Manmohan shared a special bond with Amritsar

Former PM Dr Manmohan Singh had a special place in his heart for the holy city of Amritsar. He was born at Gah, Punjab (now in Chakwal district of Pakistan), to Gurmukh Singh and Amrit Kaur on September 26, 1932.

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He got his earlier education at Khalsa School in Peshawar. He was 14 when his family migrated to Amritsar after the Partition in 1947. He lost his mother at a very young age and was raised by his grandmother.

Dr Singh completed his schooling in Amritsar and did his graduation in economics from Hindu College. His wife Gursharan Kaur also belongs to Amritsar. They have three daughters —Upinder Singh, Daman Singh and Amrit Singh.

His extended family consisted of six sisters and three half-brothers — Surinder Singh Kohli, Surjit Singh Kohli and Daljit Singh Kohli. Both Surjit and Daljit run a garment business in Amritsar. They also own a factory that manufactures auto parts.

Due to Dr Singh’s stature and his local connections, the Congress was inclined to field him in the parliamentary elections in 2009 and 2019. A concerted effort was made to convince him to contest the elections from Amritsar, but he refused both times, citing health reasons.

Though he paid many visits to the city, he seldom interacted with the media. He shared his feelings during an alumni meet of Hindu College, which he attended in March 2018, seven decades after getting his BA (honours) degree in 1948.

Dr Singh had then shared with the audience his experience as a student and disclosed that he was the first student of the college who was given a roll of honour. He had recalled with fondness the contribution of principal Sant Ram Grover, Prof Mast Ram Jain and Prof Jugal Kishore Trikha who taught him economics.

During his tenure as PM, Dr Singh flagged off “Punj-Aab” bus service from Amritsar to Nankana Sahib in March 2006, connecting two of the most revered shrines of the Sikhs. The bus service was later discontinued due to strained ties between the two nations.

Dr Singh always prioritised Amritsar when it came to development. The main elevated road project worth Rs 250 crore on the Amritsar-Jalandhar GT Road at the entry point, the lifeline of the city, was conceptualised by him.

He also took steps for upgrading facilities at Attari railway station to facilitate the bilateral trade with Pakistan and Afghanistan through the Attari-Wagah joint check post.

He also sanctioned Rs 72 crore to complete the Galliara Project around the Golden Temple. A centre of research on Guru Granth Sahib at GNDU was also set up during his tenure.