Static GK
🔒 Log in to trackAwards & Honours
🔒 Log in to track| Award | Started | Field | First / key facts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bharat Ratna | 1954 | Highest civilian honour | First: C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan, C.V. Raman (1954). First woman: Indira Gandhi (1971). First sportsperson: Sachin Tendulkar (2014). First non-Indian: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987); Nelson Mandela (1990). Normally max 3 per year |
| Padma Vibhushan / Bhushan / Shri | 1954 | 2nd / 3rd / 4th civilian honours | Announced on Republic Day eve |
| Param Vir Chakra | 1950 | Highest wartime gallantry | First: Maj. Somnath Sharma (1947, posthumous) |
| Ashoka Chakra | 1952 | Highest peacetime gallantry | |
| Jnanpith | 1965 | Highest literary award (Indian languages) | First: G. Sankara Kurup (Malayalam, Odakkuzhal) |
| Sahitya Akademi Award | 1955 | Literature (24 languages) | |
| Dadasaheb Phalke | 1969 | Lifetime contribution to cinema | First: Devika Rani |
| Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna | 1991–92 | Highest sports honour | Renamed from Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2021; first winner Viswanathan Anand |
| Arjuna Award | 1961 | Sportspersons | |
| Dronacharya Award | 1985 | Sports coaches | |
| Dhyan Chand Award | 2002 | Lifetime achievement in sport |
Indian Nobel laureates
| Year | Laureate | Field |
|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Rabindranath Tagore | Literature (first Asian) |
| 1930 | C.V. Raman | Physics (Raman effect) |
| 1979 | Mother Teresa | Peace |
| 1998 | Amartya Sen | Economics (welfare economics) |
| 2014 | Kailash Satyarthi (with Malala Yousafzai) | Peace |
International awards by field: Pulitzer → journalism & literature (USA) · Booker → English fiction · Oscar (Academy Award) → film · Grammy → music · Pritzker → architecture · Abel Prize & Fields Medal → mathematics · Kalinga Prize → popularising science (UNESCO).
Detailed notes
Civilian awards of India (in order of precedence)
Bharat Ratna > Padma Vibhushan > Padma Bhushan > Padma Shri. All four were instituted in 1954. Bharat Ratna facts: first recipients (1954) - C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan, C.V. Raman; first woman - Indira Gandhi (1971); first awarded posthumously - Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966); first (and youngest) sportsperson - Sachin Tendulkar (2014).
Gallantry awards
Param Vir Chakra (PVC) - the highest wartime gallantry award (its peacetime counterpart is the Ashoka Chakra). The first PVC went posthumously to Major Somnath Sharma (1947, Kashmir operations). Below it come the Maha Vir Chakra and the Vir Chakra.
Nobel Prizes (from 1901)
Categories: Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace (Economics added in 1969 by Sweden's central bank, not by Nobel's will). Indians and people of Indian origin:
| Person | Year | Field |
|---|---|---|
| Rabindranath Tagore | 1913 | Literature (first Asian) |
| C.V. Raman | 1930 | Physics |
| Mother Teresa | 1979 | Peace |
| Hargobind Khorana | 1968 | Medicine |
| Amartya Sen | 1998 | Economics |
| V. Ramakrishnan | 2009 | Chemistry |
| Kailash Satyarthi | 2014 | Peace (with Malala Yousafzai) |
| Abhijit Banerjee | 2019 | Economics |
| Marie Curie was the first woman Nobel laureate (Physics 1903) and the only one to win in two sciences (Chemistry 1911). |
Literary, arts and other international awards
- Jnanpith Award (1965) - India's highest literary award; first winner G. Sankara Kurup (Malayalam).
- Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1969) - India's highest cinema honour; first winner Devika Rani.
- Booker Prize - first awarded 1969 to P.H. Newby; Pulitzer Prize (1917) - American journalism and letters.
- Ramon Magsaysay Award (1958) - the 'Asian Nobel'; named after a Philippine president.
- Gandhi Peace Prize (1995) - instituted by India; first won by Julius Nyerere of Tanzania.
- Abel Prize (2003, Norway) - mathematics; Fields Medal - mathematics, for work done under 40, every four years; Turing Award - computer science.
Sports awards of India
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna - India's highest sporting honour (first given 1991-92 to Viswanathan Anand; renamed from Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2021). Dronacharya Award (1985) - outstanding coaches. Arjuna Award (1961) - consistent outstanding sportspersons. Dhyan Chand Award - lifetime achievement. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy - best university in sports.
Quick revision
- 1954: Bharat Ratna + three Padma awards; first Bharat Ratna trio Rajagopalachari-Radhakrishnan-Raman.
- PVC first = Major Somnath Sharma (posthumous); peacetime equivalent = Ashoka Chakra.
- Nobel ladder: Tagore 1913, Khorana 1968, Raman 1930, Mother Teresa 1979, Sen 1998, Ramakrishnan 2009, Satyarthi 2014, Banerjee 2019.
- Jnanpith 1965 Kurup; Phalke 1969 Devika Rani; Magsaysay 1958; Gandhi Peace Prize 1995 Nyerere.
