There’s been a lot spoken about his efficacy as the Prime Minister of our nation, but how well do we know him for the person he was? How well do we know one of the longest standing leaders of Independent India? Here bring to you facts twelve unique facts about Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Dr. Manmohan Singh – The Ex-Prime Minister Of India
#1
He was blessed to born in Undivided India. Manmohan Singh, a Sikh, was born in Undivided India on 26 September 1932 to Gurmukh Singh and Amrit Kaur in Gah, Panjab. After partition, his family had shifted to Amritsar.
#2
Manmohan Singh became the first Sikh Prime Minister of India and served from 2004 to 2014.
#3
It might come as a surprise to many that Manmohan Singh cannot read Hindi. His speeches are written in Urdu and before giving any speech in Hindi, he needs practice.
#4
P.V. Narasimha Rao, the then Prime Minister of India appointed him as the Finance Minister of India in 1991 (without having any political background) when the nation was dealing with an economic crisis.
#5
Manmohan Singh is the most qualified Prime Minister in the world with numerous honorary degrees such as Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Civil Law, Doctor of Social Sciences, and an honorary doctorate of letters (D Litt) from Punjab University, Guru Nanak University, Delhi University, Sri Venkateshwara University, Punjab University, University of Mysore, Osmania University and the Italy’s University of Bologna.
#6
The former Prime Minister has a long list of awards which includes the Padma Vibhushan in 1987, the Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award of the Indian Science Congress in 1995, the Asia Money Award for Finance Minister of the Year in 1993 and 1994, the Euro Money Award for Finance Minister of the Year in 1993, the Adam Smith Prize of the University of Cambridge in 1956, and the Wright’s Prize for Distinguished Performance at St. John’s College in Cambridge in 1955.
#7
Since Jawaharlal Nehru, he was the only Prime Minister to be re-elected after completing 5 years of the term.
#8
Every morning, he listens to BBC and this habit made him instantly respond to the Tsunami of 2004.
#9
Some of the greatest men in this world have braved hardships to reach where they are today. Perhaps, success favors those that persevere irrespective of obstacles. Manmohan Singh too is no different. He was born to a modest family and for about 12 years of his life, he lived in a village which had no school. But that didn’t deter him. Education was important and so he walked every day for miles to school!
#10
Manmohan Singh has often attributed his success to education. Having been born into a family of humble means in a village where there was no electricity, it wasn’t easy reaching where he is today. It is said that he studied under the dim light of a kerosene lamp. As inspiring it is, it surely must have been a herculean task and he could have given up at any point! It is amusing today when he attributes his bad eyesight to the same but it is surely would have been a herculean task then.
#11
After completing his DPhil, he worked for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development from 1966 to 1969. He was working there under the famous economist Raul Prebisch when he got the offer to work as a lecturer in Delhi School of Economics. When every brilliant economist in the world dreamed to work for the UN, he decided to accept DSE’s invitation and return to India.
#12
When he was teaching at his college in Amritsar, he had the opportunity to join politics when his neighbor, well-known writer Mulk Raj Anand, took him to meet Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. But he declined. He had let go of the opportunity to honor his commitment to teaching at his college in Amritsar.
When he was teaching at his college in Amritsar, he had the opportunity to join politics when his neighbor, well-known writer Mulk Raj Anand, took him to meet Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. But he declined. He had let go of the opportunity to honor his commitment to teaching at his college in Amritsar.
With the trailer of the movie – The Accidental Prime Minister, there’s definitely a lot we’d want to know about the secret behind Singh’s eternal silence.
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