At a 2005 meeting of business leaders from India and Southeast Asia in Kuala Lumpur, ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong introduced then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as "the world’s most highly qualified head of government", according to Sanjaya Baru in his book, The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh. The description is fitting for Manmohan Singh, a First-Class graduate of the University of Cambridge and holder of a DPhil from the University of Oxford, who played a crucial role in steering India’s economic growth towards liberalisation in the 1990s. The former prime minister passed away at AIIMS in New Delhi on Thursday evening. Archived profiles of India’s fourteenth prime minister describe him as "a thinker and a scholar." Manmohan Singh served as India’s Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, leading the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. A decade prior to his premiership, Singh set India on the path to liberalisation in the early 1990s, breaking free from the constraints of socialist-era policies. As one of the most educated statesmen in the world, he championed the New Economic Policy of 1991, steering India out of its worst financial crisis and shaping the nation's trajectory toward liberalization and globalization. From Professor Of Economics To Indian Prime Minister Born in Gah, West Punjab (now in Pakistan) in 1932, Dr. Singh's life journey mirrored India's own tumultuous history. His family migrated to India during Partition in 1947, and his academic brilliance led him to earn a doctorate in economics from Oxford. From working at the United Nations in the 1960s to holding key posts like Chief Economic Advisor, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and head of the Planning Commission, Dr. Singh built a career marked by quiet excellence. Singh started his career in academics by serving as the Professor of Economics at Panjab University in Chandigarh from 1957-65. His finest hour came in 1991 when Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao entrusted him with the Finance Ministry during an unprecedented economic crisis. Despite immense opposition, Dr. Singh introduced structural reforms that liberalized India's economy, averting disaster and earning him a global reputation as a reformist economist. As India's Prime Minister (2004-2014), his tenure was marked by economic growth, major international partnerships, and groundbreaking initiatives like the Right to Education and MGNREGA. Through it all, his humility stood out. Whether driving his Maruti 800 or returning borrowed money with scrupulous honesty, he epitomized integrity. The Independent aptly described Dr. Singh as "one of the world's most revered leaders" and "a man of uncommon decency and grace." His legacy is a reminder of what politics can achieve when rooted in intellect, simplicity, and a deep sense of responsibility toward society.
