Death, it has been remarked, is the ultimate injustice. The unfairness of death is most poignant when a talented person’s life comes to a stop before he has received his just rewards in life. Death’s irrevocable intervention in such cases has created the rationale for posthumous awards and prizes. This year’s honours announced on Republic Day have a number of posthumous awardees. There is a tendency, however, in India to stretch too far the logic of posthumous awards. To take two recent examples. There have been some suggestions that Dhyan Chand, the hockey player, and the scientist, S.N. Bose, should be awarded the Bharat Ratna. Dhyan Chand and Bose both died many decades ago. Thus, without going into the merits of the case, the question that needs to be asked is how far back in time the awards should go to decide if a person is eligible for a national award or not. Should — to deliberately stretch the point to its absurd limit — Shankaracharya, the philosopher, and arguably the greatest that India has ever produced, be eligible for India’s highest civilian honour? The question, apparently risible, carries within it the point regarding the chronological limits of posthumous awards.

It is clear that the Indian government does not have clarity on this matter. A time limit should be decided upon, announced and adhered to. It is also not an issue that requires a great deal of deliberation. A person who died six months or one year before he could be considered for a national award should, of course, be honoured. But not someone who passed away before that time period. India, because of its long and distinguished history, has a very lengthy list of the great and the good. This list should be considered irrelevant for awards in the present time. It should be assumed that the great men and women of the distant past will be remembered in history even without any award. The example of Bose the scientist illustrates the point. No scientist denies the contribution made by him to the development of modern physics. In fact, there is a consensus among physicists that much of the work they do derives from some of Bose’s contributions. No national award could be greater than this peer group recognition. History has recognized Bose. Thus making any recognition by the government of India quite inconsequential.

Posthumous awards going back in time limitlessly not only diminish the concerned awards but also do not bring any special honour to the recipient since he is no longer around to bask in the glory of the award. Posthumous civilian honours, more often than not, serve some obscure, and not so obscure, political purposes — like kowtowing to some interest or regional group. A more straightforward approach to the granting of posthumous honours will suggest that the Indian republic, after 62 years, has finally matured.