NEW DELHI (TIP): The nation’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, was conferred on a former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on March 27. President of India, Pranab Mukherjee went to Vajpayee’s residence on Krishna Menon Marg in Lutyens’ Delhi to confer the honor at a simple ceremony as the latter is ailing and has been out of public life.

The brief event took place in the presence of several dignitaries including Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and close family members that included Vajpayee’s foster daughter Namita and foster son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya.