First in Awards and Titles World Wide

1). First Miss World - Reita Faria in 1966

2). First Miss Universe - Susmita Sen in 1994

3). First Booker Prize - Arundhati Roy for The God of Small Things in 1997

4). First Bharat Ratna - Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishan, C. Rajagopalachari, and Dr. C.V. Raman in 1954

5). First Foreigner to receive Bharat Ratna -Khan Abdul Ghaffar

6). First Person to receive Stalin Prize - Saifuddin Kitchlu

7). First Chevalier - Sivaji Ganesan

8). First Person to receive Jnapith Award - Shri Shankar Kurup

9). First Dadasaheb Phalke Award - Devika Rani in 1969

10). First Ashoka Chakra Award to a civilian (posthumous) - D.K. Jatar, captain of the sabotaged plane Kashmir Princess, for "most conspicuous bravery, daring and self-sacrifice."

11). First Magsaysay Award - Vinoba Bhave

12). First Winner of a major literary award in the United States -Dhan Gopal Mukerji

13). First Ford Supermodel of the World(contest) - Bipasha Basu, 1996

14). First Indian recipient of 'Oscar Award'- Bhanu Athaiy