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Shashi Tharoor conferred France’s highest civilian award
Tharoor was honored for his efforts to deepen Indo-French ties
Shashi Tharoor being honored by French senate Gérard Larcher / Image: @FranceinIndia
Indian politician Shashi Tharoor has been honored with France’s highest civilian award “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” (Knight of the Legion of Honour).
Tharoor, a Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, was conferred by Gérard Larcher, chairman of the French senate, in recognition of his efforts to deepen Indo-French ties, commitment to international peace and cooperation, and serving as a long-standing friend of France.
Dr @ShashiTharoor awarded "Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur" by French Senate Chairman @gerard_larcher.
— French Embassy in India (@FranceinIndia) February 21, 2024
The award recognizes his tireless efforts to deepen ties, commitment to international peace & cooperation, and deep knowledge of French language & culture. pic.twitter.com/a2IKJRfPMM
“Dr Tharoor is a remarkable personality for the range of talents he has demonstrated throughout his outstanding academic and professional career: be it as a diplomat at the United Nations, where he worked to respond to some of the world’s toughest crises, and served as under-secretary-general, as a renowned writer who has authored works imbued with the spirit of a contemporary Indian odyssey, or as a statesman in India,” a statement by French embassy noted.
The embassy further highlighted several portfolios held by the politico, including Minister of State for External Affairs and Human Resource Development. He has served on key parliamentary standing committees, including external affairs (chairman, member) and communications and information technology (chairman).
Apart from his political role, Tharoor is the author of numerous books of non-fiction and fiction, some of which have been translated into French.
“Through his outstanding career as a diplomat, author, and politician, 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,” Gérard Larcher said while conferring the honor.
Larcher, who felt privileged to bestow this award to Tharoor, further expressed,“ He is also a true friend of France, a Francophone with a keen understanding of France and its culture. Through this award which I have the privilege to confer, the French Republic recognizes your accomplishments, your friendship, your love of France, your commitment to a fairer world.”
“I am immensely honoured to accept the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. 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,” Tharoor said accepting the award.
Hailing the relationship between India and France, he added, “The conferral of this award to an Indian is an acknowledgment 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.”
“This honour, in a sense, is not just a celebration of individual achievement but also reflects the collective efforts of both our countries in fostering cultural exchange and diplomatic ties, a relationship forged through the pillars of mutual respect, admiration, and collaboration that have allowed this unique association to flourish over the years,” he further affirmed.
Promising to continue his work towards a stronger bond between the two nations, he concluded, “I look forward to continuing my own efforts towards nurturing this friendship and promoting further cooperation between India and France, for the betterment of our shared global community and to safeguard the common values that underpin our basic humanity”.
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