C. Rajagopalachari was the first rewarded of Bharat Ratna. He was honoured with this reward in 1954. Since then, the award has been bestowed upon 45 individuals, including 12 who were awarded posthumously. The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India. It was started in 1954. This award is rewarded "in recognition of exceptional service or performance of the highest order", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. Initially, this award was originally limited to achievements in the arts, literature, science, and public services, but later the government expanded the criteria to include "any field of human endeavour" in December 2011.....Read more