ICCR has instituted several awards, which are conferred upon the foreign nationals for their contributions in different fields, under its mandate of promoting India’s cultural relations with other countries through various instrumentalities involving people-to-people contact. Such awards include –
a) DISTINGUISHED INDOLOGIST AWARD
The annual “ICCR Distinguished Indologist Award” was instituted in 2015 during the First World Indology Conference hosted by the then President of India bringing prominent Indologists from world over to a single platform with Indian scholars to deliberate upon the scope of promoting Indian Studies abroad. Award is conferred upon a foreign scholar for his outstanding contribution in study, teaching and research in any of the fields of Indian Studies. Following are the Awardees of this award are:-
| Sr. No. | Year | Name of Awardee | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2015 | Prof. Heinrich Freiherr Von Stietencron | Germany |
| 2. | 2016 | Prof. Yu Long Yu | China |
| 3. | 2017 | Professor Hiroshi Marui | Japan |
| 4. | 2018 | Prof. Werner Menski | UK |
| 5. | 2019 | Prof. Geo Lyong Lee | South Korea |
| - | - | Pending | USA |
b) WORLD SANSKRIT AWARD
The institution of annual “World Sanskrit Award” was announced by External Affairs Minister, Late Smt. Sushma Swaraj during her Inaugural Address at the 16th World Sanskrit Conference held in Bangkok in June 2015, recognizing the contribution of foreign scholars in promoting Sanskrit studies. Award is conferred upon a foreign scholar for his contribution in study, teaching and research in Sanskrit language and literature. Following are the Awardees of this award are:-
| Sr. No. | Year | Name of Awardee | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2015 | Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn | Thailand |
| 2. | 2016 | Prof. George Cardona | U.S.A |
| 3. | 2018 | Prof. Ashok Narhar Aklujkar | Canada |
| 4. | 2019 | Prof. Lim Geun Dong | South Korea |
c) DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
India has always been an attractive destination for foreign students and scholars to enrich their academic excellence. Since independence, Government of India has always welcomed foreign students to study in India. ICCR has an extensive scholarship programme for foreign students. It annually disburses large number of scholarships to students from countries across the world to pursue academic and other courses in Indian performing/visual arts at under-graduate, post-graduate and research levels in Indian institutions. Foreign students who studied in India are India’s goodwill ambassadors and over a period of time, have achieved influential positions in their respective countries. Recognizing the achievements of foreign students who studied in India, “ICCR Distinguished Alumni Award” was instituted in 2015. Award is conferred upon foreign nationals who studied in India, for their contribution to the promotion of understanding, goodwill and friendship between India and people of their respective countries. Following are the Awardees of this award are:-
| Sr. No. | Year | Name of Awardee | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2015 | H.E. Mr. Le Luong Minh | Vietnam |
| - | - | H.E. Ms Zenebu Tadesse Woldetsadik | Ethiopia |
| - | - | Mrs. Milena Salvini | France |
| 2. | 2016 | Dr. Soe Win | Myanmar |
| - | - | Mrs. Sarita Boodhoo | Mauritius |
| - | - | Prof. I. Ketut Widnya | Indonesia |
| - | - | Dr. Laura Gibratovna Yerekesheva | Kazakhstan |
| - | - | Dr. Galina Rousseva Sokolova | Bulgaria |
| 3. | 2017 | Ms. Rezwana Choudhury Bannya, | Bangladesh |
| - | - | Ms. Aishath Safoofa | Maldives |
| - | - | Dr. Saman Kelegama (Posthumously) | Sri Lanka |
| - | - | Ms. Dollaporn Phukkhong | Thailand |
| - | - | Dr. Sirojiddin S Nurmatov | Uzbekistan |
| 4. | 2018 | H.E. Dr. Kaba Urgessa Dinssa | Ethiopia |
| - | - | Mr. Bui Ba Bong | Vietnam |
| - | - | Dr. Constantino Xavier | Portugal |
| - | - | Mr. Ajmal Hameed Abdulrahimza | Afghanistan |
| - | - | Mr. Damcho Dorji | Bhutan |
| 5. | 2019 | Mr. Mohammad Mirwais Balkhi | Afghanistan |
| - | - | Ms. Maqaddesa Yourish | Afghanistan |
| - | - | Ms. Monica de la Fuente | Spain |
| - | - | Mr. Tendai Padenga | Zimbabwe |
The objective of instituting these awards was not only to acknowledge the contribution of foreign scholars in promoting Indian cultural heritage among their respective countries but also to make the young academicians aware of India’s excellence in the academic fields. These awards have facilitated immense goodwill about India in foreign countries and renewed the interest of young scholars in India.
d) Gisela Bonn Award - Plaque
Annual Gisela Bonn Award was instituted by ICCR in 1996 in the name of famous German journalist, writer, environmental activist and Indologist, Giesela Bonn, to honour her services to bolster Indo-German relations. Award is conferred upon a German national annually for his contribution towards the promotion of Indo-German Friendship.
