Following a double win at this year鈥檚 Academy Awards on Sunday, Indians around the world have been celebrating the historic triumph as a symbol of long overdue international recognition. 鈥淚ndia is elated and proud,鈥 Prime Minister Narenda Modi tweeted in response to 鈥淣aatu Naatu鈥 winning the Oscar for Best Original Song. 鈥淭he popularity of 鈥楴aatu Naatu鈥 is global,鈥 he added, 鈥淚t will be a song that will be remembered for years to come.鈥
M.M. Keeravani, the composer behind the song that has already amassed 125 million views on YouTube, expressed his pride after the award ceremony. 鈥淔or the world, particularly the Western world, folks are more on India and Asian music. It鈥檚 just long due. I feel very happy to open doors and the world to embrace my culture,鈥 Keeravani said. 鈥淣aatu Naatu鈥 is the first song from an Indian film to win the Best Original Song category, although it鈥檚 not the first Indian song to win the prestigious prize. Back in 2009, A.R. Rahman and Gulzar won an Oscar for 鈥淛ai Ho鈥 that appeared in Slumdog Millionaire 鈥 a British production.
This year鈥檚 second win was for the short documentary 鈥淭he Elephant Whisperers鈥, a portrait of a poor couple in Tamil Nadu and their bond with a baby elephant. Made by Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga, the documentary was the first Indian film to win an Oscar. 鈥淵esterday was powerful and historic as two women from India stood on the Oscars stage, lauded for their work,鈥 Guneet Monga wrote on Instagram the day after, dedicating the win to her country. 鈥淭his is for my beautiful, diverse country, India,鈥 she wrote.
For a country that takes immense pride in its film industry, India has enjoyed very little recognition at what is widely considered the pinnacle of cinema and film. The following chart provides a brief history of Indian Oscar triumphs, which are now adding up to six when excluding honorary awards and awards for technical achievements.




















