Daman Singh’s Book Sheds Light on Father’s Humble Beginnings and Career Shift

New Delhi:Dr Manmohan Singh had joined a pre-medical course as his father wanted him to become a doctor but pulled out after a couple of months as he was not interested in the subject, according to the book, ‘Strictly Personal: Manmohan and Gursharan,’, on the former prime minister written by his daughter Daman Singh.

In April 1948, Singh was admitted to Khalsa College in Amritsar, she wrote in her book, published in 2014. Economics was a subject that appealed to him.

“Since his father wanted him to become a doctor, he joined the two-year FSc course that would lead to further studies in medicine. After just a couple of months, he dropped out. He had lost interest in becoming a doctor. In fact, he had also lost interest in studying science,” Daman wrote.

“I didn’t have the time to think,” the author, who based her book on conversations with her parents and hours spent in libraries and archives, quoted her father as saying.

“I went and joined my father in his shop. I didn’t like that either, because I was not treated as an equal. I was treated as an inferior person who ran errands bringing water, bringing tea. Then I thought I must go back to college. And I entered Hindu College in September 1948,” Singh was quoted as saying.

Economics was a subject that appealed to him immediately.

“I was always interested in issues of poverty, why some countries are poor, why others are rich. And I was told that economics is the subject which asks these questions,” Singh told his daughter.

While studying at Cambridge University, money was the only real problem that bothered Singh.

“His tuition and living expenses came to about 600 pounds a year. The Panjab University scholarship gave him about 160 pounds. For the rest he had to depend on his father. Manmohan was careful to live very stingily. Subsidised meals in the dining hall were relatively cheap at two shillings sixpence,” Daman wrote.

She said her father never ate out, and seldom indulged in beer or wine yet he would be in crisis if money from home fell short or did not arrive on time.

“When this happened, he skipped meals or got by on a sixpence bar of Cadbury’s chocolate,” she said. He also asked a friend to lend him 25 pounds for two years but the friend could send only 3 pounds.

Daman Singh said her father had a sense of humour.

“This was evident when he was with friends, even if they were economists. It was comforting to know that he could laugh and crack jokes as well. With us, he rarely did either.”

“The lighter side of him liked to give nicknames to people. Unknown to them, one of our uncles was John Babu, another was Jewel Babu and a third - to commemorate his pointed turban - was Chunj Waley. My mother was Gurudev, and the three of us were Kick, Little Noan and Little Ram. Some of the other names he coined were less charitable,” Daman Singh wrote.

“When in a reflective mood, he sat with an index finger perched on the side of his nose. He was completely helpless about the house and could neither boil an egg, nor switch on the television.”