Amritsar, 27 December
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh developed a special relationship with the holy land of Amritsar, where he spent many of his years. Dr. Manmohan Singh was born in Gah Vih village of Punjab province which is now in Chakwal district of Pakistan. He completed his schooling from Amritsar and graduated in Economics from the Hindu College here. Singh’s half-brother Surjit Singh Kohli said the former prime minister had a deep love for his grandmother, who raised him after his mother’s death.
After migrating, the Singh family settled in a small rented house in Amritsar till graduation. Rajinder Loomba, a retired professor of Hindu College, described economics as his favorite subject and said that his wife Gursharan Kaur’s parents also belonged to the holy city. Loomba said that a few years ago, Singh attended the convocation-cum-alumni meet of Hindu College as the chief guest and interacted with the college staff like a common person.
Local resident Raj Kumar (71) told News-Patiala video that Dr. Manmohan Singh used to live in Petha Wala Bazar near Harmandir Sahib. Remembering Singh as a very humble person, Kumar said, “I was young when his family moved out. It was a very good family.” He said that the house in which Mr. Manmohan’s family used to live is now in a dilapidated condition because no one lives there anymore.
The UPA government led by him approved several projects for Amritsar. It is worth mentioning that Singh, the creator of India’s economic reforms, died on Thursday night at the AIIMS Hospital in Delhi, he was 92 years old. News-Patiala