“If there is one person who can get the country’s highest award of Bharat Ratna, he is none other than Dr Karan Singh. I hope that the men in power recognise the value of someone like him and give him the highest honour,” Narayanan, a former National Security Advisor, said at a function organised by ICCR last night.

A veteran politician, author and diplomat, 79-year-old Singh was given the Padma Vibhushan in 2005, which is India’s second highest civilian honour.

Describing Karan Singh, who is also the president of The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), as the country’s “spiritual ambassador”, Narayanan said, “He has been doing good work and spreading the spiritual message since long.”

Asked to comment on the demands to give the award to cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, he refused to compare the two.