Who Was Awarded The First "Barath Ratna"?

          The first official recipient of the Bharat Ratna was Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishna. An academician and a statesman of international repute, Dr. Radhakrishna was considered a philosopher of wide acclaim, and also has, to his name, more than 40 books on religion and philosophy.

          He has also been in the political field, serving two terms as the Vice President of India before being elected President in 1962. His tenure as the President was an eventful one, with landmark events in Indian history happening at that time – the China misadventure, the successful Pakistan campaign in 1965, and also Nehru's death in 1964.


          The Bharat Ratna, which literally translates to 'Jewel of India' in English, was instituted on 2 January, 1954 by the then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Over the years, there have been alterations made to the laws governing the criteria for receiving the award.
          

          The design of the award medallion was changed in 1955, and the first person to receive this altered version was Dr. Sir Mokshgundam Visveswaraya, an eminent engineer of his time from the state of Mysore. Up to the year 2001, there have been 41 recipients of the award. The presentation of the award was put on hold from 13 July 1977 to 26 January 1980.


          Also, so far there have been three extra-ordinary awards– two non Indians in the form of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Nelson Mandela in 1987 and 1990, respectively, and one naturalized Indian citizen in the form of Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, fondly remembered the world over as Mother Teresa, in 1980.