Though a Bharat Ratna for Sachin has been in the works for a while, the government didn't want to run the risk of an "incident" during his playing days that might have inadvertently caused embarrassment.
"No one plays the game with more dedication than Sachin. He is a role model. But some times an incident can happen in the heat of the moment. Or something could happen off the field," said a source.
Timing the announcement of the award with Sachin's last hurrah would also give the government an opportunity to ride the moment when national attention is riveted on the cricket icon signing off at Wankhede stadium.
The decision was formalized on Friday and on Saturday Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Sachin after returning from a campaign visit to Mizoram. Singh also spoke to scientist C N R Rao who was also awarded the Bharat Ratna.
There were several recommendations for a Bharat Ratna for Sachin with Maharashtra chief minister Privthiraj Chavan and minister of state for parliamentary affairs minister Rajeev Shukla among his backers.
The debate over India's highest honour being given to Sachin has been raging for the past couple of years with some feeling that he can wait a few years given his young age of 40, which makes him the youngest awardee.
Sachin's huge fan following and public acclaim convinced the government that honouring him will not be out of place and making him as India's first sports person to receive the award will not be out of place.
The cricket maestro has previously been awarded the Padma Vibhushan and he now joins 41 persons who have been similarly awarded, an illustrious list that includes C Rajagopalachari, C V Raman, B C Roy, Jawaharlal Nehru, J R D Tata and Nelson Mandela.
Sachin's emotional farewell at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, followed by the announcement by the Rashtrapati Bhawan, saw a rush of congratulations as politicians, cricketers and other eminent persons lauding his achievements.
Last year, Sachin became the first active sportsperson to become a nominated member of Parliament. He had not attended Parliament much given his sporting engagements, but might do so from next year.
Rao serves as the head of the scientific advisory council to the Prime Minister. He is the third scientist after C V Raman and former President A P J Abdul Kalam to be given the Bharat Ratna.
Rao's contributions have been recognized by most major scientific academies around the world through conferment of memberships and fellowships and has been honoured with several national and international awards, the official announcement said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment