Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was recently given The Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross by Brazil. This is the highest award Brazil gives to a foreign leader. It shows the deep friendship between India and Brazil, and the growing respect for PM Modi across the world. Such awards are a way of honouring all 140 crore Indians. They show that the world is noticing India’s progress.Under PM Modi’s leadership, India is seen as strong, trusted, and ready to help others. From big countries to small nations, many are thanking India for its support and friendship. These awards tell the story of a leader who speaks with honesty and works for the good of the people.Around the same time, In July 2025, another chapter was added to the remarkable diplomatic journey of Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was conferred with The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, the highest civilian award of the Caribbean nation. This honour, like many before was a tribute to the 140 crore Indians whose collective aspirations are being recognized on the world stage through PM Modi’s leadership.From the islands of the Pacific to the coasts of the Caribbean, the message is consistent: India is no longer viewed in silos of geography. In June 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III, the highest civilian honour of Cyprus. The conferment of this rare civilian honour was sent as a global signal that Indian leadership can no longer be seen as only regional, but is being taken seriously across continents. For a tiny European nation, the honour implies a big-scale respect for the increasing spirit of India in world affairs.PM Modi dedicated the award to all 1.4 billion citizens of India. The awards he receives abroad are often the world’s way of acknowledging the silent transformation occurring inside India: a people gaining pride, a voice, and global recognition.Just weeks earlier, in April 2025, Sri Lanka had conferred upon him the Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana, its highest honour to a foreign head of state. Faced with numerous economic and political crises, Sri Lanka was equally thankful to India for its timely support under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership. It was a diplomatic thank-you; an acknowledgment of India as a reliable neighbour and partner in times of need.
In March 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean by Mauritius, another close partner. The small island nation recognised India’s support in trade, infrastructure, and pandemic response. PM Modi’s global diplomacy often goes beyond big summits—it touches smaller nations through consistent help, engagement, and mutual respect.The Mubarak Al-Kabeer Order of Kuwait was presented to PM Modi in December 2024, making it the highest civilian honor of Kuwait. This was awarded after more than 40 years had gone by since an Indian Prime Minister had visited Kuwait, hence symbolising friendship based on the energy sector, cultural interaction, and shared welfare of overseas Indians in Kuwait. A similar bundle of awards came in the same year from the four countries of Guyana, Dominica, Nigeria, and Barbados, all conferred in a single month.These countries see PM Modi as a conscionable voice of the Global South, one who speaks not only for India but also for those countries that almost never come into the purview of international discussions. The Order of Excellence; Dominica Award of Honour; Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger; and Honorary Order of Freedom—each carried a different symbol of meaning.
In July 2024, Russia bestowed upon PM Modi their highest civilian honour—the Order of St. Andrew. Russia giving this award to PM Modi in the current geopolitical climate is a mark of India being seen, under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership, as a balanced and strategic actor. It must be very difficult to act with equanimity, maintaining good relations with all major powers without taking sides.Further still, in March 2024, Bhutan presented PM Modi with the Order of the Druk Gyalpo. The conferral was a first; never before had Bhutan bestowed its highest civilian honour upon a foreign head of state. This speaks of personal warmth and trust, of intertwined cultural histories that India, under PM Modi’s stewardship, has worked hard to nurture.In 2023, PM Modi received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour from France and the Order of Honour from Greece. These recognitions signified admiration for PM Modi’s global leadership, India’s expanding technological and defence partnerships, and common democratic ideals. It was both poetic and powerful that the Greek Award came to India as a democratic country.
In the same year, Egypt awarded him the Order of the Nile—this underlined PM Modi’s outreach and also highlighted India’s increasing role in Africa and the Arab world. Aimed at strengthening ties between Cairo and Delhi through gestures grounded in history blended with optimism, this recognition embraced new beginnings while honouring age-old connections.Papua New Guinea and Fiji joined other nations recognizing PM Modi’s contributions by awarding him their highest distinctions in 2023. To many onlookers, these island countries go unnoticed on the political landscape alongside overshadowed by major powers. However, they viewed PM Modis COVID medical assistance as a much-needed kind gesture during troubling times. Their awards underscored an everlasting gratitude.
What is incredible about this long roster of honours is that they are so diverse. From world powers such as France and Russia to tiny island nations, from democracies to monarchies, from Asia to Africa to Europe to the Pacific—its leaders are rewarding PM Modi. This has nothing to do with the policy of one country. It has to do with one leader’s consistency and overtures.Symbols are important in diplomacy. These awards, though symbolic, are political. They are about the confidence reposed in PM Modi—not only by citizens at home, but by countries overseas. That confidence is the product of years of consistent interaction, transparent communication, and sound decision-making.PM Modi’s diplomacy does not always follow tradition. He reaches out directly, uses soft power like yoga and Ayurveda, and speaks in the language of friendship and self-reliance. He believes India doesn’t have to choose between East or West—it can walk with both. And the world seems to appreciate this flexible, firm approach.Outside of governments, PM Modi has also been recognized by international institutions. The United Nations awarded him the Champions of the Earth Award in 2018 for leadership in the environment. That same year, he received the Seoul Peace Prize, which commended his economic reforms and poverty alleviation.
The Philip Kotler Presidential Award acknowledged PM Modi’s ability to shape global perception. Whether one agrees or not, it is clear that under PM Modi, India has become a stronger brand. The Global Goalkeeper Award by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation praised the success of the Swachh Bharat Mission, a program that went beyond building toilets—it restored dignity to millions. These accolades don’t simply demonstrate what PM Modi has achieved overseas—they reflect what he has transformed domestically. Cleanliness, economic changes, digitalization, and India’s emergence as a healthcare provider during the pandemic—all have been the focus of international attention.In a time when global conflicts are rising, the ability to create trust across borders is a rare gift. PM Modi’s awards reflect that trust. Another aspect that is distinctive is that no previous Indian prime minister has been conferred this number of international civilian awards.PM Narendra Modi created a new image of Indian leadership across the world. These awards are billboards along the highway. They indicate how far India has travelled, and in which direction. Ultimately, these international awards are a tribute to India itself. They are a testament to how the world perceives India—respected, powerful, and reliable.Through PM Modi, the world is cheering a billion aspirations unfolding. And that cheering, earned with action and presence, is what makes these awards so much more significant.
(Author is Professor and Chairman of Centre for Narendra Modi Studies (CNMS) www.namostudies.com Email: [email protected] )
