CHANDIGARH: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's great-nephew Randeep Singh Kohli, who runs a hardware business in Punjab, got married in February this year. But Manmohan Singh was not able to attend the wedding since he was not keeping well. But the soft-spoken former PM did not fail to congratulate his great-nephew over phone, Randeep recalls proudly.
"Prior to Covid-19, he (Manmohan Singh) came to Amritsar and met the whole family at the circuit house. Whenever he was in Amritsar we used to meet him. In 2016 when my father Mandeep Singh Kohli died he came to our house to pay his last respects," Randeep recalled.
Presently Randeep is in Delhi, along with other family members, to attend the cremation to be held on Saturday.
"His (Manmohan Singh's) sisters living in Kolkata are also in the national capital now. One of his daughters will land tonight from the US. But the thing is that we feel empty here since he is no more. It will take a lot of time for us to come over this loss," Randeep Singh noted.
Punjab held a special place in the heart of Manmohan Singh. Punjab was his first love, Amritsar, in particular from where he completed his schooling and graduation. He then did his post-graduation in Economics from Panjab University in Chandigarh and thereafter went on to pursue his advanced studies.
After he left Panjab University, Singh returned to the campus thrice in 1983, 2009 and 2018. During the first two visits, he was awarded honorary degrees. In April 2018 Singh came to the campus again and delivered the first Prof SB Ragnekar Lecture, organised by his department.
Recalling that Singh was a man of few words, Prof Upinder Sawhney, former chairperson of the Economic Department at Panjab University, explained that he had invited Singh to speak at the department in 2018, and the former PM obliged under the condition that he would address only the students.
"When I was a student had a desire to meet him as an associate professor, I first met him in 1999 at a conference and then wanted to invite him to the department for a lecture. When I met him again he asked about the university and the honors school. I again kept on requesting him to come and he finally agreed, then I was on cloud nine. He came and addressed the students for an hour as he gave a lecture at the first SB Rangnekar Memorial Lecture. As the topic was 'The Seventieth Anniversary of our Independence — Strengthening the roots of our Democracy', the students were delighted by his presence. After the lecture, he interacted with the faculty.
"He was humble, down to earth and I never felt talking to the former PM he made you comfortable, only did academic talk, spoke nothing controversial, he was man of few words,’’ she says.
Singh also donated around 3,500 books and memorabilia from his personal collection to the Guru Teg Bahadur Bhawan Library of the university.
Vice Chancellor of Panjab University, Prof Renu Vig said, " His legacy as an academic, economist and leader will forever remain etched in the history of Panjab University and our nation. Singh’s visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to the nation have left an indelible mark on India’s progress. His contributions to academia and public service remain a source of immense pride for Panjab University.’’
Prof Shalina Mehta who retired as the head of the Anthropology department from Panjab University has been living in the house of former PM Singh since 2015, the last rent agreement between them was signed in April this year. Recalling her interaction with the former PM she says he was very simple, humble and down to earth. Two months after renting the house in 2015, Singh and his wife visited her. " He had tea and pakoras with me sitting on the dining table. He was keen to come and stay in his own house. It was his last visit to his house as there was lot of security he said he did not want to bother me again. In 2018, I again met him when he was in Chandigarh as I was invited for dinner,’’ she says.
Though Singh visited Amritsar many times, it was in March 2018 during an alumni meet of Hindu College where he had studied he shared his feeling. He shared his experience as a student and said that he was the first student of the college who was given a roll of honour and had recalled with fondness the contribution of principal Sant Ram Grover, Prof Mast Ram Jain and Prof Jugal Kishore Trikha who taught him economics.
In March 2006, Singh flagged off the "Punj-Aab” bus service from Amritsar to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan connecting two of the most revered shrines of the Sikhs. Later the bus service was discontinued due to strained ties between both countries.
He also took steps for upgrading facilities at Attari railway station to facilitate bilateral trade with Pakistan and Afghanistan through the Attari-Wagah joint checkpost. Singh always prioritized Amritsar when it came to development. During his tenure, he sanctioned Rs 72 crore for the completion of the Galliara Project around the Golden Temple. A Centre for Research on the Guru Granth Sahib was also established at GNDU. The main elevated road project worth Rs 250 crore on the Amritsar-Jalandhar GT Road at the entry point was conceptualized by him.
It may be recalled that Manmohan Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur also hails from Amritsar. The couple has three daughters Upinder Singh, Daman Singh and Amrit Singh. The former PM’s extended family included six sisters and three half-brothers Surinder Singh Kohli, Surjit Singh Kohli and Daljit Singh Kohli. Both Surjit and Daljit run a garment business in Amritsar and also own a factory that manufactures auto parts.