ACADEMIC RECORD

1962 D Phil, Nuffield College,
University of Oxford 
1957 Economic Tripos [First Class honours], University of Cambridge
1954 MA Economics, Panjab University – First Class, first position in the University
1952 BA Economics (Hons.), Panjab University – Second Class with first
position in the University
1950 Intermediate, Panjab University – First Class with first position in the University
1948 Matriculation, Panjab University – First class

SELECT POSITIONS HELD

May 22, 2004 – till date:
Prime Minister of India

March 21, 1998 – May 22,2004:
Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha

June 21, 1991 – May 15, 1996:
Finance Minister of India

March 1991-June 1991: Chairman,
University Grants Commission

December 1990 – March 1991:
Advisor to Prime Minister of India on Economic Affairs

August 1987 – November 1990:
Secretary General and Commissioner, South-South Commission

January 1985 – July 1987:
Dy. Chairman, Planning Commission of India

September 1982 – January 1985: Governor,
Reserve Bank of India

November 1976 – April 1980:
Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Dept. of Economic Affairs, Government of India

1972 – 1976 :Chief Economic Advisor,
Ministry of Finance, India

1971 – 1972 Economic Advisor, Ministry
of Foreign Trade, India

1969 – 1971 Professor of International Trade, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University, India

1966 – 1969 UNCTAD, Chief, Financing
for Trade Section

1963 – 1965 Professor of Economics,
Panjab University

1959-63 Reader in Economics 1957-59:, Panjab University

SELECT HONOURS AND AWARDS

1999 Fellow of the National Academy of
Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi.

1996 Honorary Professor, Delhi School
of Economics, University of Delhi

1995 Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award of the Indian Science Congress Association for 1994-95

1994 Elected Distinguished Fellow, London School of Economics, Centre for Asia Economy, Politics and Society

1994 Elected Honorary Fellow, Nuffield
College, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K.

1994 Honorary Fellow,
All India Management Association

1987 Padma Vibhushan Award by the
President of India

1986 National Fellow, National Institute
of Education, N.C.E.R.T.

1982 Elected Honorary Fellow, St. John’s
College, Cambridge,

1982 Elected Honorary Fellow, Indian
Institute of Bankers

1976 Honorary Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

1957 Elected Wrenbury Scholar, University
of Cambridge, UK

1955 Awarded Wright’s Prize for
distinguished performance 

1956 Awarded Adam Smith Prize,
University of Cambridge, UK

1954 Uttar Chand Kapur Medal, Panjab University, for standing first
in MA (Economics), Panjab University, Chandigarh

1952 University Medal for standing First in BA Hons.(Economics),
Panjab University, Chandigarh

HONORARY DOCTORAL DEGREES

Nuffield College, Oxford 
Panjab University, Chandigarh

Delhi University, Delhi
University of Bologna, Italy
Osmania University, Hyderabad 

University of Roorkee, Roorkee  
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
 

Prof. Singh teaches Ancient Indian History at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Delhi. In a chat with Bharti M Borah, she shares her experience of growing up as the daughter of Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Q. Was academics an important part of growing up?
A. Definitely, we grew up in a house filled with books. A good education, extensive reading and academics was a large part of growing up for all of us. Doing well in academics was emphasised, along with being independent thinkers and decision makers.

Q. How did your family react to your career decision?
A. Ancient Indian History has always fascinated me, it was a very instinctive decision for me. We were always given advice by our parents, but making a decision was in our hands. We were given the independence to make decisions, but not without taking full responsibility for our decisions in life.  
 
Q. What do you admire most about your father?
A. He is very meticulous, works very, very, hard. That has rubbed off on all of us; whatever we pursued throughout our lives was done very meticulously.

Q. What is one work habit you would like your father to avoid?
A. I wish he would relax a bit more. He is so committed to his work and says it works as a relaxation. But I wish he would take time off, take a break and just relax. But I guess that is difficult to do because of his responsibilities as a public servant.

Q. Among his four roles as a teacher, a researcher, a policy maker and now a law giver, which one do you think he is best suited for?
A. He combines all facets of the four roles he has played in his career into the work he is currently doing. But he does say, “I’ve lost touch with academics. I am an accidental politician.” His intellectual orientation does seep into whichever role he is in terms of work. But, especially in the field of economics, he has a tremendous grasp of the subject due to his academic orientation, something that helps him in the ability to adjust to all the different roles he has played in his career.

Q. What is a life lesson that you have learned from your father?
A. You really have to stand on your own feet, whatever you make of yourself should be yours. None of us took any privilege of his official capacity. The office car was not available to us to the bus stop, he was very strict about it. Personal and official matters were never merged. My father had his share of difficulties while growing up and none of his children ever developed the taste for a luxurious life. Both, my mother and father, always emphasised being responsible for our own needs from childhood. Money, power and position, have never been important to any of us. We all learned to do things ourselves and not rely on help from others.

Q. What about your father’s love for Urdu poetry? One of his classmates said his favourite at that time was Abhi Toh Main Jawan Hu.
A. Really, I never knew that was a number he liked. He does love Urdu poetry, he especially likes the poetry of Bahadur Shah Zafar, classical music and ghazals. He does take time out and listen to music in the mornings.  He’s an early riser, a quality that I have also imbibed.