🇮🇳 1. Civilian Awards in India
🥇 Bharat Ratna
- Established: 1954
- Significance: India’s highest civilian award.
- Awarded for: Exceptional service in the fields of arts, literature, science, and public services.
- Notable Fact: Can be awarded posthumously.
🥈 Padma Awards (Hierarchy from highest to lowest)
| Award | Criteria |
| Padma Vibhushan | Exceptional and distinguished service |
| Padma Bhushan | Distinguished service of a high order |
| Padma Shri | Distinguished service in any field |
- Field Coverage: Art, public affairs, science, trade, medicine, literature, sports, etc.
🪖 2. Gallantry Awards
Wartime Gallantry
| Award | Significance |
| Param Vir Chakra | Highest military award for bravery during war |
| Maha Vir Chakra | Second-highest gallantry award |
| Vir Chakra | Third in order of wartime gallantry |
Peacetime Gallantry
| Award | Description |
| Ashoka Chakra | Highest peacetime gallantry award for valor |
Key Note: Param Vir Chakra = wartime | Ashoka Chakra = peacetime
🏆 3. Sports Awards
| Award | Purpose |
| Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna | Highest sporting honor for outstanding performance |
| Arjuna Award | Recognizes consistent excellence in sports |
| Dronacharya Award | For exceptional coaching in sports |
Remember: Dhyan Chand = highest player award | Dronacharya = coach
📚 4. Literature and Arts
| Award | Field |
| Sahitya Akademi Award | Excellence in literature (multiple languages) |
| Sangeet Natak Akademi Award | For achievements in music, dance, drama |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Highest award in Indian cinema for lifetime contribution |
🔬 5. Science and Technology
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize
- Awarded for: Notable and original research in science and technology.
- Significance: Considered the top scientific research award in India.
👥 6. Social Work and Public Service
| Award | Focus Area |
| Indira Gandhi Prize | Peace, disarmament, and development |
| Ramon Magsaysay Award | Often called Asia’s Nobel Prize – for public service, community leadership, journalism, etc. |
🌍 7. Prestigious International Awards
| Award | Field of Recognition |
| Nobel Prize | Peace, Literature, Chemistry, Physics, Medicine, Economics |
| Academy Awards (Oscars) | Excellence in film and cinema |
| Pulitzer Prize | Journalism, literature, and music (U.S.) |
| Booker Prize | Best original novel in English |
| Grammy Awards | Achievements in the music industry |
| Fields Medal | Top global honor in mathematics (awarded every 4 years, under age 40) |
| Right Livelihood Award | Practical solutions to global issues; Alternative Nobel |
| Templeton Prize | Contributions to affirming life’s spiritual dimension |
| Copley Medal | Oldest scientific award – for any branch of science |
- Note: Booker = English literature | Fields Medal = Mathematics | Templeton = Spiritual values
💡 Exam Tips & Associations
- Bharat Ratna = India’s highest civilian honor.
- Param Vir Chakra vs. Ashoka Chakra → Wartime vs. Peacetime gallantry.
- Khel Ratna > Arjuna Award > Dronacharya in terms of prestige for sportspersons.
- Dadasaheb Phalke = Lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.
- Fields Medal ≠ Nobel Prize (because there’s no Nobel in mathematics).
- Ramon Magsaysay = Asian Nobel — especially in public service and community leadership.