premier of the United Provinces (1937–39, 1946–50) and first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (1950–54). He served as Union Home Minister from 1955 to 1961. |
| 1958 | Dhondo Keshav Karve | Karve, a social reformer and educator, is widely recognized for his contributions to women’s education and the remarriage of Hindu widows. He established the Widow Marriage Association (1883), the Hindu Widows Home (1896), and Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women’s University in 1916. |
| 1961 | Bidhan Chandra Roy | A physician, political leader, philanthropist, educator, and social worker is often considered the “Maker of Modern West Bengal.” He was the second Chief Minister of West Bengal (1948–62), and his birthday on July 1 is observed as National Doctors’ Day in India. |
| Purushottam Das Tandon | Often titled “Rajarshi”, Tandon was an independence activist and served as speaker of the United Provinces Legislative Assembly (1937–50). He was actively involved in a campaign to get official language status for Hindi. | |
| 1962 | Rajendra Prasad | Independence activist, lawyer, statesman, and scholar, Prasad was closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi in the non-cooperation movement for Indian independence. He was later elected as the first President of India (1950–62). |
| 1963 | Zakir Husain | Husain, an independence activist, economist, and education philosopher, served as Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (1948–56) and Governor of Bihar (1957–62). Later, he was elected as the second Vice-President of India (1962–67) and went on to become the third President of India (1967–69). |
| Pandurang Vaman Kane | Indologist and Sanskrit scholar Kane is best known for his five-volume literary work, History of Dharmaśāstra: Ancient and Medieval Religious and Civil Law in India, a “monumental” work that spans nearly 6,500 pages and was published from 1930 to 1962. | |
| 1966 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | Known for his slogan “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” (“Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer”), Independence activist Shastri served as the second Prime Minister of India (1964–66) and led the country during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. |
| 1971 | Indira Gandhi | Known as the “Iron Lady of India”, Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India from 1966 to 77 and 1980–84. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, her government supported the Bangladesh Liberation War, which led to the formation of a new country, Bangladesh. |
| 1975 | V. V. Giri | While studying at the University College Dublin, Giri was involved in the Irish Sinn Féin movement. Returning to India, he organized labor unions and encouraged them to take an active part in the Indian freedom struggle. He was elected as the first President of the All India Trade Union Congress in 1926. Post-independence, Giri held positions as Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Mysore, as well as various cabinet ministries. He became the first acting President and was eventually elected as the fourth President of India (1969–74). |
| 1976 | K. Kamaraj | Independence activist and statesman Kamaraj served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for three terms: 1954–57, 1957–62, and 1962–63. |
| 1980 | Mother Teresa | “Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta” was a catholic nun and the founder of the Missionaries of Charity. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work in 1979 and was beatified on 19 October 2003 by Pope John Paul II and canonized on 4 September 2016 by Pope Francis. |
| 1983 | Vinoba Bhave | Independence activist, social reformer, and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi, Bhave is best known for his Bhoodan movement, also known as the “Land-Gift Movement.” He was given the honorific title “Acharya” (“teacher”) and was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1958) for his humanitarian work. |
| 1987 | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan | Widely known as “Frontier Gandhi”, independence activist and Pashtun leader Khan was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. He joined the Khilafat Movement in 1920 and founded Khudai Khidmatgar (“Red Shirt movement”) in 1929. |
| 1988 | M. G. Ramachandran | Actor-turned-politician Ramachandran served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for three terms: 1977–80, 1980–84, and 1985–87. |
| 1990 | B. R. Ambedkar | Social reformer and leader of the Dalits (“Untouchables”), Ambedkar was the Chief architect of the Indian Constitution and also served as the first Law Minister of India. Ambedkar predominantly campaigned against social discrimination with Dalits, the Hindu varna system. He was associated with the Dalit Buddhist movement and accepted Buddhism as a religion, along with nearly half a million followers, on 14 October 1956. |
| Nelson Mandela | Leader of the Anti-Apartheid Movement in South Africa, Mandela was the President of South Africa (1994–99). Often called the “Gandhi of South Africa”, Mandela’s African National Congress movement was influenced by Gandhian philosophy. In 1993, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. | |
| 1991 | Rajiv Gandhi | Gandhi was the ninth Prime Minister of India, serving from 1984 to 1989. |
| Vallabhbhai Patel | Widely known as the “Iron Man of India”, Patel was an independence activist and the first Deputy Prime Minister of India (1947–50). Post-independence, “Sardar” (“Leader”) Patel worked with V. P. Menon towards the dissolution of 555 princely states into the Indian Union. | |
| Morarji Desai | Independence activist Desai was the sixth Prime Minister of India (1977–79). He is the only Indian national to be awarded the Nishan-e-Pakistan, the highest civilian award given by the Government of Pakistan. | |
| 1992 | Abul Kalam Azad | Independence activist Azad was India’s first Minister of Education and worked towards free primary education. He was widely known as “Maulana Azad” and his birthday on 11 November is observed as National Education Day in India. |
| J. R. D. Tata | Industrialist, philanthropist, and aviation pioneer, Tata founded India’s first airline, Air India. He is the founder of various institutes, including the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the Tata Memorial Hospital, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Tata Motors, TCS, the National Institute of Advanced Studies, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts. | |
| Satyajit Ray | Having debuted as a director with Pather Panchali (1955), film-maker Ray is credited with bringing world recognition to Indian cinema. In 1984, Ray was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest award in cinema. | |
| 1997 | Gulzarilal Nanda | Independence activist Nanda served as interim Prime Minister of India twice (1964, 1966) and as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission twice. |
| Aruna Asaf Ali | Independence activist Ali is better known for hoisting the Indian flag in Bombay during the Quit India Movement in 1942. Post-Independence, Ali was elected as Delhi’s first mayor in 1958. | |
| A. P. J. Abdul Kalam | Aerospace and defence scientist, Kalam was involved in the development of India’s first satellite launch vehicle, SLV III and was the architect of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. He worked for the Indian National Committee for Space Research, the Indian Space Research Organisation, and the Defence Research and Development Laboratory, and was appointed as the Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, Secretary to the Department of Defence Research and Development, and Director General of the Defence Research and Development Organisation. Later, he served as the eleventh President of India from 2002 to 2007. | |
| 1998 | M. S. Subbulakshmi | Carnatic classical vocalist Subbulakshmi, also known as the “Queen of songs”, is the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award. |
| Chidambaram Subramaniam | Independence activist and former Minister of Agriculture of India (1964–66), Subramaniam is known for his contribution towards the Green Revolution in India. During the late 1970s, he worked at the International Rice Research Institute in Manila and the International Maize and Wheat Research Institute in Mexico. | |
| 1999 | Jayaprakash Narayan | Independence activist, social reformer, and commonly referred to as “Lok Nayak” (“People’s Hero”), Narayan is better known for the “Total Revolution Movement” or “JP Movement” initiated during the mid-1970s to “overthrow the corrupt and exploitative Congress government”. |
| Amartya Sen | Winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1998), Sen has done research on several topics, including social choice theory, ethics and political philosophy, welfare economics, decision theory, development economics, public health, and gender studies. | |
| Gopinath Bordoloi | Independence activist Bordoloi is the first Chief Minister of Assam (1946–50). His efforts and association with the then Minister of Home Affairs, Vallabhbhai Patel, were widely acknowledged, as he helped keep Assam united with India when parts of it were on the verge of merging with East Pakistan. | |
| Ravi Shankar | Winner of four Grammy Awards and often considered “the world’s best-known exponent of Hindustani classical music”, sitar player Shankar is known for his collaborative work with Western musicians, including Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison. | |
| 2001 | Lata Mangeshkar | Widely credited as the “nightingale of India”, playback singer Mangeshkar started her career in the 1940s and has sung songs in over 36 languages. In 1989, Mangeshkar was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest award in cinema. |
| Bismillah Khan | Hindustani classical shehnai player Khan played the instrument for more than eight decades and is credited with bringing it to the center stage of Indian music. | |
| 2009 | Bhimsen Joshi | Hindustani classical vocalist Joshi was a disciple of Kirana Gharana, an Indian musical school. He is widely known for the Khyal genre of singing, characterized by “mastery over rhythm and accurate notes.”[ |
| 2014 | C. N. R. Rao | The recipient of Honorary Doctorates from 63 Universities, including Purdue, IIT Bombay, and Oxford, chemist and professor Rao has worked prominently in the fields of Solid-State and Materials Chemistry, Spectroscopy, and Molecular Structure. He has authored around 1600 research papers and 48 books. |
| Sachin Tendulkar | He played 664 international cricket matches in a career spanning over two decades. He holds various cricket records, including the only player to have scored one hundred international centuries, the first batsman to score a double century in a One Day International, and the only player to complete more than 30,000 runs in both ODI and Test cricket. | |
| 2015 | Madan Mohan Malaviya | Scholar and educational reformer Malaviya is the founder of Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha (1906) and Banaras Hindu University, and served as the university’s vice-chancellor from 1919 till 1938. He was the President of the Indian National Congress for four terms and was the Chairman of the Hindustan Times from 1924 to 1946. |
| Atal Bihari Vajpayee | A parliamentarian for over four decades, Vajpayee was elected nine times to the Lok Sabha, twice to the Rajya Sabha, and served as the Prime Minister of India for three terms: 1996, 1998, and 1999–2004. He served as Minister of External Affairs from 1977 to 1979 and was awarded the “Best Parliamentarian” award in 1994. | |
