Bharat Ratna

Bharat Ratna, "gem of Bharat", is indeed a very prestigeous award. Having been constituted in 1954, it has so far been awarded to 40 people. The award is given to 'highest degrees of national service' rendered by a citizen - and probabaly thats one reason that it is not defined specifically.

It has so far been awarded mainly to politicians with a sprinkling of men and women from other fields. This is not diffult to understand, considering that many people have played a great role in the freedom struggle that in the immediate few decades we have honoured some great people from among the millions of freedom fighters.

The award has officially been suspended between 1977 and 1980. Also, no award has been granted since 2001. Initially there was a clause preventing awarding the award posthumously, which was later either withdrawn or ignored and awarded posthumously to some. This certainly means we can award it posthumously to Mahatma Gandhi.

Now, as many both in India and abroad believe, India is at cross roads knocking at the doors of prosperity, global presence and leadership. Indian community certainly needs role-models. It is in this context that successive Indian governments should now view the awarding of Bharat Ratna. The awardee should be one who has a message for future generations that is Uniquely Bharat.

Not that the earlier recipients did not have such a message. The question is that this has not been brought out. Apart from those who are directly influenced by such individuals in their lives, others have little access to such high targets. These days, we have access to advanced technologies that can enable us to cross such barriers and make information available to a broader audience than it is available today.

That said, lets briefly sketch what could be Uniquely Bharat:

1. Seva and Universal Brotherhood

Seva is an idea that is uniquely Indian and no-where else in the world is this found. Seva is service for the sake of service without seeking any return what so ever. Seva is the highest example of Nishkama Karma. I have to repeat, SEVA expects ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in return. The moment a return is sought, Seva becomes service which is actually a business - nothing High and Noble about it.

India is the first nation that believed in and taught Universal Brotherhood. Truely, India is the nation that taught such high ideals like Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Ekam Sat Vipra Bahuda Vadanti, "...Ruchinam Vaichitriyad ....Nrinameko Gamyastvamapi.....". These ideals are uniquely Indian, and the World needs them badly, if we humans have to continue to survive as the pinnacle of evolution.

2. Green in Conviction and Attitude

India is the first and the only nation to believe in the sanctity of ALL life, not just human and practice it. India is the only nation and culture that gave due importance and respect to every aspect of nature: humans, animals, plants, ecosystems and symbiosys. Other nations/cultures just treat plant and animal kingdom as mere prey. Others' concept of equality and compassion starts and ends at a defined subset of humanity, and does not extend to all of nature.

Lack of such green conviction and attitude is leading the planet into an era of serious challenges that even threaten the continued existence of life on Earth (like the climate change for example). Ofcourse, scientists working on cutting edge research do now talk about "Mother Earth" but that is only a symbolic beginning, it is not yet a determined conviction that really means a great deal in a practical sense.

3. Wholistic Approach to Life

Wholistic approach to life is a personal summarization of mine wherein I band together a few things that are distinctly and uniquely Indian in various walks of life.

Ayurveda is the science of life. Medicine apart, Ayurveda has the unique approach of categorizing and managing food that leads to health and minimizes the need to approach medical help. Modern science understands food at the level of molecular constituents but does not have knowledge of the "packaging" other than most rudimentary aspects like 'fiber is good for keeping the bowels clean'. Understanding and building upon the knowledge of Auyrveda will help humanity in staying healthy!

Yoga is one of the greatest gifts of India to the world. Yoga ranges from keeping the body healthy (hatha yoga) to keeping the mind and soul healthy (yoga). And all this from a scientific and practical angle.

There may be other ideas, these are mine, what I feel is the best way.