This column has been spurred by the award, posthumously, of the Bharat Ratna on three individuals — Chaudhary Charan Singh, PV Narasimha Rao and MS Swaminathan – all three wholly deserved and entirely laudable and indeed, “saluted” by the Opposition Congress. The only question the conferment raises is: Why were they not honoured with the Ratna all these years, whether by the two United Progressive Alliance governments or the two National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ones? Surely these three Ratnas deserved to be told in their lifetime that a grateful nation regards them as indeed that, officially!
Indira Gandhi, daughter of the then Prime Minister (PM) Jawaharlal Nehru wrote to C Rajagopalachari, the first Bharat Ratna, on August 15, 1954: “We are all so happy that you are the first Bharat Ratna. You have been widely recognised as a ‘ratna’ of Bharat for many years but it is a good thing that it has been made official!”
Fifty-three individuals have so far been decorated with the Bharat Ratna, 18 of them posthumously. I stress “so far” because over the last few days, the recognitions have been coming thick and fast and before this column goes to print, we may well have news of more.
Before I say more on the subject, some statistics.
The fifty-three individuals have been conferred by successive presidents but with the PMs concerned being, in almost all of them, the principal “mover”. The tally of the ratnas (jewels) per PM is: Nehru (1947-1964) including the one to himself, 13; Gulzarilal Nanda’s transitional incumbency (1966), one; Indira Gandhi’s first prime ministership (1965-1977), including the one to herself, three; Indira Gandhi’s second prime ministership (1980-1984), two; Rajiv Gandhi (1984-1989), two; VP Singh (1989-1990), two; Narasimha Rao (1991-1996), six; IK Gujral (1997-1998), four; Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1999-2004), seven; Manmohan Singh (2004-2014) three; Narendra Modi (2014-) ten.
The maximum number of Bharat Ratnas (13) stands awarded in the tenure of the (so far) longest serving PM, Nehru, closely followed by the next highest number (10) in that (so far) of our present PM, Narendra Modi. Allowing that the scheme itself came into existence in 1954, in terms of “density” the score of the two PMs, Nehru and Modi, is the same – 10 in 10 years.
But where PM Modi leads is in the number of Bharat Ratnas awarded posthumously. Of the 18 Bharat Ratnas that have been awarded posthumously, his score is seven. The next highest being that of Rao — three.
The numerics over, I move to what may be called semantics.
Two developments have affected the Bharat Ratna scheme’s original lustre: One, the posthumous-isation of the decoration. To take this development first: This was enabled in 1955 through Government of India Gazette Number 222 dated January 15, 1955, making its retroactive operation valid. One may infer from the circumstances surrounding it that the posthumous application was meant to be more of an exception than the rule. It took more than 10 years for this “relaxation” to be operationalised. That was done when President Radhakrishnan conferred it, the first posthumous one, on Lal Bahadur Shastri within hours of the then PM’s death in Tashkent on January 11, 1966. It took 10 more years for the second posthumous Bharat Ratna to be announced by PM Indira Gandhi. She had chosen former Congress President K Kamaraj for the honour — something she may not have done in his lifetime.
The posthumous application of the Bharat Ratna with very Congressist roots has now come to stay and has in recent times, overtaken the “in-lifetime” ones. Of the 10 Bharat Ratnas conferred under Modi-led NDA governments, seven have been posthumous. Questions of “deservability” arise inevitably. In the swelling ranks of its posthumous prime ministerial recipients can VP Singh and Chandra Shekhar be left out? And Bihar’s late chief minister Karpoori Thakur having been conferred it, can CN Annadurai and the incomparable EMS Namboodiripad be forgotten? Nearer our times, M Karunanidhi and Jyoti Basu? Acharya Vinoba having got it posthumously, can the acharyas, JB Kripalani and Narendra Deva be forgotten? Jayaprakash Narayan and Nanaji Deshmukh, political thinkers, having got it, posthumously, should not EVR, the Periyar?
The stormy petrel Aruna Asaf Ali having got it, can the no-less-if-not-more “stormy” Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay remain omitted? Congressmen may scream at the thought but which socialist and democrat would have Rammanohar Lohia be forgotten? This is the “trouble” with retrospectivity and the political impulses of power. How many omissions do you notch up against the commissions?
The second development that has affected the ratna’s lustre is the touch of ego on it. Both Nehru and Indira Gandhi would have added to their and the ratna’s lustre if they had not accepted it during their incumbencies. Their getting it was almost like garlanding oneself. If posthumous conferrings raise questions of omissions, incumbent conferments raise questions of commissions. Maulana Azad is believed to have said when offered the Bharat Ratna while he was a Cabinet minister: “Hum dene vaalon mein hein, lene vaalon mein nahin.” (We are the ones who confer, not the ones on whom it is conferred).
I would like to round off by saying: Let in-lifetime recognitions be the norm for the Bharat Ratna, the posthumous option being the exception. And let no “giver” dream of becoming the “receiver” until she or he has relinquished office. Grace, independent of office bedecks the ornament.
The internationally esteemed and nationally respected former PM, Manmohan Singh was recently praised by PM Modi in Parliament. Perhaps he was offered the Bharat Ratna and with characteristic modesty, he declined. But may not those many who have seen him as a “ratna” have the satisfaction of greeting him on its becoming official?
Gopalkrishna Gandhi, a former administrator, and diplomat, is a student of modern Indian history. The views expressed are personal
Gopalkrishna Gandhi read English Literature at St Stephen’s College, Delhi. A civil servant and diplomat, he was Governor of West Bengal, 2004-2009. He is currently Distinguished Professor of History and Politics at Ashoka University ...view detail
Posthumous-isation of the Bharat Ratna
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14.02.2024
This column has been spurred by the award, posthumously, of the Bharat Ratna on three individuals — Chaudhary Charan Singh, PV Narasimha Rao and MS Swaminathan – all three wholly deserved and entirely laudable and indeed, “saluted” by the Opposition Congress. The only question the conferment raises is: Why were they not honoured with the Ratna all these years, whether by the two United Progressive Alliance governments or the two National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ones? Surely these three Ratnas deserved to be told in their lifetime that a grateful nation regards them as indeed that, officially!
Indira Gandhi, daughter of the then Prime Minister (PM) Jawaharlal Nehru wrote to C Rajagopalachari, the first Bharat Ratna, on August 15, 1954: “We are all so happy that you are the first Bharat Ratna. You have been widely recognised as a ‘ratna’ of Bharat for many years but it is a good thing that it has been made official!”
Fifty-three individuals have so far been decorated with the Bharat Ratna, 18 of them posthumously. I stress “so far” because over the last few days, the recognitions have been coming thick and fast and before this column goes to print, we may well have news of more.
Before I say more on the subject, some statistics.
The fifty-three individuals have been conferred by successive presidents but with the PMs concerned being, in almost all of them, the principal “mover”. The tally of the ratnas (jewels) per PM is: Nehru (1947-1964) including the one to himself, 13; Gulzarilal Nanda’s transitional incumbency (1966), one; Indira........
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