"It is a huge honour for me that the French government is honouring me in this manner. I was told that it is equivalent to India's Bharat Ratna," Mangeshkar said.
"This was in the pipeline for some time now, and they had contacted me some time ago. They could not find an appropriate time for the ceremony and the matter was stalled. Then they contacted me again some days ago saying the ceremony would be held in mid-December," she added.
"I have got so many awards and honours, but each one is special to me, specially because great artists like Satyajit Ray have received this before," Mangeshkar added.
Other Indian recipients of the award include film maker Satyajit Ray and superstar Amitabh Bachchan.