On her 39th birthday yesterday, the French government conferred upon a civilian award to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for her contribution to the arts and films. Francois Richier, ambassador of France to India, conferred the honour of prestigious ‘Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters’ on her at a hotel here. Said Aishwarya on receiving the award, “I want to thank the French government for honouring me with the award. It’s truly overwhelming. I thank you in all humility.” She also thanked her family for their support and expressed her gratitude towards her colleagues. “I want to thank every professional who I have worked with and who made it possible for me to have such a glorious career,” she added. The Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters honour is given to people who have shown exceptionable contribution to arts in France and the rest of the world. In the past, noted celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan and Nandita Das received the honour. Besides the Bachchan family, actress Nandita Das, Parmeshwar Godrej and filmmaker Pritish Nandy were also present on the occasion.