Gallantry Awards

1. Param Vir Chakra

– The highest award for bravery for a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy, whether on the land, at sea or in air. The recipients of the highest gallantry award for 1999 were Capt. Vikram Batra  (Posthumous), Lt. Manoj Kumar Pandey (Posthumous), Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav and Rifleman Sanjay Kumar

2. Maha Vir Charka-

It is the second-highest decoration and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in air. Capt. Gurjinder Singh Suri of 12 Bihar Regiment was awarded Maha Vir Chakra in Aug. 2000. Sepoy Imli Akoom of 2nd Naga Regiment was adorned with this award on Oct. 20, 2000.

3. Vir Charka-

It is the third in order of awards given for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in air.
From 1988,  the Union Govt. has started awarding two more medals in the Category of Gallantry Awards-

4. Ashok Chakra-

This medal is awarded for an act of most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent act of valor or self-sacrifice on land, at sea or in the air but not in the presence of the enemy. It has three categories: I, II, and III .2nd category medal is called Kirti Chakra and 3rd category medal Shaurya Chakra. The recipients of Ashok Chakra in January 2009 were: Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Havaldar Gajendra Singh, Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte, Vijay Salaskar, Tukaram Omble, M.C.Sharma, Bahadur Dohra, Colonel Jajan Thomas, Pramod Satpathy, Raymond P. Diengdoh.

Oscar Awards: These are the highest award in the film world. Everyone associated with the movie world dreams of winning this award. This award not only carries the prestige attached to it but also gives the artists recognition in the entire film industry. The two Indians to have won the Oscar awards are:

Bhanu Athaiya(Costume Designer): for the costumes designed for the film ‘Gandhi’ Satyajit Ray (Film Director and Producer)- Received the lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the world of cinema.

Grammy Awards: These are the annual awards given to the pioneers in the field of Music. For the music lovers, Grammy awards are equivalent to the Oscar Awards. This award brings then name, fame & recognition.

Dada Saheb Phalke Awards: In the memory of Dada Saheb Phalke(the father of Indian Cinema), the Indian Governments began this award in 1969. It is presented to eminent film personalities who have made a major contribution to Indian Cinema. The award includes cash, a Shawl, a plaque, and the Golden Lotus.

Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle received these prestigious awards for their singing.