The Bharat Ratna, which was founded in 1954, is given to people who have excelled in "any sphere of human endeavor." From C. Rajagopalachari, the first Bharat Ratna awardee, to NanajiDeshmukh, the most current Bharat Ratna awardee, the award has been given to a total of 48 people, with only five of them being women.
India has produced numerous courageous women who have excelled in various disciplines and attained great heights. The Bharat Ratna is India's highest and most prestigious honour, granted to Indian nationals for their contributions in numerous sectors. Women are blazing beacons of hope who have demonstrated exceptional dedication in their fields. I'd like to provide a brief account of the women who have earned the Bharat Ratna award, as well as their contributions and accomplishments.
Indira Gandhi- the women who lead India to victory over Pakistan in the Bangladesh Liberation War
Indira Gandhi was granted the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, after leading India to victory over Pakistan in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
Indira Gandhi was an Indian politician and a key role in the Indian National Congress. She was India's third prime minister and the country's first and only female prime minister to date. Gandhi's political intransigence and unparalleled centralization of power earned her the title of Prime Minister.
She went to war with Pakistan in support of the East Pakistan independence movement and war, which led in an Indian triumph and the birth of Bangladesh, as well as expanding India's dominance to the point where it became the sole regional power in South Asia.
Indira Gandhi was voted "Woman of the Millennium" by the BBC in an online poll in 1999. Gandhi was chosen by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 most powerful women of the twentieth century in 2020.
When it comes to women, she has a strong opinion. In 1952 in a letter to her American friend Dorothy Norman, Gandhi wrote: "I am in no sense a feminist, but I believe in women being able to do everything ... Given the opportunity to develop, capable Indian women have come to the top at once."
Mothera Teresa- the Catholic nun and saint
Teresa was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government in 1962 and the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding by the Indian government in 1969. Other Indian accolades followed, including the Bharat Ratna (India's highest civilian honour) in 1980.
Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, also known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in the Catholic Church, was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary.
Teresa formed the Missionaries of Charity in 1950, a Roman Catholic religious order with about 4,500 nuns active in 133 countries as of 2012. The group runs residences for patients with HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis who are near death.
Soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics, children's and family counselling programmes, as well as orphanages and schools, are all administered by the organisation. It is a completely free service provided to the poorest of the poor.
Many people adored Teresa for her philanthropic activities. She received numerous awards, including the Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize in 1962 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
Aruna Asaf Ali- the Grand Old Lady of the Independence Movement
In 1964, Aruna Asaf Ali received the International Lenin Peace Prize, and in 1991, she received the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding. She received the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, during her lifetime in 1992, and the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, posthumously in 1997.
Aruna Asaf Ali was a publisher, political activist, and educator from India. She is most known for hoisting the Indian National flag at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay during the Quit India Movement in 1942, when she was an ardent participant in the Indian independence movement. She stayed active in politics after independence, eventually becoming Delhi's first Mayor.
Aruna Asaf Ali was an important figure in the Indian Independence Movement. When ArunaAsaf Ali married Asaf Ali, a Congress leader, in 1928, she entered politics. In 1930, she took part in the Dandi March. She was also imprisoned at Tihar Jail in 1932, where she went on a hunger strike to protest the abuse of prisoners. In 1954, she helped found the National Federation of Indian Women, the CPI's (Communist Party of India) women's branch, and in 1958, she was elected the first Mayor of Delhi. She was dubbed the 'Grand Old Lady of the Independence Movement' and the 'Heroine of the 1942 Movement' for her efforts and bravery.
M S Subbulakshmi - Queen of Music
Madurai ShanmukhavadivuSubbulakshmi was a Tamil Nadu-born Indian Carnatic singer. She was the first musician to receive India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. In 1974, she became the first Indian musician to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award, which stated, "Exacting purists accept Srimati M. S. Subbulakshmi as the premier exponent of classical and semi-classical songs in the South Indian carnatic tradition." In 1966, she became the first Indian to perform in the United Nations General Assembly.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said about M.S. Subbulakshmi, "Who am I, a mere Prime Minister before a Queen, a Queen of Music?" LataMangeshkar named her Tapaswini (the Renunciate), Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan labelled her Suswaralakshmi (the goddess of the perfect note), and KishoriAmonkar called her the ultimate eighth note, or Aathuvaan Sur, which is above the seven fundamental notes of music. Sarojini Naidu, India's famous national leader and poet, titled her the "Nightingale of India."
She was recognised as a TirumalaTirupatiDevasthanams resident artist AsthanaVidhwan. MS Blue, a Kancheepuramsaree shade, was named after her. On December 18, 2005, a commemorative postage stamp honouring her was released. The United Nations agreed to issue a stamp to commemorate M.S. Subbulakshmi's 100th birthday. With these prizes, she received large sums of money, the most of which she donated to charity.
Lata Mangeshkar - Voice of the Millennium
Lata Mangeshkar had garnered numerous awards and honours throughout her career. The Government of India awarded her the DadasahebPhalke Award in 1989. She was granted the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 2001 for her achievements to the country; she is only the second female singer to earn this honour, following M. S. Subbulakshmi.
Lata Mangeshkar was an Indian playback vocalist and songwriter who worked in the film industry. She is widely acknowledged as one of India's greatest and most influential vocalists. Over the course of a seven-decade career, she has been called "Queen of Melody," "Nightingale of India," and "Voice of the Millennium" for her contributions to the Indian music industry.
She won three National Film Awards, 15 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards, four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards, two Filmfare Special Awards, the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, and a slew of other accolades. She was one of the first Indian playback singers to appear in the Royal Albert Hall in London, the United Kingdom, in 1974. "SaugandhMujhe Is Mittiki," her most recent recorded song, was released on March 30, 2019, as a homage to the Indian Army and the nation.
