Sachin Tendulkar to be given Bharat Ratna

[Tkumar]

Sachin Tendulkar will be the first sportsperson to receive the honour and dedicates it to his mother. Scientist Professor CNR Rao will be the other recipient of the award which was last conferred five years back - Pandit Bhimsen Joshi in 2008.

New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar will be conferred with Bharat Ratna. The official announcement was made by a release from the Prime Minister's Office on Saturday.

The legendary cricketer, who played his final innings in cricket today, at Wankhede, will be the first sportsperson to be honoured with the award. "I dedicate this to my mother," he reportedly said. Tendulkar is the seventh Maharashtrian to win Bharat Ratna after Dhondo Karve, Pandurang Kane, Vinoba Bhave, BR Ambedkar, Lata Mangeshkar and Bhimsen Joshi.

The decision to honour Tendulkar comes after several noted personalities had voiced their support. Lata was the latest to say that Tendulkar deserved Bharat Ratna. "Whatever he (Sachin) has done for the country, very few people can. He deserves the honour. He has made all of us proud," Lata had told television channels on Friday. She herself had received the honour in 2001.