The first Non-Indian to receive the Bharat Ratna is Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan.
He was a prominent political figure and leader of Pashtuns, a Muslim ethnical group.
Also known as the ‘Frontier Gandhi’,he was a follower and supporter of Mahatma Gandhi and his ideals of non-violence.
He was part of agitation against the Rowlatt Act and was actively involved in the Indian freedom struggle through his non-violent path. He also took part in the Khilafat movement to protect the rights of Muslims.
The “Khudai Khidmatgar movement” or the “Red Shirt Movement” was initiated by him to oppose British Rule in colonial India.
Bharat Ratna:
- It is the highest Civilian Honour of India.
- The award was instituted in 1954 for the service/performance of exceptional order.
- First recipients of the award: C.Rajagopalachari, CV Raman, S.Radhakrishnan
- Non-Indians to receive the award: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Nelson Mandela (1980)
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