Padma Bhushan

Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but before the Padma Shri, and is conferred by the Government of India. The award is given to recognize distinguished service of a high order in various fields, including arts, literature, science, public service, and sports, as seen in the contributions of notable individuals such as Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Indira Gandhi. The President of India presents the award to the recipients, who are selected from a list of nominations submitted by the Prime Minister of India, the Chief Ministers of India, and other high-ranking officials, including those from the Indian National Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

● Introduction

The Padma Bhushan award is a prestigious honor that is bestowed upon individuals who have made significant contributions to their respective fields, such as C. V. Raman, a renowned Indian Institute of Science physicist, and Homi Jehangir Bhabha, a prominent Tata Institute of Fundamental Research scientist. The award is conferred by the Government of India and is presented by the President of India at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, often attended by dignitaries such as the Vice President of India, the Prime Minister of India, and other prominent figures, including Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Rahul Gandhi. The award consists of a medal, a certificate, and a cash prize, and is considered one of the highest civilian honors in India, alongside the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, which have been awarded to notable individuals such as M. Visvesvaraya, J. R. D. Tata, and Satyajit Ray.

● History

The Padma Bhushan award was established on January 2, 1954, by the Government of India, with the first awards being conferred on 1954, to individuals such as S. Radhakrishnan, a prominent University of Oxford philosopher, and V. K. R. V. Rao, a renowned Indian Statistical Institute economist. The award was created to recognize distinguished service of a high order in various fields, including arts, literature, science, public service, and sports, as seen in the contributions of notable individuals such as M. S. Subbulakshmi, a celebrated Carnatic music vocalist, and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a prominent Indian independence movement leader. Over the years, the award has been conferred upon numerous notable individuals, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who have made significant contributions to India's development, often in collaboration with organizations such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the International Monetary Fund.

● Eligibility_and_Selection

The Padma Bhushan award is open to all citizens of India, as well as to individuals of Indian origin who are citizens of other countries, such as United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. The selection process for the award is rigorous and involves several stages, including nomination, screening, and final selection by a committee headed by the Prime Minister of India, which includes representatives from the Cabinet of India, the Lok Sabha, and the Rajya Sabha. The committee considers factors such as the individual's achievements, contributions, and impact in their respective field, as well as their reputation and standing in society, often taking into account the opinions of experts from institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

● Notable_Recipients

The Padma Bhushan award has been conferred upon numerous notable individuals, including Ravi Shankar, a renowned sitar player, and M. F. Husain, a celebrated Indian art painter. Other notable recipients include Amitabh Bachchan, a prominent Bollywood actor, and Lata Mangeshkar, a celebrated Hindi cinema playback singer, as well as Sachin Tendulkar, a renowned Indian national cricket team cricketer, and Viswanathan Anand, a celebrated World Chess Championship chess player. The award has also been conferred upon individuals who have made significant contributions to public service, such as Verghese Kurien, a prominent Amul dairy cooperative leader, and Ela Bhatt, a renowned Self-Employed Women's Association of India founder, who have worked closely with organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank.

● Controversies

The Padma Bhushan award has been surrounded by controversy on several occasions, with some recipients returning their awards in protest against the Government of India's policies, such as Arundhati Roy, a prominent Man Booker Prize novelist, and Girish Karnad, a celebrated Tamil cinema playwright. Other controversies have centered around the selection process, with some individuals alleging that the award is given to those with close ties to the ruling party, such as the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Indian National Congress. Despite these controversies, the Padma Bhushan award remains one of the most prestigious civilian honors in India, often recognized by international organizations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Health Organization, and the International Labour Organization.

● List_of_Recipients

The list of Padma Bhushan recipients is long and distinguished, and includes individuals from a wide range of fields, such as arts, literature, science, public service, and sports. Some notable recipients include C. N. R. Rao, a renowned Indian Institute of Science chemist, and S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan, a celebrated New York University mathematician, as well as Mira Nair, a prominent Columbia University film director, and A. R. Rahman, a celebrated Academy Award composer. The award has also been conferred upon individuals who have made significant contributions to social work, such as Narayana Murthy, a prominent Infosys founder, and Sudha Murthy, a renowned Infosys Foundation chairperson, who have worked closely with organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Category:Indian awards