New Delhi, January 26 2015:   In a rare gesture, India honoured Bill and Melinda Gates, on the occasion of 66th Republic  Day today. The duo who began their careers in Microsoft  ( Bill was its founder) were saluted with the Padma Bhushan award for their   philanthropic efforts  in healthcare and poverty  alleviation -- many of their initiatives  are focussed on India.
Also honoured  with the Padma Bhushan today were  

• Dr Vijay Bhatkar, who as  the founder-Director of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, spearheaded Param -- India's indigenous supercomputing platform.  Dr Bhatkar currently heads  Vijnana Bharati, a People's Science Movement of over 6,000 scientists across India.
• Mohandas Pai, a veteran of  IT outsourced services leader infosys who today  leads the Manipal group's educational outreaches.