Gems Of India

Recently there was a lot of talk about who should receive the coveted Bharat Ratna award this year. Numerous names were also suggested ranging from Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Sachin Tendulkar. Some self-centered ones went on to propose their own names too. With all this hype around and the media covering every word uttered, I got interested in the whole idea about this award and decided to check the winners list - AND WAS SHELL SHOCKED to see few of the name, that I expected to appear in the list, missing.

The award has been described as ‘India’s highest civilian award, awarded for the highest degrees of national service’. What beats me is the absence of certain names that includes firstly the ‘Father of the Nation’ - Mahatma Gandhi. The other names that should have decorated this coveted list include:
* Subhash Chandra Bose - Freedom fighter / Revolutionary to take India’s freedom struggle to world arena by forming the INA* Swami Vivekananda - Noted spiritual leader and scholar* Rabindranath Tagore - Poet / Freedom fighter* Kiran Bedi - First woman to join Indian Police Service* Ilayaraja - Noted Music director

It is also unbelievable that Subhas Chandra Bose was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1992 and was later withdrawn thanks to a Public Interest Litigation filed in the Supreme court of India. One thing that our countrymen do promplty is to file PIL’s for everything and take pride in that.

I feel this award should be reserved for the special few who have not only served the nation and its people in their life, but also taken India to new heights by their work. It is saddening to see even this special award being eyed by politicians for their political gain.