The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order, without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. The award was originally limited to achievements in the arts, literature, science, and public services, but the government expanded the criteria to include "any field of human endeavour" in December 2011. The recommendations for the Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the President, with a maximum of three nominees being awarded per year. The recipients receive a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a peepal leaf-shaped medallion. There is no monetary grant associated with the award. Bharat Ratna recipients rank seventh in the Indian order of precedence.
Siddhi Charan Shrestha was one of the most prominent writers of Nepal. He contributed to the struggle against the autocratic Rana regime (1846–1951) through his writings. His revolutionary poetry aroused freedom fighters, and he was sentenced to 18 years in jail for his literary activities. He wrote in Nepali Bhasa and Nepali.
Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah is a member of the Nepalese Royal Family who was Queen consort of Nepal from 1955 to 1972 and Queen Mother from 1972 to 2008 when the royal family were stripped of all titles and privileges. She is the second wife of King Mahendra (1920–1972). Ratna belongs to the aristocratic Rana family and is the daughter of Field Marshal Hari Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana and his wife, Megha Kumari Rajya Lakshmi.
Ganesh Man Singh was the leader of the democratic movement of 1990 in Nepal. He is revered as the Father of Democracy and the Iron-man of Nepali politics. He joined Praja Parishad to protest against the autocratic rule of the Ranas.
Madan Krishna Shrestha is a Nepali actor, comedian, writer and singer. He is one of the most successful and respected comedians in the Nepali entertainment industry and was the most popular stage performer in his time. He is well known for his method acting. He is one of the comedy duo, "MaHa Jodi", the other one being Hari Bansha Acharya. He also performs on stage most of the time with his partner, Hari Bansha Acharya. He has sung many hit Nepal bhasa and few Nepali songs. He has been suffering from Parkinson's disease.
The Indian honours system is the system of awards given to individuals for a variety of services to the Republic of India. The categories of awards are as follows:
Tulādhar is a Nepali/Nepalese caste from the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. The name Tuladhar is derived from the Sanskrit words "tula" and "dhar" (possessor), thus meaning scale-bearer or in general, merchant. Tuladhars belong to the Uray group which includes Kansakar, Tamrakar, Sthapit, Bania, Sindurakar, Selalik and other castes. They follow Newar Buddhism and speak Nepal Bhasa as a mother tongue.
Karnataka Ratna is the highest civilian honour of the State of Karnataka. It is awarded to a person for his extraordinary contribution in any field. It was constituted in the year 1992 by the Government of Karnataka. There have been a total of 9 recipients of this award.
Lain Singh Bangdel / Lain Bangdel (Rai), was Nepal's foremost artist, novelist, and art historian. In addition to being a leading authority on Nepalese art, Bangdel is best known as the "father of modern art" and was responsible for introducing the modern trends of Western art into Nepal with his pioneering one-man exhibition in Kathmandu in 1962. As a novelist, he introduced realistic writing in Nepali literature during his period in Calcutta during the 1940s. Born in Darjeeling, India, he studied in Calcutta until 1951, lived in London and Paris until 1961, and finally came to his homeland Nepal in 1961. He also served as Life-Member, Vice-Chancellor, and finally Chancellor of the Royal Nepal Academy (1962-1991).
Shiva Shankar Manandhar was a singer, music composer of Nepali songs and the chief actor in the first Nepali movie, Aama. For nearly a half century beginning from 1950 to late 1990, his name has probably been mentioned more often in books, journals, lectures and conversations about Nepalese music than any other musicians.
Dharma Ratna Yami was a Nepalese social activist, author and government deputy minister known for his radical views on social mores.
Dhammalok Mahasthavir was a Nepalese Buddhist monk who worked to revive Theravada Buddhism in Nepal in the 1930s and 1940s. For this act, he was expelled from the country by the tyrannical Rana regime.
Pushpa Ratna Sagar was a Nepalese merchant, grammarian, lexicographer and pioneer pressman. Born Pushpa Ratna Tuladhar in Asan Dhalasikwa, Kathmandu, he acquired the nickname Sagar in his childhood during a pilgrimage to Ganga Sagar in India. He was the third and youngest son of trader Pushpa Sundar Tuladhar and his wife Dhan Maya.
Purna Kaji Tamrakar was a Nepalese merchant, author and journalist who worked to develop Nepal Bhasa at the time when writers were being persecuted by the government.
Bhante Kumar Kashyap Mahasthavir was a Nepalese Buddhist monk who was awarded the title of Tripitakacharya.
The Most Illustrious Order of Tri Shakti Patta is an order of knighthood of the former Kingdom of Nepal. It is conferred on members of the Royal Family or Nepali citizens who make outstanding contributions to the nation, and to foreigners making special contributions to the welfare of Nepal.
Ratna Pustak Bhandar is a privately owned distributor, publisher and retailer of books in Nepal's capital city, Kathmandu, and is the oldest bookstore in Nepal.
Nepal Ratna Man Padavi is the highest civilian award of Nepal. Instituted in 2010, the award is conferred for exemplary contributions to the nation of Nepal.
Gunaram Khanikar was a herbal medicinal expert from Assam, India. Gunaram Khanikar is one of the most popular and recognized names in the field of herbal medicine in India. His birthday, 22 March, is observed as Medicinal Plants day in Assam, India. Khanikar has received numerous awards for his innovation in herbal medicine and around 30 books, most of them in Assamese, including one of the most successful of these, Sahaj Labhya Ban Darober Goon. He has also written around 630 articles for different magazines. Khanikar was also the head of the Regional Research and Training Center on Indian Traditional Treatment (RRTCITT).
Balkrishna is an Indian billionaire businessman and chairman of the consumer goods company Patanjali Ayurved. He was reported by Forbes to have a net worth of US$2.3 billion as of May 2021. According to Ashish Kumar of Arya Samaj, Balkrishna has successfully established and managed a global business without a formal education.
