Political Diary

New Delhi, 27 December 2014

Inky, Pinky, Ponky…..

COMPETITIVE ‘AWARD’MANSHIP

By Poonam I Kaushish

Akar bakkar bambeh boh, have your pick. Either way it matters little. This, dear aam aadmi, is how the country’s highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna and the Padma Awards: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri are decided. After all, the decorations are all about darbari politricking!

Undoubtedly, former NDA Prime Minister Vajpayee who combined statesmanship with statecraft and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya are eminently deserving of the Bharat Ratna. But their choice still raises questions given that these awards have often been controversial, politically tinted or emblematic.

Vajpayee should have received the award earlier but the previous UPA Government was loathe to give it to an adversary. Malaviya’s choice has set a worrying example. A freedom fighter who founded the Banaras Hindu University and was a prominent leader of the Hindu Mahasabha.

Raising a moot point: Does the Bharat Ratna actually honour excellence in a specific area or contribution to nation building?  Does it add sheen or diminish the awardees stature? Or does it merely massage the ego, neither adding nor subtracting from their achievements and glory?

A case in point. Would cricket’s icon Tendulkar be less idolized if he weren’t honoured with a Bharat Ratna?  Or Vajpayee who harmonized statecraft and Hindutva in to a pluralist consensual ethos, stature as a statesman and achievements be less lauded?

No one doubts Malaviya’s contribution to the freedom struggle was worthy but so were those of Tilak, Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh etc. Further, if one starts honouring people who died pre-1947 how far back will we go to honour pre-Independence  heroes? Where does one begin and stop? Is there any merit in a posthumous award being given so many years later? Thereby, opening a Pandora’s Box for awards to bygone freedom fighters.

Undeniably, the decision to reward Malaviya could set an undesirable paradigm and raises important questions.  He is the first recipient who died in 1946 Will Bharat Ratnas be now given to all our freedom fighters? Or is it simply because the BHU is in Modi’s constituency? Was he rewarded for being a founding father of the Hindu Mahasabha, the precursor to the RSS?

Speaking for myself I am against such awards. It is another relic India inherited from the British Raj. Failing to realize a basic difference. We are a Parliamentary democracy closer to US which has no Honours roll, than Britain which has a monarch, its Parliament subserves too. No matter we follow the Westminster model.  

Notably, how many of us remember how many Bharat Ratnas have been awarded since their inception on 2 January 1954 for “exceptional services towards the advancement of Art, Literature and Science, and in recognition of public service of the highest order.” What is the procedure/criteria for “recognizing exceptional service”? Or even recall the recipients in the last five years?

Moreover, the manner in which Bharat Ratnas are chosen only highlights the futility of State awards that are decided in a non-transparent manner by the ruling political establishment of the day. The Prime Minister recommends the names to the President resulting in them being highly politicised. With eyes shut one can decipher which Party has bestowed honour --- Congress, BJP or the Janata brood.

Of the 38 awardees till date, 13 are Congress men. Plainly, it boils down to largesse dictated by political compulsion to reward those who serve the interests of the ruling Party in power at best and denying deserving rivals at worst.

Add to this, the awards have become farcical. Remember, since Nehru and daughter Indira nominated themselves in 1955 and 1971 respectively, the honour has been regularly abused and misused whereby we neither remember nor value the recipients’ contribution to the nation. Who are regaled to becoming talking points generating appreciation or controversy. Thus falling miserably short of the reason why these were instituted.

Distressingly, the conferring of the Bharat Ratna stinks of populism and vote-bank politics at its crassiest best. Dalit stalwart BR Ambedkar was honoured by ‘Mandal’ Prime Minister V P Singh in 1990, Jayaprakash Narayan was conferred the Bharat Ratna in 1999 by Vajpayee and Mother Teresa by the Congress. Why? To help our netagan and their Parties to garner votes in subsequent elections.

Recall, controversies cropped up when former cinema star and AIADMK supremo M.G.Ramachandran was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1988. Murmurs were also heard when ex-President VV Giri, Congress President K Kamaraj and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi were given the award.

Notwithstanding, notables like GB Pant, C Rajagopalachari, S Radhakrishnan, Nobel laureate C.V. Raman, Sardar Patel and Vinobha Bhave. Shastri, was given the first posthumous award in 1966. Unbelievable but true, the most important person, who befits this award is missing. The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi!

The less said the better over the jostling for the other three awards --- Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. There is no dearth of award-seekers. The corridors of power are witness to people lugging their resumes to concerned Ministers and X, Y, Z’s who can help them get an award. All stops are pulled out, favours called and relatives and friends pressed into service to put in a word. Sic.

Sadly, over the years successive Governments have treated these awards as favours to be bestowed in exchange of personal loyalty while ignoring deserving people in civil society. Never mind that it lowers the value, prestige and dignity of the awards. Worse, the awards are trivialized to an extent whereby conmen and fortune-tellers too can boast about being the proud recipients.

Regardless of the merits of these awards, it is clear the Government has been unable to break out of the past template in which such awards have had a political intent. Last year, if Congress made Tendulkar the youngest Bharat Ratna awardee, now, BJP has made Malaviya the oldest winner.

Scandalously, religion and castes too are being taken into consideration while entertaining nominations for these titles, asking whether the person belongs to the SC/ST or OBC or General Castes. This goes against the tenets of national integration.

What next? Clearly, it is time we scrapped these inky-pinky-ponky awards charade? The selection process is all wrong, merit is no longer the criteria and to top it all people have lost faith. Remember, Morarji Desai cancelled these awards in 1977 and asked the awardees not to use their titles. But three years later Indira Gandhi reintroduced the Bharat Ratna, making a mockery by recommending herself. Since then the award has become a badge of honour to milk perks like a MPship or Governorship.

Alternatively, our netas should collectively rename the awards so that they become a reflection of their favoritism and obligation to those selected instead of making it look like a fawning country’s symbol of the recipient’s greatness. Never mind, it might demean the awardee.

In sum, the time has come to cry a halt to competitive ‘awardmanship.’ Specially when our national pride, honour and self-respect are at stake. Awards or nominations must be in keeping with their laudable objective of acknowledging the truly distinguished service to the nation. Not given to those who live for the moment and revel in the glory of yesteryears. Nor to the politricking darbaris! ---- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)