Deepika Padukone wants Bharat Ratna for her father

Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone says her father, former badminton ace Prakash Padukone, should be considered for Bharat Ratna.

"As a daughter, I want my father to be honoured with the title of Bharat Ratna, considering his contribution to badminton throughout his career," she told reporters recently.

Prakash Padukone won the All England Championship and became the first Indian to do so. Prakash was awarded the Padma Sri in 1982. Click on to know how the change in rules has brought more names into the fray for the honour.

Change in rules for the eligibility for the Bharat Ratna means that sportspersons are now eligible for the highest civilian award. While Sachin Tendulkar has the backing of many eminent personalities and his fans, there are other contenders for the coveted honour. Here's a quick look:

Sachin Tendulkar: For the last two years, people from different walks of life, like Sourav Ganguly, Ajay Maken, Lata Mangeshkar, Bal Thackeray, etc., have been asking for the highest honour for the greatest cricketer of India.

Dhyan Chand: Former Olympian Aslam Sher Khan is the latest to join the bandwagon that wants hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand to be the first sportsperson to be awarded the Bharat Ratna.

Abhinav Bindra: India's only individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra has been officially recommended for the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, by the National Rifle Association of India.

Tenzing Norgay: The Sherpa community of Darjeeling feels that Late Tenzing Norgay Sherpa should be the recipient of the highest civilian award of the country for the then impossible feat of summiting Mount Everest on 29th May 1953.

Viswanathan Anand: FIDE vice-president D V Sundar demands the Bharat Ratna for Anand for his role in promoting chess in the country. "Vishy is the role model (for Indian chess players) and motivated them to take to the game. In the last five year, AICF (All India Chess Federation) has produced 24 GMs, 74 IMs and 14 woman GMs and 75 per cent of the credit for this growth goes to Vishy," he added.