Indian art director Thota Tharani Honored with France’s prestigious Chevalier Award

Veteran art director Thota Tharani has been honoured with the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) — a prestigious French civilian award.

• Veteran art director Thota Tharani has been honoured with the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) — a prestigious French civilian award.
• This honour was formally conferred in November 2025 at Alliance Française, Chennai, by the French Ambassador to India on the occasion of the inauguration of Tharani’s art exhibition.
• This honour places him alongside distinguished Indian cultural icons such as Kamal Haasan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sivaji Ganesan, and Kalki Koechlin, who have previously received this French honour for their contributions to art and literature.
• Born with innate artistic talent, Tharani pursued his education at the Government Fine Arts College, Chennai, and later at the Royal College of Art, London.
• He began his career with the Telugu film “Somokadidhi Sokokadidhi” (1978) and made his Tamil debut with “Raja Paarvai” (1981).

Over the years, he has received these awards:

• 2 National Film Awards
• 2 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
• 3 Nandi Awards (Andhra Pradesh)
• 1 Kerala State Film Award
• Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2001

Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

• Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters) is one of the world’s highest artistic honours awarded by the French Government. Instituted in 1957, this award was first conferred in 1995 on Tamil cinema actor Sivaji Ganesan and later in 2016 on Kamal Haasan.

Australian F1 driver Oscar Piastri wins the 2025 Don Award

• Australian Formula One sensation Oscar Piastri has been honoured with the Don Award 2025, the highest accolade in Australian sports, for his spectacular performance in the ongoing F1 season.
• Celebrated as a successful season, Piastri secured victories in top-tier Grand Prix competitions in China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Miami, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands. With multiple podium finishes, pole positions, and consistent points, he has emerged as a serious contender in the 2025 F1 Drivers Championship.
• Named in honour of Australia’s legendary cricketer Sir Donald Bradman, the Don Award is presented annually by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
• Oscar Piastri, who has won nine Formula One Grand Prix races, has won the highest honour in Australian sports, the Don Award. This F1 driver has described it as a “great honour.”

Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the first Ramoji Excellence Awards 2025

• The Vice President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, participated as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the Ramoji Excellence Awards 2025 held at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, Telangana.
• At the first Ramoji Excellence Awards 2025 held at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, Amala Ashok Ruiya, widely known as “Jal Mata,” was honoured with the “Excellence in Rural Development” award.
• Established in memory of Shri Ramoji Rao Garu, the Ramoji Excellence Awards have been launched to honour individuals who embody the values of service, discipline, and nation-building, and whose contributions strengthen the moral and intellectual foundation of the nation.
• Amala Ashok Ruiya was presented this award. Along with Ruiya, distinguished personalities such as Jaydeep Hardikar (Excellence in Journalism), Shri Srikanth Bolla (Youth Icon Award), Pallabi Ghosh (Women Achievement Award), and Professor Madhavi Latha Gali (Excellence in Science and Technology) were also honoured.