The National Rifle Association of India has stirred the Hornet’s Nest by recommending that Abhinav Bindra, India’s only individual Olympic gold medalist be conferred the Bharat Ratna – India’s highest civilian award. Not to let the opportunity slip by, Bindra reported to be training in Germany, threw his hat in the ring saying that it was “a big honour to be recommended for the Bharat Ratna”. The development further complicates the race for the award this year that often gets announced on the eve of the Republic Day.

In April, sports minister Ajay Maken, wrote to the Prime Minister and Home Ministry to make sportspersons also eligible for the highest award. Last week the government widened criteria from excellence in “fields of art, literature, science and public service” to “performance of highest order in any field of human endeavour”.

Since December last, when Sachin Tendulkar scored his 50th Test century the clamour for Bharat Ratna for him has grown. Maken’s letter was clearly aimed at facilitating this but now that the request was accepted, the sports ministry clarified that besides Tendulkar there were other sportspersons also in the running. This appears to have been stated primarily to ward off allegation of rules being amended solely for Tendular’s benefit.

To be fair to the man who carries a billion dreams on his shoulder every time he steps out to bat, there is no sportsperson who has survived for such a long period with such remarkable consistency. For a moment juxtapose Tendulkar’s cricketing timeline with the Indian political chronology. On November 15, 1989 he made his Test debut in Karachi and on December 18 the same year he played his first ODI against Pakistan at Gujranwala. In the one month between these debut performances, Indians voted out Rajiv Gandhi, saw Vishwanath Pratap Singh becoming prime minister at the head of a coalition besides seeing the rise of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir with the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of then Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.

In the past 22 years since Tendulkar’s debut, India has changed dramatically, but the hope that he has carried has not altered. Does this then not make a strong case for him being awarded the Bharat Ratna?

Why do Indians cringe at the thought of the highest award for sportspersons or other young achievers? There are possibly two factors – we have a highbrow approach to civilian awards and secondly most Indians take sports seriously but not the sportspersons.

The majority of 41 people conferred the award have been politicians and many argue that it is a tool of political appeasement. Started in 1954, in six decades, India has seen its pool of talent becoming wider. Barring performing arts geniuses like MS Subbulakshmi, Ravi Shankar, Bismillah Khan, Lata Mangeshkar and Bhimsen Joshi only Satyajit Ray is a recipient from the field of culture. The government needs to become more liberal in conferring Bharat Ratna.

Civilian awards cannot be seen as a tool of political patronage but as recognition of exceptional talent over a considerable period. On the score, I am sorry, but Abhinav Bindra needs to wait. Bharat Ratna should not be for one-shot wonders.