Awards & Honours in Indian Art, Culture & Public Life
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Why This Chapter Matters
This is one of the highest-yield chapters in the whole Art & Culture syllabus for SSC and RRB exams. Questions on Bharat Ratna recipients, Padma award structure, Jnanpith winners and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award show up almost every year in CGL, CHSL, MTS and RRB NTPC general awareness sections. Expect 3 to 5 questions from this chapter alone in a full SSC paper, often phrased as "who among the following received Bharat Ratna in year X" or "match the award with the field."
The sub-topics that repeat most are the Bharat Ratna list (year and reason), the three-tier Padma award system and who can or cannot receive it, Jnanpith winners by language, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award as the top film honour. SSC also likes questions on award-instituting years and the government body behind each award. Learn the years and the correct order of Padma awards first; that alone covers a big share of the marks.
1. Bharat Ratna — India's Highest Civilian Award
Bharat Ratna was instituted in 1954. It is the highest civilian award of India, given for exceptional service in any field, including public service, without any restriction to profession or activity. The award was briefly withdrawn between 1977 and 1980 and then restored. It is announced by the President of India on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, and there is no formal statute limiting the number of awards per year (though by convention very few are given each year).
The award carries no cash amount. It consists of a peepal-leaf shaped medallion and a certificate (sanad). Recipients cannot use it as a prefix or suffix to their name, though it may be mentioned in a resume or biodata as "Bharat Ratna recipient."
Two foreign-born persons have received it: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987, Pakistani, known as "Frontier Gandhi") and Nelson Mandela (1990, South Africa).
Table: Bharat Ratna recipients (selected, with year)
| Year | Recipient | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan, C.V. Raman | Statesman/Governor-General; philosopher-President; physicist (Raman Effect) |
| 1955 | Bhagwan Das, M. Visvesvaraya, Jawaharlal Nehru | Philosopher; engineer (Krishnaraja Sagar dam); first PM |
| 1957 | Govind Ballabh Pant | Freedom fighter, Home Minister |
| 1958 | Dhondo Keshav Karve | Social reformer, women's education |
| 1961 | Bidhan Chandra Roy, Purushottam Das Tandon | Physician-CM of West Bengal; Hindi movement leader |
| 1962 | Rajendra Prasad | First President of India |
| 1963 | Zakir Husain, Pandurang Vaman Kane | Educationist-President; Indologist |
| 1966 | Lal Bahadur Shastri (posthumous) | Second PM, "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" |
| 1971 | Indira Gandhi | Third PM |
| 1975 | V.V. Giri | Former President, labour leader |
| 1976 | K. Kamaraj (posthumous) | Congress leader, "Kingmaker" |
| 1980 | Mother Teresa | Missionaries of Charity founder |
| 1983 | Acharya Vinoba Bhave (posthumous) | Bhoodan movement |
| 1987 | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan | Frontier Gandhi, first foreign recipient |
| 1988 | M.G. Ramachandran (posthumous) | Actor, Tamil Nadu CM |
| 1990 | B.R. Ambedkar (posthumous), Nelson Mandela | Constitution architect; anti-apartheid leader |
| 1991 | Rajiv Gandhi (posthumous), Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (posthumous), Morarji Desai | Seventh PM; Iron Man of India; fourth PM |
| 1992 | Abul Kalam Azad (posthumous), J.R.D. Tata, Satyajit Ray | Education Minister; industrialist; filmmaker |
| 1997 | Gulzarilal Nanda (posthumous), Aruna Asaf Ali (posthumous), A.P.J. Abdul Kalam | Interim PM twice; freedom fighter; missile scientist, later President |
| 1998 | M.S. Subbulakshmi, C. Subramaniam | Carnatic vocalist; Green Revolution architect |
| 1999 | Jayaprakash Narayan (posthumous), Amartya Sen, Gopinath Bordoloi (posthumous), Ravi Shankar | Total Revolution leader; Nobel economist; Assam's first CM; sitar maestro |
| 2001 | Lata Mangeshkar, Bismillah Khan | Playback singer; shehnai maestro |
| 2008 | Bhimsen Joshi | Hindustani classical vocalist |
| 2014 | Sachin Tendulkar, C.N.R. Rao | Cricketer; chemist |
| 2015 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumous) | Former PM; BHU founder |
| 2019 | Pranab Mukherjee, Nanaji Deshmukh (posthumous), Bhupen Hazarika (posthumous) | Former President; social worker; Assamese singer-poet |
| 2024 | Karpoori Thakur (posthumous), L.K. Advani, P.V. Narasimha Rao (posthumous), Chaudhary Charan Singh (posthumous), M.S. Swaminathan (posthumous) | Bihar CM; BJP veteran; former PM; former PM; agricultural scientist |
SSC tip: Sachin Tendulkar is the youngest ever Bharat Ratna recipient (2014), and the only sportsperson to receive it so far. Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela are the most commonly asked "foreign or non-political" names.
