Awards of India

Awards are the token of respect and honour conferred to the people with noteworthy achievements. The list of awards in India is vast as people have been marking great achievements in various fields.

The major categories of Awards in India are :-

There are many more categories of awards.

Civilian Awards

Civilian Awards are conferred to people with outstanding achievements in their field of work. These awards are presented to the respective recipients by the President of India on Republic Day. The inception year of these Civilian awards is 1954.

Civilian Awards are categorized according to the degree of honour.

The Civilian awards conferred are:

Bharat Ratna- 1st degree of honour
Padma Vibhushan- 2nd degree of honour
Padma Bhushan- 3rd degree of honour
Padma Shri- 4th degree of honour

Bharat Ratna

Bharat Ratna is the highest Civilian Award in India. This award is conferred for achievements in the field of Science, Literature, Arts and Public Services. In 2013, sports were also included in this award category.

The award has the shape of Peepal leaf and is bronze-toned. The award has the emblem of Sun in the middle, and the words “Bharat Ratna” are inscribed below the emblem in Devanagari Script. On the reverse side, it has the State Emblem and State Motto.

Padma Vibhushan

Padma Vibushan is the second-highest civilian award in India. This is conferred to people with distinguished achievements in the field of Arts, Literature, Science, Public Services.

This award has a circular shape with a geometric pattern superimposed on the circle and is toned bronze. In the centre of the circle, a lotus flower is embossed. The word “Padma” and “Vibushan” are inscribed above and below the lotus flower in Devnagri Script. On the reverse side, it has the State Emblem and State Motto.

Padma Bhushan

This is the third-highest civilian award in India and is conferred to people with achievements in for service in any field including service rendered by Government servants including doctors and scientists, but exclude those working with the public sector undertakings.

This award has a similar design to the Padma Vibhushan. All the embossing is done in gold.

Padma Shri

In the order of rank, Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award. This award is conferred to people for achievements in any field including the service rendered by the Government employees.

The shape of the award is the superimposition of a geometric pattern on the circle.

The words “Padma” and “Shri” are embossed above and below the lotus flower in the centre.

All the embossing is done in stainless steel and the periphery is furnished in bronze.

Gallantry Awards

Gallantry Awards are presented to the personnel in the forces for bravery and valour.

The Gallantry awards that are conferred in India are as follows(in the order of Precedence):

Param Vir Chakra
Ashoka Chakra
Mahavir Chakra
Kirti Chakra
Vir Chakra
Shaurya Chakra

Major facts about the Gallantry Awards

The first 3 awards in this category that came into existence after independence are- Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra.
These awards are conferred twice a year- on Republic Day and Independence Day.
The other 3 gallantry awards were introduced in 1952- Ashok Chakra Class I, ashok Chakra Class II, Ashok Chakra Class III. Later, they were named as Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra.
The gallantry Awards have a certain selection process for the recipients.

Selection Process for Gallantry Awards

The basic selection process for these awards are:

In the case of Armed Forces, the award is initiated by the Unit.
The recommended personnel name are sent to the Service Headquarters under the supervision of Commanders in the chain.
The Awards Committee verifies the list and gets it approved by the Chiefs before sending the proposal to the Ministry Of Defence.

Param Vir Chakra

Param Vir Chakra is the highest order of recognition in the Military and is conferred to personnel who have performed a distinguished act of valour at the time of war.

The name of the award is also referred to as the “Wheel of the Ultimate Brave”. The medal is a circular bronze disc. On the front, the National Emblem of India appears in the centre on a raised circle surrounded by four sets of the vajra. On the reverse, there are 2 inscribed legends separated by lotus flowers. The words “Param Vir Chakra” are written in Hindi and English.

Ashoka Chakra

Ashok Chakra is conferred to civilians or military personnel for most conspicuous bravery or some act of daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield.

The award design is circular in shape and “Ashok Chakra” is inscribed both in Hindi and English and these 2 versions are separated by 2 lotus flowers.

