‘Thank you Doctor Saheb for giving my generation the courage to dream…’ Rajdeep Sardesai remembered Manmohan Singh like this – Former PM Manmohan Singh death reactions Remembering dr Singh By Rajdeep Sardesai ntc

Dr. Manmohan Singh contested the Lok Sabha elections for the first (and only) time in 1999. Manmohan Singh, who contested from South Delhi seat of the capital, had to face defeat. I then worked in a TV channel where we used to do an election show. In this show, we used to go with a politician for the whole day and watch his election campaign.

My job was to keep an eye on Dr. Singh. Dr. Singh was very hesitant on camera. We spent the first half of the day having breakfast with him and then wandering through his huge library. When he came to file nomination, we were together. During this time, when there was a scuffle, he became very uncomfortable.

humble personality

Dr. Singh remained polite during the shooting, but we wanted to add a little more election flavor to the campaign shown on TV. Then we came to know that it was the birthday of Dr. Singh’s grandson and a small party had been organized in the garden. We requested, ‘Can we film a shot with the family, it will make a good TV show.’ On this, Singh said in a stern tone, ‘No, there is no question about it, you will not turn the camera towards my family, this is our personal space.’

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If there is any lesson to be learned from the life and times of Dr Singh, it is how to protect privacy and maintain personal dignity in good and bad times. He was never affected by external noise and pressure of being in public life. He became India’s finest Finance Minister, who announced revolutionary economic reforms, and Prime Minister, who brokered the landmark India-US nuclear deal, but he never once harbored any desire for himself or any member of his family.

I remember that after the nuclear deal was passed, we played the song ‘Singh is King’ in a TV show and his office called and said that such enthusiasm could have been avoided. We once voted him ‘Indian of the Year’ for his many achievements. Instead of coming to the event to be held at a five-star hotel, he reluctantly agreed to receive the award at the Prime Minister’s residence. His polite reply was, ‘There are many Indians who have achieved much more than me.’

Manmohan’s life was a struggle

In an era where self-promotion and marketing is considered a great political strategy, Dr Singh, on the other hand, reminds us of an era when you did not need to showcase your CV on social media platforms. This was a time before the Insta-Twitter social media era, when a letter of appreciation meant recognition of your work.

Throughout his career, Dr. Singh worked incredibly long hours, but never made it a passion. He had struggled hard in life and hence his work style involved rigor and discipline. In one of our last personal meetings, he recalled how his family escaped the horrors of Partition, how he grew up in poverty and how academic scholarship enabled him to move ahead in life. Realizing this he got a little emotional. His wife Gursharan then said in a strong voice, ‘Stop it, let’s have tea now!’ It is clear that she was the big boss in the house.

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But when Dr Singh spoke passionately about his early years, I was struck to learn how his life was a harbinger of the emerging story of an ambitious, merit-driven ‘new’ India. An India that he paradoxically helped shape. In the India where Dr Singh grew up, there were few opportunities for people outside the privileged elite. At such a time, if you wanted to overcome the challenges, the only way was to perform best in studies through meritorious scholarship. Dr Singh may have been an ‘accidental’ Prime Minister, but he was a meritocracy who shaped his career by making the best of every possible opportunity.

Gave shape to new India

India after 1991 is one of those unimaginable opportunities that he helped shape, but never took credit for. His naturally humble, soft-spoken but confident personality was probably one of the reasons why he never became arrogant and was able to hold a high position without any pressure. He knew his political limitations and worked within them, always committed to the larger objective of nation building. When necessary, tough decisions like the nuclear deal were taken, and that too not through orders but through consensus and negotiation. He probably should have retired in 2009, when his health gradually started deteriorating due to his heart disease. The coalition’s constraints were growing and he could possibly have opted out rather than bear the blame for every misstep in UPA 2. His personal integrity remained intact, although corruption allegations against his ministers tainted his second term.

History will judge him very kindly. The reforms initiated in 1991 have shaped an entire generation, lifted millions of people out of poverty and made India one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Generally, Dr Singh acknowledged that this was not an individual effort, but a team that came together to push the economic engine forward.

never interfered in work

As a journalist, I will remember him for another special reason. We as a news network often criticized his government, but not once did he or anyone from his government call me to scold me. Even, when I met him at an official function after writing a scathing editorial on his way of handling the 2G auction, he smiled at me and said: ‘I read your column. You have raised some important issues..’ How many more people can answer with such grace?

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One last memory. In 2004, after a surprise decision that truly shocked the country, there was speculation as to who would be the next Prime Minister. I was having tea with Sir David Butler, the original guru of election analysis, who knew Dr Singh well from their days together as academics at Oxford University. He said, ‘Do you know Rajdeep, I think I have the answer to the question of who will be the Prime Minister, I know someone who is probably the ideal person to lead the coalition government.’ When he mentioned Dr. Singh, I asked him why. So his answer was, ‘Because India needs a good person at the top and Dr. Singh is a leader who will always put the nation before himself..’

In fact, decency is a very underrated value in life. Dr. Singh was an honorable personality who set an example of decency and goodness in public life. Doctor Sahib, thank you for giving my generation the courage to dream… and goodbye!

(The author is a senior journalist and author of 2024: The Election That Surprised India)