On a cold night in Delhi where the concentrated winter fog was doing a better job at keeping the light of an already waning moon away, just before the clock struck ten, the night became determinately darker for India that has received the chilling news of Dr Manmohan Singh’s passing. The nation mourns not just the loss of a former Prime Minister and a great economic visionary, but also of a gentle soul whose humility and grace left an indelible mark on a billion-strong nation.
No power on Earth can stop an idea whose time has come.
When Dr Manmohan Singh quoted Victor Hugo while presenting his revolutionary 1991 budget, the idea was liberalisation. But he wasn’t just speaking about economic reforms. He was summing up a broad vision that would transform India.
Besides ‘lookable’ (can easily be looked up) facts, we would like to give a little history about the man. Behind every great transformation lies a story of choice and sacrifice. In his early years, when opportunities beckoned from prestigious institutions worldwide, a young Manmohan Singh chose family over fortune. When his father Gurmukh Singh fell ill with tuberculosis, he declined the coveted Wrenbury Scholarship and returned to India, putting aside dreams of further studies at Oxford or Cambridge. This decision would set the tone for his life – one marked by silent dedication rather than personal glory.
There is no challenge to the academic prowess of Dr Singh before whom, at just twenty five, the world seemed to unfold. Nicholas Kaldor, one of his Tripos examiners, had written to India’s Finance Minister T.T. Krishnamachari, recommending him for the treasury. The United Nations Administrator’s office sought him out through St. John’s College. The Delhi School of Economics wanted him as a lecturer. Yet, bound by his commitment to Punjab University and lacking the funds to repay his scholarship with interest, he chose to honour his word. He was a character who would choose integrity over opportunity, and duty over ambition any day.
Whosoever unceasingly strives upward… him can we save.
Goethe’s Faust
After a length of strife, the brilliant economist who once declined international opportunities would eventually serve at each institution that had sought him – Oxford University, the UN, Delhi School of Economics, Ministry of Finance, and the Planning Commission. He would learn first-hand about the challenges and potential of India’s economy from the grassroots up, a perspective that would shape his future policies.
And thus came his defining moment in 1991, beyond which pretty much everyone knew who he was and what he was capable of. During one of the gravest economic crises India had ever faced, Dr Singh almost single-handedly dismantled the License Raj, a system that had stifled India’s entrepreneurial potential for decades. As Finance Minister in P.V. Narasimha Rao’s government, he made a series of structural reforms that liberalised India’s economy. The industries were deregulated, foreign investments came booming and India was saved. And by saved, we don’t merely mean that a crisis was averted but it transformed India into one of the fastest growing economies in the world, setting the stage for decades of sustained growth. A growth over which the contemporary altisonant kings dance fiercely trying to lay claim to a fraction of what Dr Singh has achieved.
A short glimpse at the “silent” decade:
As India’s Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, among Dr Singh’s many achievements were:
- India consistently registered impressive GDP growth rates, earning its place among the global economic powerhouses.
- Iconic legislations like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the Right to Information (RTI) Act empowered millions and strengthened grassroots democracy.
- India-U.S. Civil Nuclear Agreement which ended India’s nuclear isolation.
- The National Rural Health Mission ensured a base for decentralised yet effective healthcare was established in India.
What stands out about Dr Singh is not just his brilliance as an economist but his unique brand of leadership, understated yet transformative. His strength lay in his deep understanding of economics, unwavering integrity, and commitment to India’s progress. He preferred action to rhetoric. His speeches were measured, his promises cautious, but his delivery was steadfast. He epitomised the Gandhian ideal of “simple living, high thinking.”
Among the drowning kerfuffle of politics where almost everyone has claimed the right to question the strength of Dr Singh, we would want you to take a good hard look at this photograph from last year, of a 91-year-old man shaking in bad health, not capable of walking on his feet, who came to the parliament to vote against a bill that he knew would pass anyways. It was simply duty, performed with the same silent dignity that marked every action of his life. This is what strength looks like. Rest in peace Dr Manmohan Singh. History will indeed be kinder to you.
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