This award is equivalent to the US Army’s peacetime Medal of Honour and the British George Cross.

Mahavir Chakra

The Maha Vir Chakra is the second-highest military honorary award in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the British Distinguished Service Order (DSO).

The medal is made of silver and is circular in shape. Embossed on the front is a five-pointed star with circular centre-piece on which the state emblem of India is inscribed. The words “Mahavira Chakra” are embossed in Devanagari and English on the reverse with two lotus flowers in the middle.

Kirti Chakra

This award is presented to the Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle and is awarded to civilians as well as military personnel.

It is the peacetime equivalent of the Maha Vir Chakra and it comes in between Ashoka Chakra and Shaurya Chakra. Before 1967, the award was known as the Ashoka Chakra, Class II.

It is circular in shape and is made of silver. On the front, a replica of Ashoka Chakra in the centre is embossed and is surrounded by a lotus ring. On its reverse the words Kirti Chakra is embossed in both in Hindi and English; the versions being separated by two lotus flowers.

Vir Chakra

Vir Chakra is the third-highest honorary gallantry award in India and is conferred to personnel for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy on the battlefield.

The medal is a circular silver medal. A five-pointed star, with the wheel or chakra in the centre, and, on this, the state emblem is inscribed. Around a plain centre, two legends separated by lotus flowers and “Vir Chakra” is embossed in Hindi and in English.

Shaurya Chakra

The Shaurya Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice while not engaged in direct action with the enemy.

Sports Awards

As the name suggests, these awards are presented to sportsmen for their outstanding performance and excellence in sports. They are national-level sports awards given by Indian Govt. each year. The most renowned national sports awards are described as follows:

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
Arjuna Award
Dronacharya Award
Dhyan Chand Award
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy

The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy, abbreviated as MAKA Trophy is a sports honour of the Republic of India. The award is named after Abul Kalam Azad commonly referred to as Maulana Azad. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It is a rolling trophy awarded to the "overall top performing University in sports and promoting competitive sports in University" over the preceding year. As of 2020, the award for the university securing first position comprises "a rolling MAKA trophy and a cash prize of ₹15 lakh (US$21,000)". The second- and third-place universities receive cash prizes of ₹7.5 lakh (US$11,000) and ₹4.5 lakh (US$6,300) respectively. The trophy, initiated in 1956–1957, has been awarded a total of 64 times as of 2020. The objective of the trophy is to promote competitive sports, excellence in sports, and integrating sports and physical fitness amongst the Indian colleges and universities.

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

It is the most prestigious national sports award that a sportsperson can get from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India. This award is named after the late Prime Minister of India, Sh. Rajiv Gandhi to honour him. It was introduced in 1991 in order to appreciate and boost the morale of the sportspersons in India. The recipient of this award gets a cash prize, a medal, and a certificate.

The famous chess player, Vishwanathan Anand became the first sportsman to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for his performance and achievements in chess from the year 1992 to 1993. The first sportswoman to receive this award is Karnam Malleswari in weightlifting. Besides this, Sachin Tendulkar received this award in 1998 for Cricket, and the other cricketers to receive this award are M.S. Dhoni in 2008 and Viral Kohli in 2018.

Arjuna Award

Arjuna Award was introduced in the year 1961, which makes it the oldest national sports award in India. It is conferred by the Ministry of Youth Affairs to sportspersons who have consistently given outstanding performances for at least four years in a row in national and international games.

The award is named after Arjuna, a famous archer in the Mahabharata. The awardee gets a bronze statue of Arjuna and a certificate along with a cash prize. There are a total of six first recipients of the Arjuna award in 1961, namely Saleem Durrani in Cricket, Sarabjeet Singh in Basketball, Manuel Aaron in Chess, Gurucharan Singh Randhawa in Athletics, Nandu Natekar in Badminton, and LB D'souza in Boxing.

