Shashi Tharoor

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Rankings

Records

Shashi Tharoor's achievements span literature, diplomacy, and politics. He is one of India's most decorated public intellectuals, with awards that include the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Sahitya Akademi Award. His diplomatic career saw him rise to the second-highest rank at the United Nations, and he nearly became UN Secretary-General. In politics, he has won four consecutive elections from Thiruvananthapuram, a rare feat. His ability to bridge the worlds of letters and governance sets him apart as a truly unique figure in modern India.

AwardsShashi Tharoor has won several prestigious awards for his literary and diplomatic work. His novel The Great Indian Novel earned the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 1990. His book An Era of Darkness received the Sahitya Akademi Award, India's second-highest literary honor. He was named a Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 1998 and received France's Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. He also won the Crossword Lifetime Achievement Award and the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for Excellence in Diplomacy.

Honours & Distinctions

Honorary D.Litt.

University of Puget Sound·2000

Awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree.

Doctorate Honoris Causa in History

University of Bucharest·2008

Recognized for his contributions to history and international affairs.

Global Leader of Tomorrow

World Economic Forum·1998

Named one of the world's emerging leaders.

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman

Government of India·2004

Highest honour for overseas Indians.

Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur

Government of France·2007

France's highest civilian honour.

International Adviser

International Committee of the Red Cross·2008

Served as an adviser to the ICRC.

Rankings & Lists

Global Leader of Tomorrow

World Economic Forum·1998

Records & Feats

Youngest person to earn a PhD from the Fletcher School

Academic·1978

Completed his doctorate at age 22 in 1978.