First in India – Awards & Honors

Sept 2020|🟢Current|3 min read|56 entries

Awards & Honors First in India Static GK

Key Takeaway

his post list the Awards section of the First in India Series.

Last verified: 12 Feb 2026·Source: www.pscarivukal.com

First in India – Awards & Honors(56)

Item	Detail
First Nobel Prize Winner	Rabindra Nath Tagore(1913)
First Nobel Prize inPhysics	C. V. Raman(1930)
FirstIndian Scientistto get Nobel Prize	C. V. Raman(1930)
First NobelPeacePrize	Mother Theresa(1979, Albanian Origin)
First Nobel Prize inEconomics	Amartya Sen(1998)
First Person ofIndian originto receive Nobel Peace Prize	Kailash Satyarthi(2014)
First Person of Indian origin to receive Nobel Prize inMedicine	Dr. Har Govind Khurana(1968, USA)
First Person of Indian origin to receive Nobel Prize inPhysics	S. Chandrasekhar(1983, USA)
First Person of Indian origin to receive Nobel Prize inChemistry	Venkatraman Ramakrishnan(2009, UK-USA)
First Person of Indian descent to win Nobel Prize inLiterature	V.S. Naipaul(2001)
Oscar AwardsFirst Oscar Winner	Bhanu Athaiya(Best Costume Design, Gandhi (film), 1982)
First Indian to benominatedfor Oscar Awards	Mehboob Khan(Mother India, 1958)
First Indian to win OscarLifetime Achievement Award	Satyajit Ray(1992)
First Indian to win Oscar Award inSound Mixing	Resul Pookutty(Slumdog Millionaire, 2009)
First Indian to win Oscar Awardtwo times	A.R. Rahman
First Indian to win Oscar Award forBest Original Song	A.R. Rahman & Gulzar(Slumdog Millionaire, 2009)
First Indian to win Oscar Award forBest Original Music Score	A.R. Rahman(Slumdog Millionaire, 2009)
MiscellaneousFirstMagsaysay AwardWinner	Acharya Vinoba Bhave(1958)
FirstGrammyAward Winner	Pt. Ravi Shankar(1968)
First Indian to be awardedSri Lanka Rathna	N. Ram(2001)
First Indian to receiveNishan-e-Pakistan	Morarji Desai(1990)
First Indian to receiveStalin Peace Prize	Saifuddin Kitchlu(1952)
First Indian to be awarded theVictoria Cross	Khudadad Khan(1914)
First and the only recipient of theLegion of Honourfrom India	Satyajit Ray(1987)
First Indian to be honored withChevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters(Ordre des Arts et des Lettres)	Sivaji Ganesan(1995)
First Indian to be awarded theCommandeurof the Order of Arts and Letters	Mrinal Sen(1985)
First Indian author to getAnderson Essay Prize	Ruskin Bond(1948)
First Indian author to win theMan Booker Prize	Arundhati Roy(The God of Small Things, 1997)
First Indians to receive Bharat Ratna	Dr. Radhakrishnan, C. Rajagopalachari, C. V. Raman & Bhagwan Das(1954)
First Indian to receive Bharat RatnaPosthumously	Lal Bahadur Shastri(1966)
FirstWomanawarded with Bharat Ratna	Indira Gandhi(1971)
FirstForeignerto win Bharat Ratna	Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan(1987)
First IndianMusicianto get Bharat Ratna	M. S. Subbulakshmi(1998)
FirstSportspersonto receive Bharat Ratna	Sachin Tendulkar(2014)
First Sportspersons to receivePadma Bhusan	Dhyan Chand(Hockey)&C. K. Nayudu(Cricket), (1956)
First persons to winPadma Vibhushan	Satyendra Nath Bose, Nand LalBose, Zakir Hussain, Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, V. K. Krishna Menon(1954)
First Actress to winPadma ShriAward	Nargis Dutt(1958)
First Person to receiveDadasaheb PhalkeAward	Devika Rani(1969)
LiteratureFirst Person to receiveJnanpithAward	G. Shankar Kurup(1965)
FirstWomanto receive Jnanpith Award	Ashapoorna Devi(1976)
First Person awardedBhartiya-Gyan-Peeth Puraskar	G. Shankar Kurup(1965)
FirstWomanawarded with Bhartiya-Gyan-Peeth Puraskar	Ashapurna Devi(1976)
First Person (Hindi Literature) to be awarded Bhartiya Gyan Peeth Puraskar	Sumitra Nandan Pant(1968)
First Person to getMurti Devi Purskar	C. K. Nagraj Rao(1993)
First Writer who was awardedVyas Samman	Ramvilas Sharma(1991)
First Person to getParam Vir Chakra	Major Somnath Sharma(1947)
First Person to receiveMahavir Chakra Twice	Jag Mohan Nath(Airforce, 1962 & 1965)
OnlyArmy Chiefto be awarded Mahavir Chakra Twice	Gen. A. S. Vaidya(1965 & 1971)
First Person who was honored withVir Chakra	Tirath Singh Oberoi(Army, 1950)
Peacetime AwardsFirst Civilian to getAsoka Chakra	Neerja Bhanot(1987)
First & the Only Soldier to be awarded both theKirti Chakra and the Ashok Chakra	Col N. J. Nair.📝Read More:First in India – Awards (Sports & Games)
First in India	Administration & Governance
📝SideNotes:Nishan-e-Pakistan	Highest Civilian Award of Pakistan
Order of Arts and Letters	Before the creation of this order in 1957, theLegion of Honorwas an award given by the French Govt
The Order of Arts and Letters consists of three ranks	Chevalier, Officier & Commandeur
First Malayali received the French Commandeur of the Order of Arts and Letters Award	Adoor Gopalakrishnan

