From UN delegate to PM: A six-decade view of Manmohan Singh

Singh died on Thursday at the age of 92, triggering an outpouring of grief and tributes from the world over, including his political opponents.

Few can claim to have witnessed former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s journey from a young UN delegate to India’s top office as close as Inderjit Singh Chadha, former Indian Foreign Service officer and ambassador, did with an association that spans nearly six decades.

Manmohan Singh (AP)

Just months older than Singh, Chadha first met him in 1965 at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. “When I arrived in New York, Manmohan Singh was just a junior officer there while I was India’s delegate,” recalled Chadha, now settled in Chandigarh’s Sector 36. “This is from where he started his international career.”

Their friendship, maintained through occasional meetings and frequent phone calls, gave Chadha a unique window into Singh’s most challenging moments. Perhaps none more turbulent than 2013, when Rahul Gandhi publicly dismissed an ordinance drafted by Singh’s government as “nonsense.”

“Singh had called me after this incident. He was very upset and wanted to resign,” Chadha revealed. “His family also wanted him to resign at that time, but I counselled him to stand up and assert himself as he had unfinished business.”

The position of being Singh’s confidant wasn’t always easy. “I had to defend him against all my friends and family members who believed he should have resigned in his second term,” said Chadha. “I told people you don’t see what I see. He has so much potential. Because of him, Barack Obama said when he speaks, everyone listens.”

Singh died on Thursday at the age of 92 after battling age-related illness, triggering an outpouring of grief and tributes from the world over, including his political opponents.

Singh’s legendary modesty, Chadha noted, was evident even at the height of his power. “Even as prime minister, whenever I had gone to meet him at his Delhi residence, he would personally come outside to drop me till my car.”

The former PM’s connection to Panjab University, where he once taught economics, left an indelible mark. Professor HS Shergill, now professor emeritus, remembers a young Singh commanding extraordinary respect. “When Singh passed through the passageways of the department, everyone would fall silent. He never brought attendance registers to class - everyone would be present to listen to him speak.”

This attachment to academia persisted through his political career. In 2018, despite ill health, Singh returned to deliver the inaugural Prof SB Rangnekar Memorial Oration. Former Vice Chancellor Arun Kumar Grover recalled: “Singh really had no obligation to come but he took the initiative. He said he didn’t want to interact with anyone but only wanted to speak with students.”

Just a week before Singh breathed his last, Chadha said the two had spoken briefly and noted that his old friend appeared unwell. Yet Singh’s concern for others remained unchanged - he had recently video-called to inquire about Chadha’s wife, who suffered a stroke two years ago.