 "shashi tharoor")
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor was conferred the top French civilian honour 'Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur' at a ceremony in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Tharoor was given the honour, also called 'Knight of the Legion of Honour' by Gérard Larcher, Chairman of the French Senate, on behalf of the President of the French Republic for his efforts to deepen the ties between India-France, commitment to international peace and cooperation, and as a long-standing friend of France, a statement issued by the French embassy said.
On the honour, Larcher called Tharoor a "true friend of France" and said the award recognised his accomplishments, friendship, love of France, and commitment to a fairer world.
"Through his outstanding career as a diplomat, author and politician, Shashi Tharoor has embraced the world with a thirst for knowledge and an intelligence that has led him to live several lifetimes in one, and all of them in service to India and a better world," he noted.
Tharoor says deeply humbled
Tharoor accepted the honour, stating that he was deeply humbled. "As someone who admires France, its people, their refinement, their language, and their culture, especially their literature and cinema, I am deeply humbled to be conferred your country's highest civilian honour."
"To my mind, the conferral of this award to an Indian is an acknowledgement of the deepening of Franco-Indian relations and the continuity of the warmth that has been a feature of this relationship for a very long time," Tharoor said.
What is the Legion of Honour award
The Légion d'Honneur (Legion of Honour) was instituted in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte and is given by the French Republic to people for their services to the country, regardless of their nationality.
More From This Section
The Legion of Honour award is divided into five degrees – Knight, Officer, Commander, Grand Officer and Grand Cross, with the Grand Cross being the highest rank
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded the 'Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour' by French President Emmaneul Macron during his visit to France last year.
