Is Sachin Tendulkar Getting Bharat Ratna Because Cricket Is So Popular In India?
Sachin Tendulkar will become the first sportsman to get India's highest civilian award - Bharat Ratna. I personally do not follow cricket and have always treated every sport equally. I used to play Badminton and can tell you for sure that it's equally (or more?) exciting than Cricket. However, unlike Cricket, it's not just as popular. The same goes with a large number of sports which are played in India.
Sachin Tendulkar has been an exceptional cricketer throughout his career and has been responsible for gross entertainment of people whenever he played. Sachin could be a great start to start awarding Bharat Ratna to sportspersons; but I'm sure there have been several great players India has produced, in other sports & games, who've done equally great job.
I'm curious to know what are the parameters on which Sachin was chosen to be eligible for Bharat Ratna (sans his popularity & popularity of cricket)?
PS: A relevant debate could be : Shouldn't the highest civilian award be given to people who've selflessly contributed to overall betterment of human race?
PS I: Shouldn't Ratan Tata & Narayana Murthy (Businessmen) also receive Bharat Ratna?
PS II: If Sachin is eligible for Bharat Ratna, why not Shah Rukh Khan (Film Actor)?
Looking forward to your thoughts.