Should the Bharat Ratna be awarded to people who are no more?

by Seva Lamberdar Mon Aug 11, 2014 1:20 pm

Absolutely not.

Giving such as award to the dead people, some of whom might have even refused to accept it if they were alive, makes no sense at all.

In addition, once this tradition gets hold (i.e. awarding the dead no matter how "great" they might have been and deserving of an award when alive), there will be no end to it and the controversies related to it (e.g. about the choice of the "dead" nominees, etc.).

by indophile Mon Aug 11, 2014 1:33 pm

Leaving the dead vs. living people aside, there should be just one civilian award - Bharat Ratna. Those Padmasris, Padma Bhushans, Padma Vibhushans, Arjuna Awards etc. (giving Arjuna Award to a woman sportsperson didn't seem right anyway) should all be eliminated. That tradition is too British. The British were awarding these Rao Bahadurs, Dewan Bahadurs, etc., to influential people who would listen to their point of view when needed. Once in a while they would throw in a "knighthood" and start putting "Sir" prefix to the person's name. And those persons would turn out to be their loyal servants and help push their masters' agenda.

by nevada Mon Aug 11, 2014 1:44 pm

indophile wrote:Leaving the dead vs. living people aside, there should be just one civilian award - Bharat Ratna. Those Padmasris, Padma Bhushans, Padma Vibhushans, Arjuna Awards etc. (giving Arjuna Award to a woman sportsperson didn't seem right anyway) should all be eliminated. That tradition is too British. The British were awarding these Rao Bahadurs, Dewan Bahadurs, etc., to influential people who would listen to their point of view when needed. Once in a while they would throw in a "knighthood" and start putting "Sir" prefix to the person's name. And those persons would turn out to be their loyal servants and help push their masters' agenda.

I liked "Lord" better. Like Lord Swraj Paul. This site says you can buy a lordship title along with a piece of land in Scotland for £29.99. With a group buy maybe we can knock down the rate a little.
http://www.highlandtitles.com/

by Seva Lamberdar Tue Aug 12, 2014 8:49 am

indophile wrote:Leaving the dead vs. living people aside, there should be just one civilian award - Bharat Ratna. Those Padmasris, Padma Bhushans, Padma Vibhushans, Arjuna Awards etc. (giving Arjuna Award to a woman sportsperson didn't seem right anyway) should all be eliminated. That tradition is too British. The British were awarding these Rao Bahadurs, Dewan Bahadurs, etc., to influential people who would listen to their point of view when needed. Once in a while they would throw in a "knighthood" and start putting "Sir" prefix to the person's name. And those persons would turn out to be their loyal servants and help push their masters' agenda.

Conferring such awards on the dead is really a new ball game. Have you heard of any other country or association doing this? I have read about the Catholic Church "pardoning" people (Galileo et al.) hundreds years after their deaths, but about nobody giving an award to the dead people.

by Seva Lamberdar Tue Aug 12, 2014 9:04 am

Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Conferring such awards on the dead is really a new ball game. Have you heard of any other country or association doing this? I have read about the Catholic Church "pardoning" people (Galileo et al.) hundreds years after their deaths, but about nobody giving an award to the dead people.

"Bharat Ratna and Padma awards have traditionally been awarded around Republic Day," a senior government source pointed out amid furious speculation that the NDA government could be planning to honour former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Hindu nationalist leader Madan Mohan Malviya and BSP founder Kanshi Ram.

The buzz was touched off by the government's decision last week to order the medallions of Bharat Ratna and other Padma decorations from the Reserve Bank. Sources explained that while a communication was indeed sent to the RBI, the medallions have been requisitioned for the museum in Rashtrapati Bhawan that has been refurbished under President Pranab Mukherjee.

The publicity for the move opened up floodgates of demands from various parties which demanded that the contribution of their leaders should not be ignored. BSP leader Mayawati reacted to the reports about her mentor Kanshi Ram being on the list of prospective recipients of Bharat Ratnas by accusing BJP of politicking.

Her rival, Samajwadi Party demanded the recognition for their icons. SP member Naresh Agarwal demanded in Rajya Sabha said that Socialist leaders like Acharya Narendra Dev and Ram Manohar Lohia should not be excluded. He demanded it even for Jaiprakash Narayan, forgetting that the socialist leader was conferred the award posthumously in 1999.

Taking pot shots, CPM member Sitaram Yechury remarked, "If we go back in history, then the government should consider (conferring Bharat Ratna) starting from Gautam Buddha."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Govt-faces-flood-of-demands-on-Bharat-Ratna/articleshow/40086960.cms

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