Subscribe

0

News

Life Beyond Politics: Know About Former PM Manmohan Singh's Family

India's former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh passed away due to age-related ailments aged 92, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi said.

author-image
Tanya Savkoor
Updated On
New Update
manmohan singh family

Manmohan Singh and family | Image: Strictly Personal by Daman Singh

Manmohan Singh, India's former Prime Minister, passed away on December 26 from age-related medical conditions at 92, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi said in a statement. "With profound grief, we inform the demise of former Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, aged 92. He was being treated for age-related medical conditions and had a sudden loss of consciousness at home on 26 December 2024," AIIMS wrote.

Advertisment

The institute added, "Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the medical emergency at AIIMS, New Delhi at 8.06 pm. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9.51 pm."

According to reports, Manmohan Singh had been in poor health for the last few months.

The government has declared a seven-day state mourning, lasting until January 1, 2025. During this period, the National Flag will be flown at half-mast across India and at all Indian missions and embassies abroad. Dr. Singh will receive a state funeral, and a half-day holiday will be observed in all Central Government offices and CPSUs on the day of the funeral.

One Of India's Longest-Serving Leaders

Manmohan Singh was India's Prime Minister for two consecutive terms from 2004 to 2014, being the fourth longest-serving leader of India. He was the first Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term. He was also the first Sikh leader to become PM of India.

Singh was born in Gah in present-day Pakistan. His family migrated to India during the partition in 1947. He pursued Economics at the University of Oxford and worked for the United Nations from 1966 to 1969. He began his bureaucratic career as an advisor in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Advertisment

Singh became India's Finance Minister in 1991 during former PM PV Narasimha Rao's term. He is regarded as the brainchild of economic reforms that liberalised India's economy and averted major crises. He was leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, 1998–2004. 

Manmohan Singh's Family

Manmohan Singh is survived by his wife, Gursharan Kaur Kohli, and three daughters, Daman, Upinder, and Amrit. According to reports, Kaur is a professor of history at Delhi University. She is also the author of six books, including Ancient Delhi (1999) and A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India (2008).

Gursharan Kaur was born in Punjab, British India, in 1937 as the youngest of seven siblings; she has four sisters and two brothers. According to reports, her father was an engineer and her mother was a homemaker. She is known for her soulful musical prowess as a Kirtan singer on Jalandhar Radio.

manmohan singh and wife gursharan kaur
Manmohan Singh and Gursharan Kaur | Image: ANI

Kaur and Manmohan Singh got married in 1958 and had their first daughter in 1959. Their eldest child, Upinder Singh (65) is also a historian and a professor of History and Dean of Faculty at Ashoka University, Haryana. She has also taught at Delhi University. Upinder has received numerous accolades.

Advertisment

The second daughter, Daman Singh (61), is a writer. She has authored numerous books including Strictly Personal: Manmohan and Gursharan (2014), an account of her parents' lives beyond politics. She is married to IPS Ashok Patnaik, the former CEO of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) of India.

The youngest daughter Amrit Singh (55), is a lawyer practising in the USA. She is a human rights lawyer working for the Open Society Justice Initiative Program. According to reports, Amrit has pursued her education at prestigious institutions -- Yale University, Yale Law School, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge.

Tributes For Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who succeeded Manmohan Singh, wrote in a statement on X, "India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr Manmohan Singh ji. Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist... As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people's lives."

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim paid a heartfelt tribute to Manmohan Singh on Friday, recalling how the former Indian leader had offered scholarships for his children while he was imprisoned.

 

Advertisment
Manmohan Singh Gursharan Kaur Kohli Indian Prime Minister