Manmohan Singh’s kin invite Merkel for inaugural memorial lecture

The family of late Manmohan Singh has approached former Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel to deliver the inaugural lecture in the memory of the former Prime Minister.

Dr Singh's family sources confirmed to The Tribune today that they had sent a formal request to the German politician to grace the maiden Manmohan Singh Memorial Lecture.

A formal acceptance is awaited, with the dates of the memorial event to be planned around the schedules proposed by Merkel.

"A lot of thought went into the decision behind finalising the dignitary to deliver the inaugural memorial lecture. Merkel was found to be the most suitable. A request has been sent to assess her convenience and availability. The event will be finalised depending on the response to the invitation," sources familiar with the development told The Tribune today.

Merkel served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She was the first woman to hold the office and the second longest-serving Chancellor in German history.

In 2022, she accepted the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award, saying the prize was in honour of the countless people who lent a hand when a large number of refugees arrived in Europe in 2015 and 2016.

On the front of Dr Manmohan Singh Memorial for which the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal site near Rajghat has been finalised, the family sources said they were still in the midst of a lot of issues and did not want to rush into anything.

"We want everything to be done in a proper way," said a family source.

After they consented to the site, which the Ministry of Urban Affairs had proposed for the memorial, the family of the late PM would need to set up a trust to which the land parcel will then be handed over for development of the memorial.

Dr Singh's family had consented to the site in March.

Dr Singh, the principal architect of economic reforms of 1991, died on December 26, 2024.