Recently, I was a witness to a rather amusing situation, in the premises of Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Jammu. An invitee, a Padma Shri awardee, was furious that the Academy had failed to pronounce Padmashri before his name as prefix.
The sagacious but acquiescing employee of the Academy was at pains while explaining that it was not their doing. It was a mistake made by the compere – he offered as explanation. I know how difficult it was to pacify the award holder who thought he had the divine right to flaunt his elevation through the Padma Shri. A somewhat similar situation was presented to me some thirty years ago, though the context was different.
I am used to writing my military rank as prefix before my name. That is the way the Indian Air Force works. In fact, that is the way for the three armed forces : army, navy, air force. All my adult life, as an officer, I have been known by my rank that is prefixed to my name. I am not to be addressed as a “Mr” or a “Shri”.
There is no using “Mr” before the name of a military officer. Especially for the IAF, it is considered pejorative since it demotes you to another class of personnel in the organisation. In the IAF, the prefix “Mr ” is reserved for a warranted rank, which is classified as an airman category that is different, and lower, to the category of officers. So, a warranted rank, say a Warrant Officer Murthy is addressed as : Mr Murty.
I sought premature retirement from the IAF in 1996. Among other things, I devoted my time to writing for newspapers. I continued to prefix my name with my rank. Those days, a certain Captain of the army, retired after serving for five years, was appointed as the PRO, Defence, in Mumbai. The man had a fervent desire to see his name in the print media. He desired to publish in the local newspapers, but, failed to find space.
I was quite active and my name was seen with my articles in newspapers and magazines, rather often. This disgruntled man rang me up one day : Sir, you are not entitled to use your rank since you are retired. I told him politely and firmly that he does not know the rules and regulations well. I said that I will continue to do so as this is sanctified by the Constitution of India, which he should read before calling me up the next time.
The bewildered man was devastated. He returned a few weeks later : you are right, Sir. But, then, you should be writing the suffix to declare you are a retired officer! I had to politely chastise him this time : the military rank never retires! I have earned my rank and it is not bestowed on me as charity. I shall, therefore, continue to use my rank until I say goodbye to the mortal world.
He was, of course, incorrigible. I learnt he later wrote to the ministry of defence complaining against me. What happened to his grievance, I know not till date. But, interestingly, this is not the case with the Padma awardees.The rules for them are just the opposite. Let me dwell on this, stepwise.
The Padma awardees – holders of Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awards, are not entitled to prefix the award to their names. Therefore, you are not entitled to write, say, Padma Vibhushan Shiv Kumar Sharma.
As an awardee, you are not allowed to even suffix the award to your name. It follows that you can not write, say, Ghulam Nabi Azad (Padma Bhushan). It is forbidden by law. A Padma award is just an honour bestowed by the State ( read government ). It is not a title that can be used as a prefix to your name.
You will find Padma awards being flaunted left, right and centre. I may caution my friends who are Padma awardees to refrain from printing their letterheads, visiting cards, books, invitation cards etcetera flaunting their awards. By doing so, they are inviting the forfeiture of their awards by the government.
Replying to Question Number 2536 for 10 May 2016, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Kiran Rijiju, replied thus : The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, in its judgment dated December 15, 1995, inter-alia, directed that the national awards such as Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri should not be used as prefixes or suffixes and if this is done, the defaulter should forfeit the national award conferred on him or her by following the procedure laid down in Regulation 10 of each of the four notifications creating these awards.
” In view of this, every year immediately after these awards are conferred by the President of India, every Awardee is communicated the decision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and are advised not to prefix or suffix the award to his / her name”
This matter was again raised in the Parliament in the year 2019. Replying to a written question by a member of the Lok Sabha, the then Minister of State for Home, Hansraj Gangaram Ahir told the House, on Tuesday, the 12 February 2019 , that the national awards such as Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri “do not amount to titles within the meaning of Article 18(1) of the Constitution and thus are not to be used as prefixes or suffixes to the name of the recipient in any manner whatsoever “.
Now, let us have a look at Art 18 (1) of the Constitution of India. It provides that
“No title, not being a military or academic distinction, shall be conferred by the State.” It also forbids the citizens from accepting awards from foreign countries : ” no citizen of India shall accept any title from any foreign State”.
This Article clearly distinguishes between the Padma awards on one hand and military ranks and academic distinction on the other. The former are simple “honours” conferred by the government. The latter are titles earned by the citizens. Honours can not be prefixed or suffixed, whilst the titles can be.
In plain words, the government is forbidden to confer titles. It can only give awards and honours. And, these awards and honours are just decorations, not titles. Titles were abolished long ago in our country.
As an advice, and also as a cautionary note, the minister said that in case of any misuse, the defaulter shall forfeit the national award conferred on him or her by following the procedure laid down in regulation 10 related to creation of these awards.
Regulation 10 states that the president may cancel and annul the awards of the decoration to any person, and thereupon his or her name shall be erased from the register and the awardee shall be required to surrender it.
The minister further informed : immediately after these awards are conferred, every awardee (except a posthumous case) is communicated the rules and advised not to prefix or suffix the award to his or her name.
Please allow me to make it clear. Titles like Dr, Er, Ar, Ph. D. are academic distinctions, which are earned by the citizens. These are titles conferred by the statutory bodies established by the State. There is no prohibition to their use by the recipients.
Therefore, the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages and the University of Jammu, or, for that matter, even the All India & Doordarshan, should be well advised to refrain from prefixing these Padma awards before the names of the elite dignitaries they invite to their programmes.
Similarly, the recipients will only do good to themselves by not printing letterheads and visiting cards flaunting these awards. It is against the law and by doing so, they expose themselves to the forfeiture of the awards for which they have struggled all these years. Therefore, it is not allowed to write, say, Padma Shri X or Y.
This especially holds good for the awardees in the state of Jammu and Kashmir where I have personally seen such letterheads and visiting cards flaunting the Padma awards. We come across even Facebook posts where the awardee prominently displays he is a Padma Shri or Padma Bhushan !
Seeing rampant misuse of the Padma awards, sometime ago, a friend visiting from outside the UT, chuckled : in Jammu and Kashmir every tenth man seems to be a Padma awardee and every seventh litterateur a Sahitya Akademi Award winner !
A Padma award is just an honor. No cash allowance or any facility or benefit in terms of concession etcetera in rail or air travel is attached to these awards.
The Padma decoration comprises a Sanad (Certificate) issued under the hand and seal of the President and a Medallion. The recipients are also given a replica of the medallion, which they can wear during any ceremonial / State functions, if they so desire. There is no prohibition to their use.
A commemorative brochure giving out brief details in respect of each award winner is also released on the day of the investiture ceremony.
I recall a couplet of Aqib Sabir :
nafas nafas zindagi ke ho kar ajal ki tash.hiir kar rahe hain
ye kis jatan men lage hain ham sab kise jahangir kar rahe hain
(With every breath we take we publicise that the world is eternal !
( Yet, what we do each moment is to control the eternity ! )
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