Why I prefer Vishwanath Anand over Sachin for Bharatha Rathna.

First let me clarify to the people who has following question:  " Can Bharath Rathna be awarded to sports man?"

Answer is "Yes". In 2011, the Government of India modified the eligibility criteria to allow sportspersons to receive the award and opened the award for performance of highest order in any field of human endeavour from the earlier criteria for the highest degrees of national service.

So undoubetly "God of cricket" Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has a chance for considering to "Bharath rathna". But..but...but... there is a "More than God" living in India in the form of "Chess player" called "Vishwanath Anand". To prove my statements true, i need not lift mountains or drink ocean. But, simply let us understand Chess and Cricket. 

Ready ..Steady...1,2,3 ..Po..

1) Chess is an individual sport where you can be damn damn sure that only skill of the player matters. There is no Teamwork, Duck worth lewis method,rain abandoning the match,toss etc etc....

2) If I win a tournament, I win it by myself. I do the playing. Nobody helps me ---Fischer

3)  A strong memory, concentration, imagination, and a strong will is required to become a great chess player.

4) In Chess, as it is played by masters, chance is practically eliminated.

5) The laws of chess do not permit a free choice: you have to move whether you like it or not.

So, when Vishwanath anand is playing,  he is solo responsible for his win. No external helps,fortunes etc etc.

Cricket is a :

1) Team game

2) free will is there

3) Chances,luck,fortunes plays a key role here.

Sachin has always a successful partners with him, without which he is not successful. See photos below:

 Sachin and Laxman

 Sachin and Ganguly

 Sachin and Azhar

 Sachin and Kapil

 Sachin and Sehwag

 Sachin and Dravid

Sachin and Team

Where as Vishwanath anand plays solo role. He is master of his fate.

 Former national table tennis champion S. Raman lines:

“We shouldn’t forget that chess is played in almost all countries and, as a result, the competition is unbelievably tougher,” .  Anand revolutionised chess in India. “We not only had icons in cricket such as Gavaskar and Kapil but also a great achievement, the 1983 World Cup, before Sachin. What did we have in chess before Anand? A huge wall that separated the Soviet masters from the other players. Anand rewrote chess, it’s impossible for any Indian to match his contribution,”.

Bharat Singh, CEO of Chess Federation says there is no comparison between chess & cricket. #Cricket is played by 10 countries, #chess by 150.

Ajith Vadkayal says:

Unlike cricket, Chess is probably one of the most competitive sports in the world, with 158 national associations and millions of rated players. To emerge the world champion 5 times out of these millions of players is no mean task and requires great concentration, immense hard work and a sense of purpose.Anand had already been a world champion for 5 years when Sachin debuted in 1989 .Anand is one of the only 6 players to break the 2800 FIDE ratings mark,. In the highly competitive sport of Chess which has a history of more than a thousand years.As far as  upholding nation’s intellectual image in the competitive world is concerned, who can be a better ambassador than Vishwanathan Anand, reigning the world space and bringing right dignity to cerebral content of India for decades.  And he is the longest world champion in sports category, without any taint to his public profile.

Conclusion:

Vishwanath Anand should be given the Bharat Ratna award...he won many titles against the world's best..and he achieved a significant feet than Sachin Tendulkar....I am not against Tendulkar...But Anand should get first priority.