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Graduate Level intermediate Awards Bharat Ratna Padma Awards Nobel Prize Arjuna Award Dronacharya
General Knowledge: Awards and Honours of India
Complete notes on Bharat Ratna, Padma Awards, Nobel Prize winners from India, Dadasaheb Phalke, Arjuna Award, and Dronacharya Award for Kerala PSC.
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— Complete notes on Bharat Ratna, Padma Awards, Nobel Prize winners from India, Dadasaheb Phalke, Arjuna Award, and Dronacharya Award for Kerala PSC.
#Awards
#Bharat Ratna
#Padma Awards
#Nobel Prize
#Arjuna Award
#Dronacharya
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Awards and Honours is a high-frequency topic in Kerala PSC exams. Questions regularly appear on Bharat Ratna recipients, Padma Awards, Indian Nobel laureates, and sports awards. Expect 2-3 questions per paper.
Bharat Ratna — Highest Civilian Award
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1954 |
| Awarded for | Exceptional service/performance of highest order in any field (excluding sports originally; sports included from 2011) |
| Maximum per year | 3 (convention, not rule) |
| Form | Peepal leaf shaped medal; no monetary award |
| Article | Not entitled to use as prefix/suffix to name |
| Can be awarded posthumously | Yes |
| Total recipients | 53 (as of 2025) |
| First recipients (1954) | C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan, C.V. Raman |
All Bharat Ratna Recipients (Chronological)
| Year | Recipient | Field |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | C. Rajagopalachari | Public Affairs |
| 1954 | S. Radhakrishnan | Philosophy, Education |
| 1954 | C.V. Raman | Science |
| 1955 | Bhagwan Das | Philosophy |
| 1955 | M. Visvesvaraya | Engineering |
| 1957 | Govind Ballabh Pant | Public Affairs |
| 1958 | Dhondo Keshav Karve | Social Reform |
| 1961 | Bidhan Chandra Roy | Medicine |
| 1961 | Purushottam Das Tandon | Public Affairs |
| 1962 | Rajendra Prasad | Public Affairs |
| 1963 | Zakir Husain | Education |
| 1963 | Pandurang Vaman Kane | Indology |
| 1966 | Lal Bahadur Shastri (posthumous) | Public Affairs |
| 1971 | Indira Gandhi | Public Affairs |
| 1975 | V.V. Giri | Public Affairs |
| 1976 | K. Kamaraj (posthumous) | Public Affairs |
| 1980 | Mother Teresa | Social Service |
| 1983 | Vinoba Bhave (posthumous) | Social Reform |
| 1987 | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan | Freedom Struggle |
| 1988 | M.G. Ramachandran (posthumous) | Public Affairs |
| 1990 | B.R. Ambedkar (posthumous) | Social Reform |
| 1990 | Nelson Mandela | Anti-apartheid (non-Indian) |
| 1991 | Rajiv Gandhi (posthumous) | Public Affairs |
| 1991 | Vallabhbhai Patel (posthumous) | Public Affairs |
| 1991 | Morarji Desai | Public Affairs |
| 1992 | Abul Kalam Azad (posthumous) | Education |
| 1992 | J.R.D. Tata | Industry |
| 1992 | Satyajit Ray | Cinema |
| 1997 | Gulzarilal Nanda | Public Affairs |
| 1997 | Aruna Asaf Ali (posthumous) | Freedom Struggle |
| 1997 | A.P.J. Abdul Kalam | Science |
| 1998 | M.S. Subbulakshmi | Music |
| 1998 | Chidambaram Subramaniam | Public Affairs |
| 1999 | Jayaprakash Narayan (posthumous) | Public Affairs |
| 1999 | Amartya Sen | Economics |
| 1999 | Gopinath Bordoloi (posthumous) | Public Affairs |
| 1999 | Ravi Shankar | Music |
| 2001 | Lata Mangeshkar | Music |
| 2001 | Bismillah Khan | Music |
| 2009 | Bhimsen Joshi | Music |
| 2014 | C.N.R. Rao | Science |
| 2014 | Sachin Tendulkar | Sports |
| 2015 | Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumous) | Education |
| 2015 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Public Affairs |
| 2019 | Pranab Mukherjee | Public Affairs |
