Sachin Tendulkar, Sania Mirza, E Sreedharan, Dr V Shanta - these are the names of people who made us proud in the year 2005.

The master blaster is the only cricketer to have achieved 35 centuries in Test cricket.

The tennis icon became the first Indian woman to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam event at the US Open.

The 'Metro Man' was honoured with the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur. This is one of the most prestigious civilian awards of the French Government. The legion of honour was instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802 and is given for outstanding civilian and military achievements.

The 78-year-old doctor from Andhra Pradesh was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service this year.

The IITians made us proud with all their achievements in 2005. Some developed the tsunami warning atlas and some the male contraceptive marvel.

The NRIs were not far behind. Somebody was named the third richest man on the planet and some were named as the top innovators of the world.