2. Padma Awards — Vibhushan, Bhushan, Shri
The Padma Awards were also instituted in 1954 and were suspended along with the Bharat Ratna between 1977 and 1980. They are announced every year on the eve of Republic Day (26 January), and conferred by the President at a ceremony held around March-April at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
There are three grades, in descending order of importance:
| Award | Given for |
|---|---|
| Padma Vibhushan | Exceptional and distinguished service, of the highest order, in any field |
| Padma Bhushan | Distinguished service of a high order |
| Padma Shri | Distinguished service in any field |
Fields covered include art, literature and education, sports, medicine, social work, science and engineering, public affairs, civil service, and trade and industry. The selection is made by the Padma Awards Committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Like the Bharat Ratna, these are not titles and cannot be used as a prefix or suffix. Serving government servants including those in PSUs, except doctors and scientists, are generally not eligible.
Padma awards are announced together as a single list each year, with recipients spanning Vibhushan, Bhushan and Shri categories in the same announcement. Posthumous awards are permitted.
3. Jnanpith Award — India's Highest Literary Honour
The Jnanpith Award (Bharatiya Jnanpith Award) is India's oldest and highest literary honour. It was instituted in 1965 by the Bharatiya Jnanpith trust, founded by the Sahu Jain family (owners of the Times of India group). It is given annually to an Indian writer for the "most outstanding contribution" to literature, and is open to writers in any language listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, plus English.
The award consists of a statuette of Vagdevi (Saraswati, goddess of learning), a citation, and a cash prize. The first Jnanpith was awarded in 1965 (for the year 1965) to G. Sankara Kurup for his Malayalam poetry collection Odakkuzhal. Multiple writers can win in the same language over the years; Hindi has the highest number of Jnanpith winners of any single language so far.
Table: Notable Jnanpith winners
| Writer | Language | Notable work/reason |
|---|---|---|
| G. Sankara Kurup (1965) | Malayalam | Odakkuzhal, first Jnanpith winner |
| Sumitranandan Pant (1968) | Hindi | Chidambara |
| Firaq Gorakhpuri (1969) | Urdu | Ghazal poetry |
| G. Sivarama Karanth (1977) | Kannada | Novelist, encyclopaedist |
| Ashapurna Devi (1976) | Bengali | First woman Jnanpith winner |
| Mahadevi Verma (1982) | Hindi | Chhayavaad poet |
| Amrita Pritam (1981) | Punjabi | Kagaj Te Canvas (poetry collection; not her novel Pinjar) |
| R.K. Narayan (never won; often confused option) | English | Malgudi novels (note: not a Jnanpith winner) |
| U.R. Ananthamurthy (1994) | Kannada | Samskara |
| Girish Karnad (1998) | Kannada | Playwright |
SSC tip: SSC likes to mix up Jnanpith with Sahitya Akademi Award (also literary, but state/central body run, given yearly in each recognised language, and less prestigious than Jnanpith). Do not confuse the two; Jnanpith is one award across all Indian languages combined per year, Sahitya Akademi gives one award per language per year.
4. National Film Awards
The National Film Awards were instituted in 1954 and are presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. They cover feature films, non-feature (documentary) films, and best writing on cinema, across dozens of regional-language categories as well as national ones. Winners receive a Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) or Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) depending on the category.
The top individual honour is the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, instituted in 1969 in memory of Dadasaheb Phalke, maker of India's first full-length feature film Raja Harishchandra (1913). It recognises outstanding contribution to Indian cinema over a lifetime. The first Dadasaheb Phalke Award went to actress Devika Rani in 1969.
Table: National Film Award landmarks
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1954 |
| Administering body | Directorate of Film Festivals |
| Top lifetime honour | Dadasaheb Phalke Award (from 1969) |
| First Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner | Devika Rani (1969) |
| Award symbols | Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus), Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus) |
| Best Feature Film award | Swarna Kamal + cash prize to producer and director |
5. Gandhi Peace Prize
The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted by the Government of India in 1995, to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It is an annual international award, given to individuals or institutions for contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods. It is not restricted to Indian citizens.
The prize includes a cash amount, a citation, and a plaque, and is given by the President of India. The first Gandhi Peace Prize was awarded in 1995 to Tanzania's first president Julius Nyerere. Later recipients have included institutions such as ISRO and the Ramakrishna Mission alongside individuals.
6. Sangeet Natak Akademi, Lalit Kala Akademi & Sahitya Akademi Honours
These three national akademis, discussed in more detail in the chapter on cultural institutions, each run their own award structure. For exam purposes, remember the top honour of each:
| Akademi | Established | Top honour | Regular award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sangeet Natak Akademi | 1952 | Akademi Ratna (Fellowship) | Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (Akademi Puraskar) |
| Lalit Kala Akademi | 1954 | Fellowship (Ratna Sadasya) | Lalit Kala Akademi Award |
| Sahitya Akademi | 1954 | Sahitya Akademi Fellowship | Sahitya Akademi Award (per language, per year) |
The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, given for classical and folk music, dance and drama, is often called the "national award" for performing artists and is frequently confused in MCQs with the Padma awards, since many artists receive both across their careers, but the Akademi award is field-specific and comes only from Sangeet Natak Akademi.
7. State and Other Cultural Honours
Several honours below the national civilian awards are still exam-relevant because they are state government or trust-run and occasionally tested:
- Kalidas Samman: instituted by the Madhya Pradesh government in 1980, given for classical music, dance, theatre and plastic arts, named after the Sanskrit poet Kalidasa.
- Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony: instituted by the Ministry of Culture in 2012 to mark Rabindranath Tagore's 150th birth anniversary, for promoting cultural harmony.
- Maharashtra Bhushan: highest civilian award of the Maharashtra state government, instituted in 1995.
- Assam Valley Award: instituted by the Williamson Magor Foundation, given for outstanding contribution in fields like literature, environment and public life connected to the Northeast.
- Bharatiya Jnanpith's Moortidevi Award: a separate literary award from the same trust that runs Jnanpith, for a single outstanding work rather than lifetime contribution.
8. How the Awards Fit Together — A Quick Hierarchy
For most-asked-vs-least-asked purposes, remember this rough order of "national prestige" for civilian recognition:
- Bharat Ratna — highest civilian award, any field, no fixed annual number.
- Padma Vibhushan / Padma Bhushan / Padma Shri — three-tier annual civilian awards, any field.
- Field-specific national honours — Jnanpith (literature), Dadasaheb Phalke (cinema), Gandhi Peace Prize (non-violence/social transformation), Sangeet Natak/Lalit Kala/Sahitya Akademi awards (performing arts, visual arts, literature by language).
- State-level and trust-run honours — Kalidas Samman, Maharashtra Bhushan, and similar.
SSC frequently tests whether a candidate can place an award correctly in this hierarchy, for example asking which award is NOT a Government of India civilian award (the answer is usually a state or trust award such as Kalidas Samman).
Quick Revision — One-Line Facts
- Bharat Ratna was instituted in 1954 and is India's highest civilian award.
- Bharat Ratna carries no cash amount, only a medallion and certificate.
- Bharat Ratna and Padma awards were suspended from 1977 to 1980 and later restored.
- C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan and C.V. Raman were the first Bharat Ratna recipients in 1954.
- Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) and Nelson Mandela (1990) are the only two foreign-born Bharat Ratna recipients.
- Sachin Tendulkar (2014) is the youngest Bharat Ratna recipient and the only sportsperson so far.
- Lal Bahadur Shastri received Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1966.
- Mother Teresa received Bharat Ratna in 1980.
- Padma awards have three grades: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, in that order of seniority.
- Padma awards are announced on the eve of Republic Day and conferred later at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- The Padma Awards Committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
- Padma and Bharat Ratna titles cannot be used as a prefix or suffix to the recipient's name.
- Jnanpith Award was instituted in 1965 by the Bharatiya Jnanpith trust.
- G. Sankara Kurup was the first Jnanpith winner, for Malayalam work Odakkuzhal.
- Jnanpith covers writers in any Eighth Schedule language plus English.
- Ashapurna Devi was the first woman to win the Jnanpith Award.
- Sahitya Akademi Award is given per language every year, unlike Jnanpith which is one award across all languages.
- National Film Awards were instituted in 1954 by the Directorate of Film Festivals.
- Dadasaheb Phalke Award, instituted in 1969, is the highest honour in Indian cinema.
- Devika Rani was the first Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner in 1969.
- National Film Award winners receive a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) or Rajat Kamal (Silver Lotus).
- Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted in 1995 to mark Gandhi's 125th birth anniversary.
- Julius Nyerere of Tanzania was the first Gandhi Peace Prize winner.
- Sangeet Natak Akademi's top honour is called Akademi Ratna (Fellowship).
- Kalidas Samman is a Madhya Pradesh state government award, not a Government of India award.
- Maharashtra Bhushan is Maharashtra's highest civilian state honour, instituted in 1995.
- Bharat Ratna has no fixed number of awards per year, unlike some other honours.
- V.V. Giri and Zakir Husain both went on to become President of India before or after their Bharat Ratna.
- J.R.D. Tata and Satyajit Ray both received Bharat Ratna in 1992.
Memory Tables
Table A: Award to instituting year
| Award | Year instituted |
|---|---|
| Bharat Ratna | 1954 |
| Padma Awards | 1954 |
| National Film Awards | 1954 |
| Sangeet Natak Akademi | 1952 |
| Sahitya Akademi | 1954 |
| Lalit Kala Akademi | 1954 |
| Jnanpith Award | 1965 |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | 1969 |
| Gandhi Peace Prize | 1995 |
| Maharashtra Bhushan | 1995 |
| Kalidas Samman | 1980 |
Table B: "First recipient" facts
| Award | First recipient | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Bharat Ratna (joint first) | C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan, C.V. Raman | 1954 |
| Jnanpith Award | G. Sankara Kurup | 1965 |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Devika Rani | 1969 |
| Gandhi Peace Prize | Julius Nyerere | 1995 |
| First foreign Bharat Ratna recipient | Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan | 1987 |
| First woman Jnanpith winner | Ashapurna Devi | 1976 |
Practice MCQs
Q1. In which year was the Bharat Ratna award instituted? (a) 1950 (b) 1952 (c) 1954 (d) 1961
Q2. Who was the first sportsperson to receive the Bharat Ratna? (a) Kapil Dev (b) Sachin Tendulkar (c) Dhyan Chand (d) Milkha Singh
Q3. Which body announces the Padma Awards every year? (a) Ministry of Culture (b) Ministry of Home Affairs (c) Ministry of External Affairs (d) Rashtrapati Bhavan Secretariat
Q4. The Jnanpith Award was instituted in which year? (a) 1954 (b) 1961 (c) 1965 (d) 1969