- Khel Ratna first = Anand (1991-92); Dronacharya = coaches; Arjuna = players.
Types of questions asked
Every way this subtopic shows up in exams — how to recognise it, the formula or logic to use, and a solved example.
Type 1: Bharat Ratna: firsts and recipientsvery common3 practice Q
'Who received the first Bharat Ratna', 'first woman/posthumous/sportsperson Bharat Ratna', order of civilian awards.
- Instituted 1954; first trio (1954) - C. Rajagopalachari, S. Radhakrishnan, C.V. Raman.
- First woman - Indira Gandhi (1971); first posthumous - Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966); first sportsperson - Sachin Tendulkar (2014).
- Precedence: Bharat Ratna > Padma Vibhushan > Padma Bhushan > Padma Shri - all civilian awards began in 1954.
Example: Who was the first sportsperson to receive the Bharat Ratna?
Sachin Tendulkar (announced 2014, along with C.N.R. Rao) - also its youngest recipient at 40.
Type 2: Nobel Prize: categories and Indian laureatesvery common3 practice Q
'First Indian Nobel laureate', 'who won the Nobel for X year', 'Economics was added when', Peace prize pairs.
- Indians: Tagore 1913 (Literature), Raman 1930 (Physics), Khorana 1968 (Medicine), Mother Teresa 1979 (Peace), Sen 1998 (Economics), Ramakrishnan 2009 (Chemistry), Satyarthi 2014 (Peace), Banerjee 2019 (Economics).
- Tagore was the first non-white and first Asian laureate (Literature 1913).
- Economics prize (1969) is given by Sweden's central bank, not under Nobel's will; Marie Curie won Physics 1903 and Chemistry 1911.
Example: Who was the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize?
Rabindranath Tagore - Literature, 1913, for Gitanjali. C.V. Raman won Physics in 1930.
Type 3: Gallantry awards: hierarchy and firstscommon2 practice Q
'Highest gallantry award', 'first Param Vir Chakra', 'peacetime equivalent of PVC', Ashoka Chakra questions.
- Wartime ladder: Param Vir Chakra > Maha Vir Chakra > Vir Chakra.
- First PVC - Major Somnath Sharma (1947, posthumous); peacetime counterpart - Ashoka Chakra.
- Peace-time/in-service awards also include the Sena/Nau-sena/Vayu Sena Medals.
Example: The Ashoka Chakra is awarded for —
The most conspicuous bravery or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield (peacetime) - the peacetime counterpart of the Param Vir Chakra.
Type 4: Literary, arts and international prizesvery common4 practice Q
'Highest literary award of India', 'first Dadasaheb Phalke', 'Abel/Fields/Turing are given for', 'Gandhi Peace Prize first winner'.
- India: Jnanpith (1965) - highest literary award (first G. Sankara Kurup); Dadasaheb Phalke (1969) - highest cinema honour (first Devika Rani).
- World: Booker (1969), Pulitzer (1917), Magsaysay (1958, 'Asian Nobel'), Gandhi Peace Prize (1995, first Julius Nyerere).
- Specialist prizes: Abel - mathematics (Norway, 2003); Fields Medal - mathematics, under 40, every 4 years; Turing - computer science.
Example: The Fields Medal, awarded every four years, honours achievement in which field?
Mathematics - and only mathematicians aged under 40; the Abel Prize (2003) is mathematics' other big award.
Type 5: Sports awards of Indiacommon2 practice Q
'Highest sporting honour of India', 'first Khel Ratna', 'Dronacharya/Arjuna given for', year-pair questions.
- Highest: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (first 1991-92 to Viswanathan Anand; renamed in 2021).
- Dronacharya (1985) - coaches; Arjuna (1961) - sportspersons; Dhyan Chand Award - lifetime contribution.
- MAKA Trophy - best sports university/inter-university sport.
Example: The Arjuna Award (instituted 1961) is given for —
Consistent outstanding performance by sportspersons over four years; the Dronacharya Award honours their coaches.
Shortcut tricks
⚡ First Bharat Ratnas — "RRR 1954"
Rajagopalachari, Radhakrishnan, Raman — three Rs in 1954.
Example: Which of the following was NOT among the first Bharat Ratna recipients in 1954? (a) C.V. Raman (b) S. Radhakrishnan (c) Jawaharlal Nehru (d) C. Rajagopalachari
Nehru (awarded 1955). 1954 = RRR.
⚡ Award decade ladder
50s Bharat Ratna (54) → 60s Arjuna (61), Jnanpith (65), Phalke (69) → 80s Dronacharya (85) → 90s Khel Ratna (91–92).
Where students lose marks
Dronacharya is for coaches; Arjuna is for players.
The first Phalke awardee was Devika Rani, not Prithviraj Kapoor (he got it posthumously in 1971).
Khel Ratna was renamed after Major Dhyan Chand in 2021; the separate Dhyan Chand Award (lifetime) is a different award.
Practice sets — 17 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Each answer comes with a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 10 questions
Suggested time 3 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.