Honours and Awards
About This Cheat Sheet
Your complete guide to Honours and Awards for competitive exams. This cheat sheet covers civilian, gallantry, sports, literary, film, and international awards with their recipients and significance.
🏅 Civilian Awards of India
- Bharat Ratna (Highest Civilian Award)
- Padma Vibhushan (Second Highest)
- Padma Bhushan (Third Highest)
- Padma Shri (Fourth Highest)
- Recipients & Year-wise List
- Award Categories & Classification
⚔️ Gallantry Awards
- Param Vir Chakra (Highest Gallantry)
- Ashoka Chakra (Peace Time Gallantry)
- Mahavir Chakra (Second Highest)
- Kirti Chakra (Second Highest Peace Time)
- Vir Chakra (Third Highest)
- Shaurya Chakra (Third Highest Peace Time)
🏏 Sports Awards
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna
- Arjuna Award
- Dronacharya Award
- Dhyan Chand Award
- Major Sports Personalities
- Award Categories & Criteria
📚 Literary Awards
- Jnanpith Award (Highest Literary)
- Sahitya Akademi Award
- Booker Prize
- Nobel Prize in Literature
- Indian & International Authors
- Famous Literary Works
🎬 Film Awards
- Dadasaheb Phalke Award
- National Film Awards
- Filmfare Awards
- Oscar Awards (Academy Awards)
- Grammy Awards
- Important Recipients
📚 Exam Categories
- SSC & Banking
- Railways & UPSC
- State PSC
- Defence & Insurance
- CAT & MBA Entrance
- Other Competitive Exams
🏅 Highest Civilian
Bharat Ratna
Est. 1954⚔️ Highest Gallantry
Param Vir Chakra
Est. 1950🏏 Highest Sports
Khel Ratna
Est. 1991📚 Highest Literary
Jnanpith Award
Est. 1961🎬 Highest Film
Dadasaheb Phalke
Est. 1969⭐ Bharat Ratna - Notable Recipients
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
1954 | Philosopher, President
C.V. Raman
1954 | Nobel Prize in Physics
Mother Teresa
1980 | Humanitarian
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
1997 | Scientist, President
M.S. Subbulakshmi
1998 | Classical Singer
Lata Mangeshkar
2001 | Playback Singer
Sachin Tendulkar
2014 | Cricketer
Narendra Modi
2024 | Prime Minister
🏏 Khel Ratna Award Winners
2021 | Javelin Throw
2020 | Boxing
2018 | Cricket
2016 | Badminton
2015 | Badminton
2012 | Shooting
📚 Nobel Prize Indian Winners
1913 | Literature
1930 | Physics
1979 | Peace
1998 | Economics
2014 | Peace
2019 | Economics
🎬 Indian Oscar & Film Award Winners
Bhanu Athaiya
1983 | Costume Design (Oscar)
A.R. Rahman
2009 | Music (Oscar)
Gulzar
2009 | Lyrics (Oscar)
Resul Pookutty
2009 | Sound (Oscar)
Satyajit Ray
1992 | Dadasaheb Phalke
Raj Kapoor
1988 | Dadasaheb Phalke
Amitabh Bachchan
2019 | Dadasaheb Phalke
Dilip Kumar
1994 | Dadasaheb Phalke
📋 Quick Reference: Award Categories & Their Fields
🏅 Civilian
Bharat Ratna, Padma Awards
Service & Contribution⚔️ Gallantry
Param Vir Chakra, Ashoka Chakra
Bravery & Valor🏏 Sports
Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award
Excellence in Sports📚 Literary
Jnanpith, Sahitya Akademi
Excellence in Writing🎬 Film
Dadasaheb Phalke, National Film Awards
Excellence in Cinema🌍 International
Nobel Prize, Oscar, Grammy
Global Recognition🎯 How to Master Honours & Awards Quickly
The Golden Rule: Honours and Awards questions are fact-based and memorization-heavy. Use mnemonics, timelines, and categorization to remember who received which award and when.
Step-by-Step Approach:
- Step 1: Categorize awards (Civilian, Gallantry, Sports, Literary, Film, International)
- Step 2: Create year-wise lists for each category
- Step 3: Memorize first and recent recipients
- Step 4: Focus on awards that are frequently asked
- Step 5: Practice with previous year questions
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
- ❌ Confusing different Padma awards (Vibhushan, Bhushan, Shri)
- ❌ Forgetting the year of important awards
- ❌ Mixing up Param Vir Chakra and Ashoka Chakra
- ❌ Ignoring recent award recipients
Proven Strategy: The "Group & Connect" technique – group awards by category and connect recipients to their field. For example: All sports awards → connect to sports personalities. This makes recall easier.
Memory Trick: Remember the award hierarchy:
- 🏅 Civilian: Bharat Ratna → Padma Vibhushan → Padma Bhushan → Padma Shri
- ⚔️ Gallantry: Param Vir Chakra → Ashoka Chakra → Mahavir Chakra → Kirti Chakra
- 🏏 Sports: Khel Ratna → Arjuna Award → Dronacharya Award → Dhyan Chand Award
- 📚 Literary: Jnanpith Award → Sahitya Akademi Award
💡 Pro Tips for Honours & Awards
✅ Create Year-wise Lists
Make year-wise lists for Bharat Ratna, Param Vir Chakra, Khel Ratna
✅ Focus on Recent Awards
Recent award recipients are more likely to appear in exams
✅ Use Mnemonics
Create memory aids for award categories and recipients
✅ Practice with Previous Papers
Solve previous year questions to identify important award topics
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