| 2019 | Bhupen Hazarika (posthumous) | Music |
| 2019 | Nanaji Deshmukh (posthumous) | Social Service |
| 2024 | L.K. Advani | Public Affairs |
| 2024 | Karpoori Thakur (posthumous) | Public Affairs |
Key Bharat Ratna Facts
| Fact | Answer |
|---|---|
| Only non-Indian recipients? | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Pakistan, 1987), Nelson Mandela (South Africa, 1990) |
| Youngest recipient? | Sachin Tendulkar (40 years, 2014) |
| Only sportsperson? | Sachin Tendulkar (2014) |
| First posthumous award? | Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966) |
| First woman recipient? | Indira Gandhi (1971) |
| Kerala connection? | None from Kerala has received Bharat Ratna |
Padma Awards
| Award | Level | Awarded For |
|---|---|---|
| Padma Vibhushan | Second highest civilian award | Exceptional and distinguished service |
| Padma Bhushan | Third highest | Distinguished service of high order |
| Padma Shri | Fourth highest | Distinguished service |
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1954 |
| Announced on | Republic Day (26 January) every year |
| Awarded by | President of India |
| Cannot be used as | Title (prefix/suffix) |
| Selection | Padma Awards Committee recommends to PM and President |
Nobel Prize — Indian Winners and India-Connected Laureates
| Laureate | Year | Category | Key Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rabindranath Tagore | 1913 | Literature | First Asian Nobel laureate; for Gitanjali |
| C.V. Raman | 1930 | Physics | Raman Effect (scattering of light); first Asian science Nobel |
| Har Gobind Khorana | 1968 | Medicine | Genetic code interpretation; US citizen (born in undivided India, now Pakistan) |
| Mother Teresa | 1979 | Peace | Service to poor in Calcutta; Albanian-born, Indian citizen |
| Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar | 1983 | Physics | Chandrasekhar Limit (stellar evolution); US citizen of Indian origin |
| Amartya Sen | 1998 | Economics | Welfare economics, famine studies; Indian citizen |
| V.S. Naipaul | 2001 | Literature | Trinidadian-British of Indian origin |
| Venkatraman Ramakrishnan | 2009 | Chemistry | Ribosome structure; US/UK citizen of Indian origin |
| Kailash Satyarthi | 2014 | Peace | Child rights activism; Indian citizen |
| Abhijit Banerjee | 2019 | Economics | Poverty alleviation experiments; US citizen of Indian origin |
Indian Citizens Who Won Nobel Prize
| Laureate | Year | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Rabindranath Tagore | 1913 | Literature |
| C.V. Raman | 1930 | Physics |
| Mother Teresa | 1979 | Peace |
| Amartya Sen | 1998 | Economics |
| Kailash Satyarthi | 2014 | Peace |
Dadasaheb Phalke Award
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Named after | Dhundiraj Govind Phalke — Father of Indian Cinema |
| Instituted | 1969 |
| Given by | Government of India (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) |
| Awarded for | Outstanding contribution to growth and development of Indian cinema |
| First recipient | Devika Rani (1969) |
| Consists of | Golden Lotus, shawl, and cash prize |
| Announced at | National Film Awards ceremony |
Notable Recipients
| Year | Recipient | Known For |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Devika Rani | First lady of Indian cinema |
| 1970 | B.N. Sircar | New Theatres studio |
| 1972 | Pankaj Mullick | Music director/singer |
| 1984 | Satyajit Ray | Director |
| 1992 | Bhupen Hazarika | Singer/filmmaker |
| 1994 | Dilip Kumar | Actor |
| 1996 | Sivaji Ganesan | Tamil actor |
| 2000 | Asha Bhosle | Singer |
| 2005 | Shyam Benegal | Director |
| 2007 | Manna Dey | Singer |
| 2012 | Pran | Actor |
| 2014 | Shashi Kapoor | Actor |
