India, May 9 -- Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Thursday pledged to donate almost all his wealth over the next two decades, including around $200 billion, through his foundation, the Bill Gates Foundation, which he plans to close by December 31, 2045. That commitment to the foundation is around twice what he ploughed into it in its first 25 years of existence. The foundation has been very active in India and in the context of the announcement, Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman spoke to HT's editor-in-chief R Sukumar. Edited excerpts:

Apart from the fact that this is 25 years of the Gates Foundation, you were also an early entrant into India. India was probably the first overseas operation for the Gates Foundation, 2003. And back then, the...