MUMBAI: He is truly one of India's most precious jewels. And late last evening, a communique from the President Pratibha Devisingh Patil announced that Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, the renowned Hindustani classical music exponent, was to be decorated with India's highest civilian honour: the Bharat Ratna.

Pandit Joshi, 86, belongs to the kirana gharana, has been performing since the age of 19. Born in Karnataka on 19 February 1922, Joshi has already received several honours like the Padma Vibhusan in 1991, Padma Bhusan in 1985 and Padma Shri in 1972.

This was after a gap of seven years that the government selected a performing artist for the highest award, the last previous recipient being shenai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan.

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi is the sixth person from the field of art and culture to get the Bharat Ratna award after Satyajit Ray, M S Subbulakshmi, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Lata Mangeshkar and Ustad Bismillah Khan.