Pages: 132 (41 B/W Illustrations) From The Jacket Every country has its great men and women who serve the country and who are responsible to some extent of taking their country to greater heights. Indian honours such people with the Bharat Ratnas, the highest civilian awards bestowed by the country for exceptional service towards advancement of art, literature and science, and in recognition of public service of the highest order. The boo covers forty-one luminaries from various walks of life who are considered Bharat Ratnas or Gems of India and highlights the their illustrious deeds. What made them special and worthy of the country"s highest honour and why are they considered Gems of the Nation? One will find the answers to these questions in the book. Wg Cdr D P Sabharwal is a postgraduate in Aeronautical Engineering. He had a distinguished career spanning twenty-five years in the Indian Air Force. He took premature retirement to pursue a career of teaching and writing. He has published twelve books on aviation related subjects. This is his fourth book with Rupa & Co. Preface India"s highest awards, the Bharat Ratna, which roughly translates as the "Gem of India" is conferred for the highest degrees of national service that includes artistic, literary, and scientific achievements, as well as "recognition of Public service of the highest order". Unlike knights, holders of the Bharat Ratna carry no special title nor any other honorifics, but they do have a place in the order of precedence. The order was established by Dr Rajendra Prasad, President of India, on 2 January 1954. The original statutes of January 1954 did not make allowance for posthumous awards, which perhaps explains why the decoration was never awarded to Mahatma Gandhi. This provision was added in the January 1955 statute. Subsequently, there have been eleven posthumous awards, including the award to Subh