| 2019 | Pranab Mukherjee | He is an Indian politician who served as the 13th President of India from 2012 until 2017. He has been a senior leader in the Indian National Congress and has occupied several ministerial portfolios in the Government of India. Prior to his election as President, he was Union Finance Minister from 2009 to 2012. |
| Nanaji Deshmukh | He was a social activist from India. He worked in the fields of education, health, and rural self-reliance. He was a member of RSS, a leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and also a member of the Rajya Sabha. He was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 1999. India’s first Saraswati Shishu Mandir was established by him at Gorakhpur in 1950. | |
| Bhupen Hazarika | He was an Indian playback singer, lyricist, musician, singer, poet and film-maker from Assam, widely known as Sudhakantha. Before he received the Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian award), he had already received the National Film Award for Best Music Direction in 1975. Recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1987), Padmashri (1977), and Padmabhushan (2001), and also awarded with Dada Saheb Phalke Award (1992). | |
| 2024 | Karpoori Thakur | Karpoori Thakur, the 11th Chief Minister of Bihar, held office for two terms: 1970-1971 and 1977-1979. In 1978, he instituted the reservation policy for state government jobs, a pivotal step toward socio-economic equity. Thakur’s legacy is marked by his impactful tenure and pioneering contributions to affirmative action in Bihar. |
| L. K. Advani | L. K. Advani served as the Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. He played a pivotal role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, advocating for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Advani is the longest-serving leader of the opposition in the Lower House of Parliament. | |
| P. V. Narasimha Rao | P. V. Narasimha Rao, the 9th Prime Minister of India (1991-1996), initiated significant economic reforms that liberalized the Indian economy. His tenure marked the dismantling of the License Raj and the introduction of the New Economic Policy, which fostered economic growth. | |
| Charan Singh | Charan Singh, the 5th Prime Minister of India (1979-1980), was a champion of farmers’ rights. As a prominent political figure, he focused on agrarian reforms and implemented policies to address the concerns of the agricultural community. | |
| M. S. Swaminathan | M. S. Swaminathan is renowned as the “Father of the Green Revolution in India.” Serving as the Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, he played a pivotal role in revolutionizing Indian agriculture. |
Note: No Bharat Ratna awards were given in 2021 and 2022.
Bharat Ratna Award Winners: Indian Presidents
From 1954 to 2024, several Presidents of India have been awarded the Bharat Ratna Award. In total, there have been 48 recipients of this esteemed honor. Out of these, 6 Indian Presidents have received the Bharat Ratna.
Below is the list of Presidents who have received the Bharat Ratna Award:
| Bharat Ratna Awardees: President | |
| Presidents of India | Year of Award |
| Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan | 1954 |
| Rajendra Prasad | 1962 |
| Zakir Hussain | 1963 |
| A. P. J. Abdul Kalam | 1997 |
| Dr. V V Giri | 1975 |
| Pranab Mukherjee | 2019 |
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Bharat Ratna Award winners showcase exceptional contributions made by individuals across India since 1954. This prestigious honour celebrates those dedicated to societal betterment and reflects India’s rich history of leadership and innovation.
As the award inspires future generations, the stories of past recipients emphasize the importance of excellence and service to humanity. Each year, we honor these achievements, reinforcing India’s commitment to honoring its heroes and striving for a brighter future.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who became the first Bharat Ratna Award winner?
The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna Award were C. Rajagopalachari, C.V. Raman, and S. Radhakrishnan in 1954. Interestingly, all first recipients were from the state of Tamil Nadu.
2. Who received the 2019 Bharat Ratna?
The 2019 Bharat Ratna award was conferred upon Bhupen Hazarika, Pranab Mukherjee, and Nanaji Deshmukh.
3. Who became the youngest Bharat Ratna Awardee?
The youngest recipient of the Bharat Ratna award is Sachin Tendulkar, who was awarded the honor in 2014 at the age of 40.
4. In which areas is Bharat Ratna awarded?
Bharat Ratna is awarded in recognition of exceptional work/service of the highest order in any field of human endeavour, such as art, social work, Public Affairs, Science & Engineering, Sports and Trade & Industry, etc. It is worth mentioning that ‘no formal recommendations for Bharat Ratna are necessary. The recommendations for Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the President of India.
5. Who were the first three recipients of Bharat Ratna?
The first three recipients of the Bharat Ratna were C. Rajagopalachari, CV Raman, and S. Radhakrishnan. All of there was awarded the Bharat Ratna award in 1954.
6. When was Bharat Ratna introduced?
The award of Bharat Ratna was introduced in 1954.
7. How many people have received the Bharat Ratna Award till now?
The total number of recipients of the Bharat Ratna Award is currently 48.
8. How many Bharat Ratnas can be given in a year?
There is a maximum of 3 persons who can be awarded the Bharat Ratna.
9. Who was first awarded the Bharat Ratna Award posthumously?
The first posthumous recipient of the Bharat Ratna Award was Lal Bhadur Shastri in 1966.
10. Who received the first-ever Bharat Ratna Award?
The renowned scientist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was the first Indian to receive the Bharat Ratna in 1954.
