A giant among men

In an age of political theatrics and grandstanding, Dr. Manmohan Singh was an anomaly. A leader of few words but profound actions, his life—now etched in the annals of Indian history—was defined by a quiet resolve that reshaped the destiny of a nation.

- AMAL CHANDRA

As India mourns his passing, we reflect not just on the milestones he achieved, but on the rare quality of leadership he embodied: one grounded in integrity, intellect, and an unwavering sense of duty.

Dr. Singh’s rise to prominence was anything but conventional. Born in the village of Gah in present-day Pakistan, he was a child of Partition. The experience of displacement and hardship instilled in him a quiet strength that would serve as his compass through the corridors of power. He would often recount, not with bitterness but with perspective, the challenges faced by millions like him who were forced to rebuild their lives from scratch. His was a story of resilience—a boy who walked miles to school, rising through sheer merit to become one of India’s foremost economists, and eventually, its Prime Minister.

The defining chapter of his career arrived in 1991 when India stood on the brink of an economic abyss. As Finance Minister in P.V. Narasimha Rao’s cabinet, Dr. Singh inherited a country crippled by debt and stagnation. The decision to dismantle the protectionist barriers that had defined India’s post-independence economic model was not an easy one. Critics lambasted him, warning of the social upheaval such reforms could bring. But Dr. Singh’s conviction was unshakable. Liberalization, he believed, was not just about economic growth—it was about unleashing India’s potential, creating jobs, and fostering entrepreneurship. “No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come,” he declared in Parliament, ushering in an era of transformation.