| 2016 | Kasinathuni Viswanath | Telugu director |
| 2018 | Amitabh Bachchan | Actor |
| 2019 | Rajinikanth | Tamil actor |
| 2021 | Asha Parekh | Actress |
| 2022 | Waheeda Rehman | Actress |
National Sports Awards
Arjuna Award
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1961 |
| Given for | Outstanding performance in sports over 4 years |
| Given by | President of India |
| Consists of | Statuette of Arjuna, scroll, blazer, and cash prize (Rs. 15 lakh) |
| Selection | Sports Ministry committee |
Dronacharya Award
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1985 |
| Given for | Outstanding coaches who produce medal-winning sportspersons |
| Named after | Dronacharya — the guru in Mahabharata |
| Consists of | Statuette of Dronacharya, scroll, blazer, and cash prize (Rs. 15 lakh) |
| Two categories | Lifetime and Regular |
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (now Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna)
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1991-92 |
| Renamed | Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (2021) |
| Given for | Most outstanding performance in sports over 4 years |
| Highest sports honour | Yes — highest sporting honour in India |
| Cash prize | Rs. 25 lakh |
| First recipient | Viswanathan Anand (Chess, 1991-92) |
| Notable recipients | Sachin Tendulkar, P.V. Sindhu, Neeraj Chopra, Mary Kom |
Dhyan Chand Award
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 2002 |
| Given for | Lifetime contribution to sports development |
| Cash prize | Rs. 10 lakh |
Other Important Awards
| Award | Field | Given By | Key Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jnanpith Award | Literature | Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust | Highest literary award in India; for Indian language literature |
| Sahitya Akademi Award | Literature | Sahitya Akademi | Given in 24 languages |
| Sangeet Natak Akademi Award | Performing Arts | Sangeet Natak Akademi | Music, dance, drama |
| National Film Awards | Cinema | Directorate of Film Festivals | Golden Lotus (best film), Silver Lotus |
| Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize | Science | CSIR | For scientists under 45 |
| Ashoka Chakra | Gallantry (peacetime) | President | Highest peacetime gallantry award |
| Param Vir Chakra | Gallantry (wartime) | President | Highest wartime gallantry award |
Gallantry Awards (in decreasing order)
Wartime
| Order | Award |
|---|---|
| 1 | Param Vir Chakra |
| 2 | Maha Vir Chakra |
| 3 | Vir Chakra |
Peacetime
| Order | Award |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ashoka Chakra |
| 2 | Kirti Chakra |
| 3 | Shaurya Chakra |
Quick Recall — PSC Favourites
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Highest civilian award in India? | Bharat Ratna |
| First Bharat Ratna recipients? | C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan, C.V. Raman (1954) |
| Only sportsperson with Bharat Ratna? | Sachin Tendulkar |
| First Asian Nobel laureate? | Rabindranath Tagore (1913, Literature) |
| C.V. Raman Nobel year? | 1930 (Physics) |
| Father of Indian Cinema? | Dadasaheb Phalke |
| First Dadasaheb Phalke awardee? | Devika Rani (1969) |
| Highest sports award in India? | Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna |
| Dronacharya Award for? | Outstanding coaches |
| Arjuna Award instituted in? | 1961 |
| Jnanpith Award for? | Literature (Indian languages) |
| Param Vir Chakra for? | Highest wartime gallantry |
| Ashoka Chakra for? | Highest peacetime gallantry |
| Kailash Satyarthi Nobel for? | Peace (2014, child rights) |
| Amartya Sen Nobel year? | 1998 (Economics) |
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