BHARAT RATNA - THE LATEST PASSTIME OF MEDIOCRE INDIA

Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India has been bestowed upon 41 people, as on date, some of them richly deserving and the rest with highly questionable and debatable credentials.

Unfortunately, in India, the eligibility norms are very indistinct for awarding the highest Civilian award. This has resulted in some politicians being awarded by the ruling parties to consolidate their vote banks or to calm a section of citizen’s passion and frenzy. Unfortunately, some of the highly deserving names like Dr. Varghese Kurien, Dr. Homi Jahangir Bhabha and Ratan Tata, who were instrumental in making colossal difference to the lives of ordinary Indian citizens in their respective fields, were never considered. Instead, the highest honor is bestowed on some musicians in the recent past.

The highest military award or the highest civilian award shall be bestowed on those individuals whose personal sacrifices or relenting works have directly or indirectly either benefits India as a country or are instrumental in uplifting the living standards of its ordinary citizens. Moreover, it is agonizing to see a section of citizen’s frenzy and demand to award the highest civilian award to a professional cricketer, by bye-passing several richly deserving individuals.

It is high time for every citizen of India, including politicians to ponder over upholding the deserved stature of the highest national award by not using it as an instrument for achieving political gains and whipping regional, linguistic and sectional passions.