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16th November 2013. India registered a comfortable win against the West Indies in the second and final test match of the series. There were mixed emotions on the faces of Indian cricket fans post the match. It was Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar's 200th and final test match of his illustrious career.After an emotional speech at the Wankhede Stadium, little did the batting maestro know that he will be conferred with India's highest civilian honor Bharat Ratna. The government of India conferred the award to Tendulkar on February 4, 2014 in a glittering ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.Tendulkar became the first sportsperson to be bestowed with this honor. While there were many who applauded the government's gesture, others questioned them on not awarding the Bharat Ratna to Dhyan Chand who deserved it before Tendulkar.With that in mind, let us look at Indians who deserve the coveted award:
#5 Pankaj Advani
He got interested in snooker at the age of 10 when he accompanied his brother Shree to a snooker parlour near his home every day. He has not looked back since and has gone on to create new records in the sport.
Known for his versatile play, Advani is a 12-time World Champion in cue sports. The 29-year old is the only person to have claimed both billiards and snooker World championships in all formats.
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The Bangalorean has won two Asian Games gold medals and is a 5-time Asian Games champion.
#4 Sushil Kumar
An athlete carved out of struggle, grit and determination, Sushil Kumar is the perfect example that anything could be achieved if you have the willpower to succeed. Who would have imagined that a boy from Baprola village in South West Delhi will go on to win Olympic medals for the country?
Kumar did not have to look far for inspiration. His father, who was a former wrestler and Kumar's cousin Sandeep inspired the young Kumar to take up wrestling.
Kumar had a difficult time training for championships in his junior days. He shared a dormitory with 20 other athletes and the poor training facilities at the akhada weren't helping either. His transition from national championships to international tournaments is remarkable.
Kumar carried his good form at the Asian junior wrestling championships to win his bronze at the Asian wrestling championships. Success at the Commonwealth wrestling championships and the Commonwealth Games was unprecedented as he settled for nothing less than a gold after progressing beyond the quarterfinals.
It wasn't a great start for Kumar at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he lost in the opening round. He showed tremendous resolve to win two repechage rounds in order to qualify for the bronze medal match. Kumar clinched bronze beating Spiridonov in three tough rounds in the 66 Kg category.
Kumar became the first Indian to win gold at the 2010 World Wrestling Championships in Moscow beating local favorite Alan Gogaev in the finals. He added another cap to his impressive career by winning silver at the 2012 London Olympics. Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu got the better of Kumar in the final to deny India her second individual Olympic gold medallist.
He is a medal prospect for India at the Rio Olympics next year.
#3 Mary Kom
In another inspiring tale of hardships and struggle, Mary Kom emerged victorious against all odds. Boxing was largely considered a "male" sport in the country. Mary clearly did not think so when she started training without proper equipment and very less support from her parents.
She moved to Imphal in order to access better training facilities in the capital. Her persistence started showing results as she won the National boxing championship in 2001 and finished second in the World Championships the same year.
She learnt from her silver winning effort and went on to claim the World Championships on five occasions. She was successful at the Asian boxing championships as well winning four golds and one silver.
Women's boxing was introduced in the Olympics for the first time in 2012. Mary was the lone Indian representative in the 51-Kg category. She lost a close fight against local favorite Nicola Adams in the semfinals and settled for an historic bronze.
Her first gold at the Asian games last year just goes to show the passion that Mary has for the sport and not to give up on your dreams. She is a role model for millions of people not just in India, but across the globe.
#2 Viswanathan Anand
The words Viswanathan Anand and excellence are synonymous with each other. Anand's contribution to Indian chess is just astonishing. He has been one of the top players in the world for close to two decades and is showing no signs of stopping just yet.
From being hailed a child prodigy to winning major international tournaments, Anand has come a long way. He is the youngest Indian to be named International master, the first Indian to win the World Junior chess championship, the first Indian Grandmaster.
These were just signs of more incredible things to follow for India's chess wizard. After suffering agonizing losses at the World championships, Anand finally laid his hand on the coveted title winning the trophy for the first time in 2000. He went on to win it on four other occasions in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2013.
He is the recipient of Arjuna award, Padma Shri, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
#1 Dhyan Chand
From chess wizard to hockey wizard, Dhyan Chand was widely known as the best hockey player of all time thanks to his goal scoring prowess. Young Chand did not have a keen interest in hockey to begin with, but his stint in the Army changed it. He played army hockey tournaments for four years and was selected for the tour to New Zealand. Indian team were terrific winning 18 games out of 21.
Chand rose to the big occasion beautifully. He was the highest goal scorer at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic games with 14 goals when India won their first Olympic gold.
The 1932 Olympics was memorable for more reasons than one. Chand was asked to lead the side in Los Angeles. He was in outstanding form along with his brother Roop Singh who scored a combined 25 goals in the tournament. Chand found the net 8 times in India's 24-1 thrashing of USA in the final.
Hitler also witnessed the skills of the Indian wizard at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and offered him German citizenship. Chand declined the offer. Indi won their third Olympic gold in a row trouncing home team Germany 8-1 in the final. Chand scored three of them.
Australian batting great Sir Don Bradman once remarked He scores goals like runs in cricket emphasising the greatness of Chand.
He is one of India's finest sportspersons and is a worthy recipient of the country's highest civilian honor.
