Upinder Singh,professor of History at Delhi University and the second of Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs three daughters,will share the inaugural Rs 50 lakh Infosys Prize for Social Sciences with MIT economist Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee. She will receive the award from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 4. It would be nice to receive the award from him, said the 50-year-old professor. I have not really thought about what to do with the money. I feel honoured,humbled and encouraged by the award, Singh added. I think Infosys has done a great thing. It will encourage more research. Infosys said the prize,which also carries a citation and medallion,is among the highest in terms of prize money for any award in India. It was instituted by the Infosys Science Foundation formed this year. When the prize announcements were made on November 30,Professor Upinder Singhs name figured in the list as just another winner in the inaugural social sciences. Infosys officials acknowledged that Upinder Singh is the Prime Ministers daughter only after being pressed into identifying her lineage. A citation by the Infosys Prize social sciences jury,chaired by eminent economist and Nobel laureate Professor Amartya Sen,states the professor was awarded in recognition of her contributions as an outstanding historian of ancient and early medieval India. Two fields in social science will be considered for the award every year. Apart from social sciences,the Infosys Prize will be awarded in three other disciplines this year physical sciences,mathematical sciences,life sciences,while the engineering sciences prize is not being awarded in the absence of a suitable candidate.
