Why Manmohan Singh was at all times noticed carrying a blue turban

A neatly tied white beard, giant glasses, and a signature blue turban, that is how Manmohan Singh, India’s 14th prime minister, is immediately remembered.

The soft-spoken Sikh economist handed away on the age of 92 on Thursday. A press release from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital, in New Delhi confirmed that Singh died on account of an “age-related medical situation”.

His demise marks the tip of an period in Indian politics, forsaking a legacy of financial reforms and diplomatic achievements. Because the nation mourns the lack of the stalwart, reflections of his public life are as soon as once more within the highlight, together with his iconic blue turban.

However why did the Manmohan Singh at all times put on a blue turban? Right here’s the story.

Journey via the Ivy League

Manmohan Singh’s journey from the small city of Gah in undivided Punjab to changing into one among India’s most revered leaders is nothing in need of extraordinary.

Born in 1932 in what’s now Pakistan, Singh’s early years had been deeply influenced by the partition of India. His household, like hundreds of thousands of others, was displaced throughout this tumultuous time and ultimately settled in Amritsar, India.

Singh’s starvation for data and dedication to training led him to Panjab College, the place he accomplished his undergraduate research. It was throughout this time that his ardour for economics started to take root.

In a 2004 interview with American journalist Charlie Rose, Singh defined why he selected economics as his area of examine. “Proper from the start, as a pondering pupil of 15 or 16 years previous, I used to be troubled by the grim poverty that I noticed round me,” he shared.

He went on to debate his ideas on Minoo Masani’s e book, ‘Our India’, which he learn in class. “The primary sentence in that e book was, ‘one man in each 5 is an Indian.’ And but it concluded that India occurs to be a wealthy nation inhabited by very poor individuals. To know why India is such a poor nation, why there may be a lot distress, why there may be a lot poverty, that’s what led me to the examine of economics.”

Singh’s educational journey then took him to the celebrated Cambridge College within the UK, the place he earned a First Class Honours diploma in Economics in 1957. His thirst for data remained unquenched, and he continued his research at Oxford College.

At Nuffield Faculty in Oxford, Singh pursued a DPhil in Economics, additional sharpening his analytical skills.

Reflecting on his path to those Ivy League faculties, Singh recalled how, regardless of coming from a modest background, he managed to make it there. “I might have by no means afforded to go to Oxford or Cambridge on the idea of sources at my disposal. My mother and father couldn’t ship me, however I did effectively within the examinations in India, and subsequently I used to be capable of win a scholarship,” he shared with Rose.

He continued, “I did effectively in Cambridge, and Oxford College gave me a fellowship, in order that’s how I’m the product of the scholarship system.”

Additionally learn:
‘Historical past will probably be kinder to me’: How former PM Manmohan Singh’s phrases have come true

The blue turban has a Cambridge connection

Throughout a speech at Cambridge College just a few years in the past, Manmohan Singh revealed the story behind his iconic blue turban.

He recalled an incident in 2006 when Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and Chancellor of Cambridge, observed the distinct blue of his turban as he awarded Singh an honorary Doctorate of Regulation. “Have a look at the color of his turban,” the Duke remarked, which drew applause from the viewers.

It was then that Singh shared his private connection to the color. “Blue is one among my favourites and is usually seen on my head,” he mentioned, with a smile. He went on to elucidate that mild blue had at all times been a most popular hue for him, and it had turn out to be his signature fashion through the years.

Singh additional recalled how his Cambridge friends had affectionately nicknamed him “blue turban,” a reputation that stayed with him even after his educational journey concluded.

“My reminiscences of my days in Cambridge are deep,” he mentioned reflecting how the color of the turban turned a tribute to his alma mater and a reminder of the cherished reminiscences he holds from his time on the college.

Throughout his speech, Singh additionally took a second to say his esteemed professors, together with notable economists like Nicholas Kaldor, Joan Robinson, and Amartya Sen, who formed his mental journey.

“My lecturers and my friends in Cambridge taught me to be open to argument and to be fearless and lucid within the expression of 1’s opinions. These virtues and a relentless want to pursue mental reality had been inculcated in me at Cambridge,” Singh mentioned.

Additionally learn:
How Manmohan Singh turned India’s ‘unintentional PM’

Legacy of Manmohan Singh

After returning to India, Manmohan Singh shortly earned recognition for his experience in economics, securing key positions within the Congress authorities and worldwide organisations. His mind and imaginative and prescient paved the best way for his rise to the head of Indian politics, the place he ultimately turned the Prime Minister of India.

Singh’s legacy as Prime Minister is most strongly related to the sweeping financial reforms he championed.

Broadly thought to be the architect of India’s financial liberalisation within the Nineties, he performed a pivotal position in remodeling India from a closed, socialist economic system to an open, globally linked market.

Below his management, India embraced free-market reforms, slashing commerce limitations, attracting international funding, and privatising state-owned industries. These daring strikes helped propel India into one of many fastest-growing economies on this planet.

Along with his financial contributions, Singh launched social welfare packages, such because the Nationwide Rural Employment Assure Act (NREGA), which aimed to cut back poverty and enhance residing requirements in rural areas.

Whereas his financial insurance policies had been his hallmark, Singh labored to bolster India’s diplomatic ties. He strengthened
India’s relations with the US, improved ties with neighbouring nations, and enhanced India’s international standing.

With enter from businesses