First Nobel Prize Winner

Rabindra Nath Tagore(1913)

First Nobel Prize inPhysics

C. V. Raman(1930)

FirstIndian Scientistto get Nobel Prize

C. V. Raman(1930)

First NobelPeacePrize

Mother Theresa(1979, Albanian Origin)

First Nobel Prize inEconomics

Amartya Sen(1998)

First Person ofIndian originto receive Nobel Peace Prize

Kailash Satyarthi(2014)

First Person of Indian origin to receive Nobel Prize inMedicine

Dr. Har Govind Khurana(1968, USA)

First Person of Indian origin to receive Nobel Prize inPhysics

S. Chandrasekhar(1983, USA)

First Person of Indian origin to receive Nobel Prize inChemistry

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan(2009, UK-USA)

First Person of Indian descent to win Nobel Prize inLiterature

V.S. Naipaul(2001)

Oscar AwardsFirst Oscar Winner

Bhanu Athaiya(Best Costume Design, Gandhi (film), 1982)

First Indian to benominatedfor Oscar Awards

Mehboob Khan(Mother India, 1958)

First Indian to win OscarLifetime Achievement Award

Satyajit Ray(1992)

First Indian to win Oscar Award inSound Mixing

Resul Pookutty(Slumdog Millionaire, 2009)

First Indian to win Oscar Awardtwo times

A.R. Rahman

First Indian to win Oscar Award forBest Original Song

A.R. Rahman & Gulzar(Slumdog Millionaire, 2009)

First Indian to win Oscar Award forBest Original Music Score

A.R. Rahman(Slumdog Millionaire, 2009)

MiscellaneousFirstMagsaysay AwardWinner

Acharya Vinoba Bhave(1958)

FirstGrammyAward Winner

Pt. Ravi Shankar(1968)

First Indian to be awardedSri Lanka Rathna

N. Ram(2001)

First Indian to receiveNishan-e-Pakistan

Morarji Desai(1990)

First Indian to receiveStalin Peace Prize

Saifuddin Kitchlu(1952)

First Indian to be awarded theVictoria Cross

Khudadad Khan(1914)

First and the only recipient of theLegion of Honourfrom India

Satyajit Ray(1987)

First Indian to be honored withChevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters(Ordre des Arts et des Lettres)

Sivaji Ganesan(1995)

First Indian to be awarded theCommandeurof the Order of Arts and Letters

Mrinal Sen(1985)

First Indian author to getAnderson Essay Prize

Ruskin Bond(1948)

First Indian author to win theMan Booker Prize

Arundhati Roy(The God of Small Things, 1997)

First Indians to receive Bharat Ratna

Dr. Radhakrishnan, C. Rajagopalachari, C. V. Raman & Bhagwan Das(1954)

First Indian to receive Bharat RatnaPosthumously

Lal Bahadur Shastri(1966)

FirstWomanawarded with Bharat Ratna

Indira Gandhi(1971)

FirstForeignerto win Bharat Ratna

Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan(1987)

First IndianMusicianto get Bharat Ratna

M. S. Subbulakshmi(1998)

FirstSportspersonto receive Bharat Ratna

Sachin Tendulkar(2014)

First Sportspersons to receivePadma Bhusan

Dhyan Chand(Hockey)&C. K. Nayudu(Cricket), (1956)

First persons to winPadma Vibhushan

Satyendra Nath Bose, Nand LalBose, Zakir Hussain, Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, V. K. Krishna Menon(1954)

First Actress to winPadma ShriAward

Nargis Dutt(1958)

First Person to receiveDadasaheb PhalkeAward

Devika Rani(1969)

LiteratureFirst Person to receiveJnanpithAward

G. Shankar Kurup(1965)

FirstWomanto receive Jnanpith Award

Ashapoorna Devi(1976)

First Person awardedBhartiya-Gyan-Peeth Puraskar

G. Shankar Kurup(1965)

FirstWomanawarded with Bhartiya-Gyan-Peeth Puraskar

Ashapurna Devi(1976)

First Person (Hindi Literature) to be awarded Bhartiya Gyan Peeth Puraskar

Sumitra Nandan Pant(1968)

First Person to getMurti Devi Purskar

C. K. Nagraj Rao(1993)

First Writer who was awardedVyas Samman

Ramvilas Sharma(1991)

First Person to getParam Vir Chakra

Major Somnath Sharma(1947)

First Person to receiveMahavir Chakra Twice

Jag Mohan Nath(Airforce, 1962 & 1965)

OnlyArmy Chiefto be awarded Mahavir Chakra Twice

Gen. A. S. Vaidya(1965 & 1971)

First Person who was honored withVir Chakra

Tirath Singh Oberoi(Army, 1950)

Peacetime AwardsFirst Civilian to getAsoka Chakra

Neerja Bhanot(1987)

First & the Only Soldier to be awarded both theKirti Chakra and the Ashok Chakra

Col N. J. Nair.📝Read More:First in India – Awards (Sports & Games)

First in India

Administration & Governance

📝SideNotes:Nishan-e-Pakistan

Highest Civilian Award of Pakistan

Order of Arts and Letters

Before the creation of this order in 1957, theLegion of Honorwas an award given by the French Govt

The Order of Arts and Letters consists of three ranks

Chevalier, Officier & Commandeur

First Malayali received the French Commandeur of the Order of Arts and Letters Award

Adoor Gopalakrishnan

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First in India – Awards & Honors

Key Takeaway

First in India – Awards & Honors(56)

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First Women in India – Education, Science & Medicine

Oscar Awards

First Women in India – Administration, Governance & Judiciary

Bharat Ratna

First Women in India – Armed Forces, Adventure & Literature

First in India – Awards (Sports & Games)