With a rather humorous appeal to be given India’s highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, a 39-year-old man from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, sent notice by following his “inner voice”. His appeal eventually made it to Rashtrapati Bhavan after being perplexingly granted by authorities at several levels.
In a now-viral letter, Vinod Kumar Gond claimed to have had a powerful inner voice saying, “I want a Bharat Ratna,” during his nighttime meditation on September 30. The letter was addressed to the senior district official. “My wish is to be granted and to be awarded the Bharat Ratna,” wrote Gond, a father of two sons and a driver by trade.
He even revealed that his request was rejected by Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“We did what we had to. Whether we get Bharat Ratna or not is now in the hands of God. Earlier, I had also received a call from Rashtrapati Bhavan and was told that I was not worthy of the award and shouldn’t demand the Bharat Ratna again,” he said.
Remarkably, Gond’s wishful request was approved by district and higher authorities and was sent to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
With the signatures and stamps of multiple senior officials, it begged several concerns about how the government operated.
Senior Gorakhpur official Sanjay Kumar Meena said that the letter had been forwarded to their office and that an investigation was underway when he was questioned about it.
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