In the 1990s, 113 people were awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the Padma Bhushan is given for "distinguished service of a high order", without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex. The recipients receive a sanad, a certificate signed by the president of India and a circular medallion (pictured) with no monetary association. Twenty-four awards were presented in both 1990 and 1991, followed by thirty-three in 1992. Eighteen recipients received the award in 1998 followed by fourteen in 1999. In the 1990s, the Padma Bhushan was also conferred upon five foreign recipients – two from the United Kingdom and one each from Japan, New Zealand, and the United States. Individuals from ten fields were honoured, which included twenty-six artists, twenty-three from literature and education, and eighteen from science and engineering. (Full list...)