Shashi Tharoor conferred France's highest civilian honour

Shashi Tharoor, a prolific author and a diplomat-turned-politician, was conferred France's highest civilian honour 'Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur' at a ceremony in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Author of several books and the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor was conferred the prestigious award at the French Embassy by French Senate President Gerard Larcher. 

The French government had announced the award for Tharoor, a former Union minister, in August 2022 but was conferred on him on Tuesday.

Receiving the recognition, Tharoor said he was immensely honoured to accept the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour).

In his address, the Congress MP also recounted the defining moment of his French trip in 2002 for the Belles Etrangeres sponsored by the Centre National du Livre.

The Roman columns of this great Parisian monument were bathed in purple, red and blue light, a military band played outside, while an honour guard escorted the coffin of the author of The Three Musketeers to its final resting place, Tharoor recounted.

Instituted in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Legion d'honneur is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipients.

The President of the French Republic is the Grand Master of the Order of the Legion of Honour.

French envoy to India Thierry Mathou, India's G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant and Congress leader Anand Sharma, among others, attended the ceremony.