Hind Rattan

Name of an Indian non-governmental diasporic award (Hindi: "Jewel of India", transliterated both as Hind Rattan and Hind Ratan)^[1] given yearly to about 30 members of the worldwide Indian diaspora (comprising the categories of both Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin) by the NRI Welfare Society of India (see below), at a ceremony in connection with the yearly "International Congress of Non Resident Indians"^[2] (held since 1982) on and around the Indian Republic Day (January 26) in New Delhi; the number of awardees varies, and can sporadically be 50 or even more. That, though awarded by a private organisation, the Hind Rattan can lay claim to prestigiousness,^[3] is shown by direct or indirect association of prominent personalities — including present and past members of the Indian Government^[4] — not only with the award ceremony, but also with the advisory board of the Society itself; among those associated with the board or present or past award ceremonies are the former Prime Ministers H.D. Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral, ministers such as K.C. Pant and Oscar Fernandes, and former Election Commissioner G.V.G. Krishnamurthy.^[5] Ambassadors of countries with a high number of diasporic Indians are also regular atendees addressing the participants of the Congress at which the awards are presented.

However, the criteria based on which individual Hind Rattan awards are bestowed are unclear: potential awardees are nominated inter alia by a process of peer recommendation, but how and why the final awardees are chosen is not known, as the award committee does not publish its reasons. Moreover, the award comes only with this honour, no financial benefits; to receive it, recipients have to bear their own expenses for coming to New Delhi and attending the Congress mentioned above (see section on Controversial Issues).

At the same Congress, nine selected persons (mostly previous recipients of the Hind Rattan award) are usually presented with the Nav Rattan award (Hindi: "Nine Jewels", also transliterated as Nav Ratan, Navratan, Navrattan etc.). This award is named after the Navaratnas.

A further, very selectively presented, award is the Sword of Honour.

NRI Welfare Society of India

The NRI Welfare Society of India,^[6] with chapters in various countries, was founded in 1981 by Harbhajan Singh (died 2006), member of the Press Council of India (1982-1988), editor of the English fortnightly The Indian Observer, president of the All India Small & Medium Newspapers Federation, and recipient of the 2000 UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Gold Medal.^[7] As per its own depiction, the NRI Welfare Society of India understands itself as a link organisation between the Indian diaspora and the Government of India. It claims to be the premier organisation to have first given overseas Indians and people of Indian origin a voice for the Government to hear,^[8] and to have been instrumental in effecting several changes in the way the Government of India deals with the Indian diaspora, including the setting up of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and the appointment of a commissioner for overseas Indians, steps for implementing dual citizenship, and the holding of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.^[9]

Controversial issues

Even though the list of recipients of its awards throughout the years is manifestly a list of illustrious and influential personages of the Indian diaspora, and in spite of the prestige associated with its awards, the NRI Welfare Society of India has been criticised for insisting that these awards be collected in person at the Congress mentioned above, which entails considerable expenses on the part of the recipients.

Prominent recipients

The NRI Welfare Society of India has not published any list of its award recipients, so this list is to be seen as a first attempt. In accordance with the guidelines WP:ELNO it lists only persons included in the Wikipedia.

Chatwal, Sant Singh
Dabydeen, David
Das, Rahul Peter
Gujjula, Ravindra
Khabra, Piara Singh
Khator, Renu
Pandian, Malaysia S.
Sharma, Pankaj
Sherazee, Mohammed Shafi Ata (Maung Maung Ta)
Singh, Madanjeet
Suri, Lalit
Syed, Ibrahim B.

References

1. ^ The names of the awards of the NRI Welfare Society of India, even those of non-English origin, seem to be given only in the Latin script, reproducing the pronunciation. Ratan reproduces the Standard Hindi pronunciation, Rattan that of the Delhi area, influenced by Punjabi.
2. ^ A by now traditional feature of this Congress (also organized by the NRI Welfare Society), is the open house session in which the floor airs and discusses problems and grievances related to the Indian diaspora.
3. ^ An interesting example of this prestigiousness is found in a Times of India article (No Bharat Ratna again, Sania gets Padma Shri) of January 26, 2006, in which the Hind Rattan is – rather incongruously – mentioned together with awards such as the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
4. ^ The Indian Embassy in Paris expressly mentions that each year, one of the ministers of the Indian Government presents the Hind Rattan, and also states (erroneously, though) that it is the Prime Minister himself who sends out invitations to attend the "International Congress of Non Resident Indians": see Invitation du Premier ministre indien Dr Manmohan Singh aux NRIs et PIOs à participer au Congrès des NRI qui se tiendra à New Delhi et Jaipur du 24 au 28 janvier 2009 (last retrieved on August 18, 2010).The presentation is mentioned in the following: "Chaque année, à la veille du « Jour de la République » le 25 janvier, la prestigieuse récompense « Hind Rattan » est attribuée par l’un de nos ministres d’Etat à des NRIs et des PIOs sélectionnés pour leurs accomplissements respectifs à l’étranger au service de l’Inde."
5. ^ See also supportive messages by various members of the central and state governments of India on the occasion of the Congress. Even though clearly not literary gems, and often stereotype, such messages play a major role in Indian public events, as the "blessings" of prominent personages, particularly acting ministers and governors, have an important legitimising function.
6. ^ For the website see the section "External Links" below (see also the description on the NRIOL Website).
7. ^ See, e.g., The Tribune, Chandigarh of February 10, 2000 (Scribe gets UNESCO Gandhi award) and culturopedia.com.
8. ^ See also http://www.legalserviceindia.com/article/l276-NRI-Grievances-Redressal-Mechanism-in-India.html.
9. ^ The NRI Welfare Society of India is not the only prominent organisation of its kind; another is the India International Friendship Society.

External links

Website of the NRI Welfare Society of India