‘Double cross, first class’: Why India’s Modi wins so many foreign awards

During his June 27-29 sojourn to the Seychelles, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was graced with a trophy ne'er seen earlier – a pristine, pyriform azure prize created particularly for him, titled the “Guardian of the Blue Horizon”.

The grant did not beryllium earlier Modi’s sojourn to the Seychelles. And the citation accompanying it was riddled with embarrassing misspellings: the state that conjured up the award, and was bestowing it connected Modi, was called the “Repubblic of Seycheeles”.

Those mistakes were the result of a “rush job” that invited “ridicule”, said Nitasha Kaul, a prof of authorities and planetary relations astatine Westminster University successful the United Kingdom.

Yet Modi’s Blue Horizon grant present sits neatly adjacent to an array of akin trophies and medals successful his overseas sojourn collection. When helium has made diplomatic visits to different countries, Modi has much often than not near with an award, often – including the 1 from Indonesia connected Tuesday – created conscionable for him.

“These awards are not astir India’s diplomacy; they’re astir Modi’s image,” Kaul told Al Jazeera.

Here is much astir the caller Seychelles award, others Modi has racked up implicit the years, and what they accidental astir however respective countries dainty diplomatic ties with India nether its existent leadership.

What bash we cognize astir Modi’s Seychelles award?

The award, described arsenic the Seychelles’ highest civilian honour, was presented by President Patrick Herminie to Modi successful Victoria during a State House ceremony.

Modi was fixed the grant successful designation of his “distinguished enactment and committedness to sustainable development, biology conservation, and clime resilience”. He received a carnal trophy and a certificate.

When images of Modi’s peculiar certificate emerged, observers pointed retired respective typographical errors, including “repubblic” alternatively of republic and “Seycheeles” alternatively of Seychelles.

The errors earned ire from absorption politicians.

“The satellite has figured Modi out. Give him immoderate award, and he’ll travel running,” Supriya Shrinate from the Congress Party wrote successful an X station connected June 28.

“They were successful specified a tearing hurry that they adjacent got the authoritative sanction of the Republic of Seychelles wrong,” Shrinate added.

The Foreign Ministry of Seychelles issued a clarification connected Thursday, stating that the representation circulated of the certificate was of a “working draft” alternatively than the last certificate.

“The Guardian of the Blue Horizon favoritism is genuine,” the ministry added.

The Seychelles furniture had approved the grant conscionable days earlier Modi landed.

Which different countries person fixed Modi awards?

Modi has received much than 30 accolades during his overseas visits implicit the past 12 years successful office.

In Indonesia connected Tuesday, helium was awarded the Bintang Adipurna, the big country’s highest civilian award.

In June, Modi received the highest nationalist honour of the Slovak Republic, the ”Order of the White Double Cross, 1st Class”. Despite the mode immoderate mightiness work its title, the honour is genuine, is reserved for overseas nationals, and has been presented to satellite leaders before, including Bronislaw Komorowski, erstwhile president of the Republic of Poland and Heinz Fischer, erstwhile president of the Republic of Austria.

This medal is the highest authorities decoration awarded by the Slovak Republic, reserved astir exclusively for overseas nationals who person importantly contributed to the improvement of relations betwixt their location nations and Slovakia.

But portion Modi isn’t the archetypal person to person Slovakia’s Double Cross award, helium is the archetypal and lone recipient of the Speaker of the Knesset Medal, fixed to him during his travel to Israel successful February. The grant was created soon earlier the Indian premier minister’s visit, which came connected the eve of the motorboat of the US-Israeli warfare connected Iran.

Which different awards has Modi received?

In 2018, Modi won the United Nations Champions of the Earth Award alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, the UN’s highest biology honour, presented annually to recognise planetary enactment successful biology extortion and sustainable development.

In 2019, helium won the Global Goalkeeper Award presented by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation successful New York for his enactment successful the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) programme, which aims to amended sanitation successful India.

Also successful 2019, Modi won the World Marketing Summit’s archetypal and lone Philip Kotler Presidential Award, which is expected to beryllium bestowed connected a satellite person annually. No different satellite person has received the Philip Kotler Presidential Award since then.

Are these awards helping India?

While receiving each of these accolades, Modi has made a constituent to emphasise that they honour India, not conscionable him. And that countries consciousness obliged to marque up caller awards to someway honour India’s person arguably demonstrates their tendency to support New Delhi happy, illustrating the increasing planetary clout that the world’s largest ideology enjoys.

However, immoderate experts formed uncertainty connected their existent value.

“No uncertainty New Delhi volition reason that these awards bespeak the esteem successful which India is present held successful the world, but it is hard to spot their diplomatic oregon economical payment to the state arsenic a whole,” Ian Hall, a prof of planetary relations astatine Australia’s Griffith University, told Al Jazeera.

“Instead they reenforce the presumption that the PM is not arsenic focused arsenic helium mightiness beryllium connected applicable enactment to beforehand India’s interests.”

Others accidental the awards bash much for Modi’s representation than India’s presumption diplomatically.

“These awards relation arsenic a prop for the egotistical strongman authorities that Modi embodies,” Kaul told Al Jazeera. “He and his supporters usage them to conception the story of an internationally respected statesman, a story progressively detached from his existent grounds successful planetary diplomacy.”

Kaul added: “The Seychelles episode, with its unreserved occupation and misspelt certificate, is simply a lawsuit successful point: these are not astir India’s diplomacy, they’re astir Modi’s image. And increasingly, they’re inviting ridicule alternatively than respect.”