Manmohan's ex-student is Nepal envoy
Durgesh Man Singh was one of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s favourite students nearly 40 years ago, reports Anirban Roy.
Durgesh Man Singh was one of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s favourite students nearly 40 years ago. He arrives in New Delhi next week as Nepal’s ambassador to India.
Manmohan Singh was teaching international trade at the Delhi School of Economics when Durgesh studied there in 1968-69. “He was my supervisor and I used to meet him everyday,” Durgesh told Hindustan Times. “Somehow I was much closer to him than to any of my other teachers.”
A doctorate in Economics, Durgesh, who reaches India on March 26, was earlier Nepal’s ambassador in Belgium. “I revived contact with Manmohan Singhji when I was in Delhi for my daughter's treatment two years ago,” he said. “We have been in touch since.”
The Nepali envoy said he would try his best to strengthen the centuries-old relationships between the two neighbours. “I am going to India with a special message from Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala,” he maintained. “Economic and development issues will mainly figure,” the envoy said, referring to his scheduled meeting with Manmohan Singh next week. He added that he would use quiet diplomacy to try and resolve the few contentious issues between India and Nepal — including the border dispute, the trade deficit and problems in the supply of petroleum products.
The new envoy hails from Nepal’s most politically active and respected family. His uncle, Ganesh Man Singh is considered the father of the pro-democracy movement in Nepal.
