Bharat Ratna Award is the most prestigious and honourable civilian award, given by the Government of India. The award is given for the highest degrees of national service and mainly for artistic, literary and scientific achievements. The award is also given for "recognition of public service of the highest order". Though the recipients of Bharat Ratna Award carry no special title like Knights in England, they do occupy a special place among all the civilians. The term `Bharat Ratna` means the `Jewel of India` or the `Gem of India`. A total of 41 extraordinary talents of the country have been awarded the Bharat Ratna award, so far till 2008. Pundit Bhimsen Joshi was the recipient of the award, in 2008.

The Bharat Ratna Award was introduced in the year 1954 and the first President of India; Dr. Rajendra Prasad presented the award to Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan on 2nd January, 1954. Since then, the award is being given to the best talents of India, on a regular basis. However, it was suspended for a brief period from 13th July 1977 to 26th January 1980. The design of the award has also seen changes, as in its very first year, a circular gold medal, with a diameter of thirty-five millimeter, was given to the winner. The Sun was there on the obverse of the medal and the term `Bharat Ratna` was also written in Hindi script with a flora wreath below. The state emblem and motto was there on the reverse of the medal. The winners then used to wear it around their neck from a white ribbon.

However, the design of the Bharat Ratna Award was altered within one year after its inception and there is no evidence available about whether any specimens of the design were made. The award is now designed in the shape of a Peepul leaf and the term `Bharat Ratna` is written in Hindi, in the front side of the award. The reverse side of the award carries the state emblem and motto and is attached to a two-inch long ribbon. The winners wear it around their neck. Though, the original statutes of January 1954 did not allow the Bharat Ratna award to be presented posthumously, the provision was added in the January 1955 statute. The Bharat Ratna has been given posthumously to twelve `Jewels of India` so far, including the one presented to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in 1992. However, the award to Netaji was withdrawn later due to a legal technicality and this was the only case of a Bharat Ratna award being withdrawn.

There is no strict or formal provision that the recipients of the Bharat Ratna Award ought to be Indian citizens. This is why two non-Indians and a naturalised Indian citizen have so far been presented the award. They are the naturalised Indian citizen, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, better known as Mother Teresa (1980); and the two non-Indians, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) and Nelson Mandela (1990). The Bharat Ratna Awardees are considered to be the greatest talents India has ever produced, in different fields.