Apropos the editorial "Bharat Ratna absurdities" (August 12), when instituted, Bharat Ratna awardees were well chosen but over the years the selection process has been influenced by choices made on the basis of political pressure, expediency and favouritism. In some cases they have been bestowed belatedly (Bhimsen Joshi) or prematurely (Sachin Tendulkar) or inexplicably (M G Ramachandran).
As a result, the award has lost some of its sheen. In this din of sound bites, let us recall that these awards enable our nation to recognise the contribution of our great leaders in different fields and correct historical misperceptions about them. We should continue with our system with the proviso that the selection of the awardees will be done by a committee instead of the executive alone.
Y G Chouksey Pune
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