Indian Honours and Awards

M.S. Subbulakshmi was the first Indian musician to receive the Padma Bhushan in 1954, recognizing her contribution to Carnatic music. She was also the first musician to receive the Padma Vibhushan (1975) and later India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna (1998). Her historic concert at the UN in 1966 brought Indian classical music global recognition.

Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian (and first Asian) to win the Nobel Prize in 1913 for Literature, specifically for 'Gitanjali'. This was before India's independence. Ronald Ross was born in India but was British; C.V. Raman won in 1930; Hargobind Khorana won in 1968 but was a US citizen by then.

Bhimsen Joshi received the Bharat Ratna in 2008 for his contributions to Hindustani classical music. He was one of India's most revered classical vocalists. The option has a typo (". Bhimsen Joshi") but clearly refers to the correct person.

Lata Mangeshkar was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2001, India's highest civilian honour. Her legendary contribution to music spanned decades and thousands of songs across multiple languages.

Mahatma Gandhi was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times: in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947, and 1948. This covers the period 1937-1948, making option D correct. Despite multiple nominations, Gandhi was never awarded the Nobel Prize.

The Quezon Service Cross is the highest national honor in the Philippines, awarded for extraordinary service to the nation. It is named after President Manuel L. Quezon and outranks other honors like the Order of Lakandula.

The 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas A. Steitz, and Ada E. Yonath for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome. Herta Müller won the Literature prize that year, Kao/Boyle/Smith won Physics, and Blackburn/Greider/Szostak won Medicine.

Sehwag received the Arjuna Award in 2002 for his outstanding cricket achievements. The Khel Ratna is India's highest sporting honor (he received this later in 2008), while Padma Bhushan is a civilian award (he received this in 2010). Option C is not a standard award name.

Bharat Ratna is India's highest civilian award, conferred for exceptional service in any field. Arjuna Award is for sports excellence, Param Vir Chakra is the highest military gallantry award, and Nobel Award is an international prize, not Indian.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam received Bharat Ratna (1997), Padma Vibhushan (1990), and Padma Bhushan (1981). He did not receive the Padma Sri award, making this the correct answer as Padma Sri is a lower honor than the ones he actually received.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam authored several books: 'Wings of Fire' (autobiography), 'India 2020' (vision for developed India), and 'Ignited Minds' (igniting youth potential). 'Children are Best' is not among his published works.

Rabindranath Tagore received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature for 'Gitanjali', making him the first non-European and first Asian to win a Nobel Prize. Tagore was a Bengali polymath - poet, writer, composer, and painter who reshaped Bengali literature and music. His works deeply influenced Indian cultural identity.

Hargobind Khorana shared the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Marshall Nirenberg and Robert Holley for their work on decoding the genetic code and protein synthesis. Khorana was born in India and later became a US citizen.