| First Miss World | Reita Faria in 1966 |
| First Miss Universe | Susmita Sen in 1994 |
| First Booker Prize | Arundhati Roy for The God of Small Things in 1997 |
| First Bharat Ratna | Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishan, C. Rajagopalachari, and Dr. C.V. Raman in 1954 |
| First Foreigner to receive Bharat Ratna | Khan Abdul Ghaffar |
| First Person to receive Stalin Prize | Saifuddin Kitchlu |
| First Chevalier | Sivaji Ganesan |
| First Person to receive Jnapith Award | Shri Shankar Kurup |
| First Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Devika Rani in 1969 |
| 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.” |
| First Magsaysay Award | Vinoba Bhave |
| First Winner of a major literary award in the United States | Dhan Gopal Mukerji |
| First Ford Supermodel of the World(contest) | Bipasha Basu, 1996 |
| First Indian recipient of ‘Oscar Award’ | Bhanu Athaiya |
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