Dronacharya Award

This award is not for the players. It is for the coaches who train and prepare and guide the players to achieve big in sports. Dronacharya Award was introduced in 1985 by the Indian Govt. It is named after "Dronacharya," who was the teacher of Pandavas in Mahabharata. It is awarded to coaches for their efforts, training, and guidance in producing medal winners for the country in national and international level sports events such as the Olympics, commonwealth games, etc.

In this award, the recipient gets a statue of Dronacharya, which is made of bronze, a scroll, a ceremonial dress, and a cash prize. The first recipients of the Dronocharya award in 1985 include Bhalachandra Bhaskar Bhagwat (a wrestling coach); O.M. Nambiar (an Athletic coach), Om Prakash Bhardwaj (Boxing coach). Furthermore, the first foreign coach in India who received the Dronacharya award is B.I. Fernandez.

Dhyan Chand Award

It is the most prestigious sporting award that is conferred annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for lifetime achievement. In 2002 the award was named after the Dhyan Chand, a hockey legend of India who scored more than 1000 goals in his hockey career of 20 years. This prize comprises a shield, a certificate, and a cash prize. The first recipient of the Dhyan Chand Award is Aparna Ghosh in the field of Basketball. The awardee for this award are selected after considering their contribution to sports during their sport career and after their retirement.

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award

The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award is the highest adventure sports honour of the Republic of India. The award is named after Tenzing Norgay, one of the first two individuals to reach the summit of Mount Everest along with Edmund Hillary in 1953. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The recipients are honoured for their "outstanding achievement in the field of adventure activities on land, sea and air" over the last three years. The lifetime achievement is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated excellence and have devoted themselves in the promotion of adventure sports. As of 2020, the award comprises "a bronze statuette of Tenzing Norgay along with a cash prize of ₹5 lakh (US$7,000)."

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar

The name of the award in Hindi translates to National Sports Promotion Award. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The award recognizes the "involvement of corporates, voluntary organizations, and sports control boards, in the promotion and development of sports in the country" over the previous three years. The award was started in 2009 and the guidelines were revised in 2015. Since the revision, entities in four categories are awarded: Identification and nurturing of budding and young talent, Encouragement to sports through corporate social responsibility, Employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures, and Sports for development. As of 2020, the award comprises "a citation and a trophy in each of the categories".

Literary Awards

Literary Awards are presented to Indian writers to recognize and appreciate their great work of literature and their contribution to the upliftment of the literature in India. It is a great initiative to promote literature and highlight the achievements of writers in literature. The literature work should be in an officially recognized language of India, including the English. There are many literary awards in India that are as follows:

Jnanpith Award
Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
Sahitya Akademi Award

Jnanpith Award

It is the most renowned literary award in India. It is also known as Gyanpeeth Award. It was introduced in 1961 and was awarded by the Gyanpeeth Trust to Indian writers for their outstanding work and contribution to literature in any of the recognized languages of India. The awardee gets a bronze made statue of Goddess Saraswati along with a cash prize. The first writer to receive the Jnanpith Award is Sankara Kurup for his Malayalam poem collections "Otakuzhai" in 1965. The award is not presented for a single piece of writing; the nominees are selected based on their lifetime achievements.

Sahitya Akademi Fellowship

It is the second most renowned literary award in India for the Indian writers for their immortal literature work in any officially recognized language of India. It was introduced in 1968 and is conferred by the National Academy of Letters of Govt. of India, the Sahitya Akademi. In this award, the Akademi elects the awardee as its fellow. The first recipient of Sahitya Akademi Fellowship was Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a statesman, and philosopher.

Sahitya Akademi Award

It is the third most renowned literary award in India in the field of literature. It is also conferred by Sahitya Akademi that instituted it in 1954 to recognize and honour the writers for their work of literary merit in any of the officially recognized languages of India. The awardee gets a box containing a copper plaque and a shawl, including a cash prize. Makhanlal Chaturvedi is the first recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book "Him Tarangini" in 1955.

All the awards are conferred in the presidential ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan usually on 29th of August each year.

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