Prime Minister receives the Royal Order of the Polar Star, Degree Commander Grand Cross in Sweden
By R Anil Kumar
Gothenburg, Sweden, May 17, 2026. In a special ceremony hosted in Gothenburg, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden conferred upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi the ‘Royal Order of the Polar Star, Degree Commander Grand Cross,’ one of Sweden’s oldest and most distinguished honours, instituted in the 18th century. The award is Sweden’s highest honour conferred on foreign Heads of Government in recognition of exceptional public service and contribution towards strengthening relations with Sweden.
Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Modi expressed his deep gratitude to Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria and to the people of Sweden for this honour. He dedicated the award to the 1.4 billion people of India and to the enduring friendship between India and Sweden. Prime Minister Modi noted that the conferment of the Royal Order of the Polar Star is a reaffirmation of the historic ties and civilizational bonds between India and Sweden, and a tribute to the warmth and affection that unite the two peoples.
Prime Minister Modi is the first Asian leader to be conferred the award.
The conferment of the award marks a milestone in the India-Sweden Strategic Partnership and reflects the shared commitment of the two countries to advancing bilateral cooperation and contributing to global peace and prosperity.
Prime Minister of India and Prime Minster of Sweden exchange special gifts celebrating the shared cultural legacy of Rabindranath Tagore
The Prime Minister of Sweden, H.E. Mr. Ulf Kristersson and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi exchanged special commemorative gifts to celebrate the legacy of Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
The gift from Prime Minister Kristersson comprised a box containing two replicas of hand-written epigrams by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, accompanied by a small explanatory text and a photograph of Gurudev Tagore taken in 1921 during his visit to Uppsala University. The originals, recently discovered in the Swedish National Archives, were created by Gurudev Tagore during his visits to Sweden in 1921 and 1926.
Prime Minister Modi presented to Prime Minster Kristersson a set of collected works of Rabindranath Tagore, along with a specially handcrafted bag from Shantiniketan with motifs that Gurudev chose to empower local artisans. The bag symbolizes Tagore’s philosophy that art is not meant to be confined to galleries, but to breathe life into everyday objects, bridging the gap between the intellectual and the functional.
Although Gurudev Tagore could not travel to Sweden in 1913 to receive the Nobel Prize, he was received by King Gustav V when he visited Sweden in 1921. These gifts symbolize the shared cultural and intellectual heritage between India and Sweden, and pay tribute to the enduring legacy of Rabindranath Tagore. The exchange of gifts also coincides with the centenary of Gurudev’s historic visit to Sweden in 1926.
