(This article is authored by Alar, a freelance content writer)

Popular Indian-British author Salman Rushdie has won a rare honour in the UK during the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II. Widely known for authoring 'Midnight's Children' and 'Satanic Verses', 74-year-old Rushdie has been bestowed with the tag of the member of the Order of the Companions of Honour where he will be leading the Indian battalion of over forty Indian origin professionals and community champions. 

The honour would be conferred to the people recognizing their ace contributions to arts, science, medicine, and government. Born in Mumbai, Rushdie has won the prestigious Booker prize for his 'Midnight Children' in 1981. The Indian battalion that he will be leading would be honoured in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. The list was released on June 1 and Rushdie has been named a Companion of Honour, which is an exclusive club with membership limited to just 65 people for their services to literature. 

Rushdie has authored 14 novels and the citation released on his honour said, "Born in Bombay, he later attended Rugby School and King's College, Cambridge, where he read history." It further said, "Beginning his career in advertising, 'Midnight's Children' was twice (1993 and 2008) voted Best of the Bookers by the public. He was knighted for services to literature in 2007. He is also a storied author of non-fiction, an essayist, co-editor, and a noted humanist." 

Reacting to the honour, Rushdie said, "It's a privilege to be included in such illustrious company, both past and present." The Birthday Honours List would be compiled by the UK Cabinet Office and a total of 1,134 candidates have been named for honours across different fields. Of the total candidates, about 13.3% are from an ethnic minority background. 

Speaking about the national celebration, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, "This historic Platinum Jubilee is not only a celebration of the monarch but of the qualities she possesses. The honours she confers this week reflect many of those qualities that have been invaluable from all different walks of life and to communities across the UK. I pay tribute to all of this year's winners. Their stories of courage and compassion are an inspiration to us all." 

The honours list is annually published to align with the Queen's official birthday celebrations in early June. The date of her crowing in as the Queen has been celebrated every year and as this year has marked the Platinum Jubilee (70 years) of her monarch, the celebrations are historical. Elizabeth II's coronation as Queen took place on June 2, 1953, in London.

Now 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth was 26 when she ascended to the throne. Several world leaders including former US President Barack Obama have wished Queen Elizabeth on her 70th year of reign as the longest-serving British Monarch. Rushdie has received the rare honour of getting inducted into Queen Elizabeth's Birthday Honours list. History had seen very few people winning this honour and some of them were former British Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and John Major and global-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking.