The first foreigner to be awarded Bharat Ratna is
Bharat Ratna is India’s highest civilian award, conferred in recognition of exceptional service to the nation in the fields of art, literature, science, and public service. Established in 1954, recipients, exclusively Indian citizens, are honored for their outstanding contributions to society and the country.
Share
The First Non-Indian to Receive the Bharat Ratna was Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan in 1987. He was the founder of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement in 1929. The second Non-Indian to receive Bharat Ratna was Nelson Mandela in 1990.
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890–1988), popularly known as Bacha Khan or the Frontier Gandhi, was a prominent Indian independence activist. A devout follower of nonviolence, he worked closely with Mahatma Gandhi and played a pivotal role in the Khilafat Movement and the Indian National Congress. Despite facing adversity, he tirelessly advocated for communal harmony and the empowerment of the oppressed. Founding the Khilafat Movement and the Red Shirts, he emphasized education and social reforms among the Pashtuns. Khan endured imprisonment during British rule and opposed the partition of India in 1947. After independence, he remained committed to nonviolence, even amid regional conflicts. In 1987, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was posthumously honored with the Bharat Ratna, making him the first non-Indian recipient of India’s highest civilian award for his unwavering dedication to peace and social justice.