THE GENTLE GIANT OF MODERN INDIA

THE GENTLE GIANT OF MODERN INDIA MANMOHAN SINGH, FORMER PRIME MINISTER AND THE ARCHITECT OF LIBERALISATION OF THE INDIAN ECONOMY, PASSED AWAY ON DEC 26, 2024.

-  V. KESHAVDEV

THERE IS A POETIC IRONY TO 92-a number that not only marks a watershed moment in India's Growth Story but also the end of a life extraordinary. It was the year 1991 when the world truly began to take notice of India, led by a quiet, unassuming finance minister who stood before Parliament on July 24, 1991 and declared, "I rise to present the Budget for 1991-92." In that moment, Dr. Manmohan Singh set India on an irreversible path of economic transformation, opening its doors to global markets and unshackling its potential as an emerging superpower.

Singh, who passed away on December 26 at the age of 92, was born in the village of Gah, now in Pakistan. He overcame the trials of partition to pursue academic brilliance, earning accolades from Cambridge and Oxford.