Q5. Who was the first recipient of the Jnanpith Award? (a) Sumitranandan Pant (b) G. Sankara Kurup (c) Ashapurna Devi (d) Firaq Gorakhpuri
Q6. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is given for outstanding contribution to which field? (a) Literature (b) Classical music (c) Indian cinema (d) Social service
Q7. Who was the first winner of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award? (a) Prithviraj Kapoor (b) Devika Rani (c) B.N. Sircar (d) Nargis
Q8. The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted to mark which anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi? (a) 100th birth anniversary (b) 125th birth anniversary (c) 150th birth anniversary (d) 50th death anniversary
Q9. Which of the following is NOT a Government of India civilian award? (a) Padma Shri (b) Bharat Ratna (c) Kalidas Samman (d) Padma Vibhushan
Q10. Arrange the following Bharat Ratna recipients in chronological order of the award year: 1. Sachin Tendulkar 2. Lal Bahadur Shastri 3. Mother Teresa 4. Bismillah Khan (a) 2-3-4-1 (b) 2-4-3-1 (c) 3-2-4-1 (d) 4-2-3-1
Q11. Which award consists of a statuette of Goddess Saraswati (Vagdevi), a citation and a cash prize? (a) Sahitya Akademi Award (b) Jnanpith Award (c) Moortidevi Award (d) Gandhi Peace Prize
Q12. Match the following persons with their honour:
- Julius Nyerere A. Bharat Ratna
- Ashapurna Devi B. Gandhi Peace Prize
- Devika Rani C. First woman Jnanpith winner
- C.V. Raman D. Dadasaheb Phalke Award (a) 1-B, 2-C, 3-D, 4-A (b) 1-A, 2-B, 3-C, 4-D (c) 1-D, 2-A, 3-B, 4-C (d) 1-C, 2-D, 3-A, 4-B
Q13. Which of the following statements about the Bharat Ratna is correct? (a) It carries a cash prize of Rs 1 crore (b) It was instituted in 1969 along with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (c) It cannot be used as a prefix or suffix to the recipient's name (d) It is given only to Indian citizens by birth
Q14. The Padma Awards Committee that recommends names for Padma awards is headed by the: (a) Prime Minister (b) President of India (c) Cabinet Secretary (d) Union Home Minister
Q15. Which of these Bharat Ratna recipients was honoured posthumously in 2024? (a) L.K. Advani (b) Chaudhary Charan Singh (c) Sachin Tendulkar (d) C.N.R. Rao
Answer Key
| Q | Answer | One-line reason |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | (c) 1954 | Bharat Ratna was instituted in 1954, along with Padma Awards and National Film Awards. |
| Q2 | (b) Sachin Tendulkar | He received it in 2014, the only sportsperson so far. |
| Q3 | (b) Ministry of Home Affairs | Padma Awards Committee works under the Ministry of Home Affairs. |
| Q4 | (c) 1965 | Bharatiya Jnanpith instituted the award in 1965. |
| Q5 | (b) G. Sankara Kurup | He won for Malayalam work Odakkuzhal in 1965. |
| Q6 | (c) Indian cinema | It recognises lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. |
| Q7 | (b) Devika Rani | She was the first Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner in 1969. |
| Q8 | (b) 125th birth anniversary | Instituted in 1995, Gandhi's 125th birth anniversary year. |
| Q9 | (c) Kalidas Samman | It is a Madhya Pradesh state government award, not a central civilian award. |
| Q10 | (a) 2-3-4-1 | Correct chronology by award year: Shastri (1966), Mother Teresa (1980), Bismillah Khan (2001), Tendulkar (2014). |
| Q11 | (b) Jnanpith Award | The Jnanpith statuette depicts Vagdevi (Saraswati). |
| Q12 | (a) 1-B, 2-C, 3-D, 4-A | Nyerere-Gandhi Peace Prize; Ashapurna Devi-first woman Jnanpith winner; Devika Rani-Phalke Award; Raman-Bharat Ratna 1954. |
| Q13 | (c) Cannot be used as prefix or suffix | This is a settled rule for Bharat Ratna and Padma awards alike. |
| Q14 | (c) Cabinet Secretary | The Padma Awards Committee is headed by the Cabinet Secretary. |
| Q15 | (b) Chaudhary Charan Singh | He was one of five posthumous/living Bharat Ratna recipients announced in 2024, along with Karpoori Thakur, P.V. Narasimha Rao and M.S. Swaminathan (posthumous) and L.K. Advani (living). |