India, June 17 -- On Monday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred Cyprus' one of the highest civilian honour-the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III-it cast a quiet glow on a corner of central Delhi. Tucked behind Lodhi Road, a short, tree-lined stretch named Archbishop Makarios Marg suddenly found itself in the spotlight.

The road, renamed in the 1980s, honours Makarios III, the towering figure who served as Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus from 1950 to 1977 and later became the country's first President. He is widely regarded as the founding father of the Republic of Cyprus, leading its transition from British colonial rule. The award Modi received also bears his name, cementing a historical thread between Nicosia and N...