Shashi Tharoor, former UN Diplomat and Congress MP has been bestowed with the ‘Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur‘ for enhancing collaboration and deepening ties between India and France.
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As a diplomat at the United Nations, he diligently addressed some of the world’s most pressing crisis and challenging situations while serving as Under Secretary-General. In his role as a renowned writer, his works infuse a sense of modern Indian odyssey. His leadership is also characterized by his work as a brilliant statesman of India.
Gerard Larcher, Chairman of the French Senate presented the honour to Sashi Tharoor at an event held in New Delhi.
French Senate’s deep admiration and recognition
The French embassy in India stated that this Award has been conferred to him in recognition of his unwavering efforts towards strengthening ties between the two countries, his firm commitment to international peace and cooperation, and as a lifelong friend of the French. In bestowing the honour upon Tharoor, the Chairman of the French Senate hailed him as a cherished ally of France and the Francophone (French-speaking) world, noting his profound understanding of the nation and its culture.
Shashi Tharoor’s Career Span
Shashi Tharoor is a prominent Indian politician, diplomat and a prolific writer. Since 2009, he has held the position of Member of Parliament representing Thiruvananthapuram, Kerela. He has held prominent roles such as Minister of State for External Affairs and Human Resource Development. Additionally, he contributed significantly to important standing committees of the Parliament like Communications and Information Technology. He took on the responsibilities of serving as both the Director of Communications and Special Projects and Executive Assistant to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
He is renowned as both a fiction as well as non-fiction author and many of his works has been translated into French. The Diplomat turned politician held many important positions within the United Nations. His notable books include, ‘Inglorious Empire’, ‘The Great Indian Novel’, ‘Pax Indica’, ‘The Paradoxical prime Minister’ etc.
He is the recipient of several honorary awards like “Pravasi Bharatiya Samman” “Pride of India” award, Sahitya Akademi award for his book, “Era of Darkness” and Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur, for his writings and speeches.
His Speech on receiving the Highest Civilian Honour
Tharoor expressed profound gratitude in accepting the esteemed honour, highlighting his admiration for France, its people, their cultural heritage, especially their literature and cinema that draws him so much. He acknowledged this award seeing it as a testament to fostering a better and harmonious relationship between the two countries.
He further added that he will look forward to maintaining this friendship for the betterment of both India and France and will safeguard the common goals and values.
Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour previously known as the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour is the highest French award given to persons of outstanding contribution to French society as well as to the service of the nation. It was established by Napoleon Bonaparte, in 1802 and since then all French governments have retained it.
The award is divided into five categories of distinction: Chevalier (Knight), Office, Commander, Grand Officer and Grand-Croix i.e. (Grand Cross).
Other Indian Recipients of Chevalier de la Legion
Durga Charan Rakshit marked his name in history as the first Indian to be honoured with the Legion d’honneur in the year 1896, marking a significant milestone in the relationship between India and France. Among the notable recipients of this distinguished honour is Mohammad Hanif, who served as the Deputy Mayor of Pondicherry during the colonial era of French India. E. Sreedharan, renowned for his contributions to infrastructure development as the “Metro Man” of India was also one among all to receive this award. From the entertainment industry, iconic figures such as Shah Rukh Khan, Shivaji Ganesan, and Kamal Hassan received this award. In the realm of science and technology, Natarajan Chandrasekaran has been bestowed this award.
