An emblem for the India story

Born to a father who worked as a clerk and a mother who died young, Singh was representative of the post-Partition generation that yearned to leave behind the tragic communal carnage that followed Independence, and build a better future for their families. Singh chose education as his vehicle of mobility, worked hard and took the conventional way up the socioeconomic ladder. Singh rose through the academic world before joining government service and served as the deputy chief of the Planning Commission and the governor of the Reserve Bank of India. The scholar-turned-politician represented the zeal and impatience of a generation held back by the Licence-Permit Raj. When in one fell swoop, Singh unleashed the potential of the Indian market in June 1991, he also laid the foundation for the middle class. As the Indian economy entered the fast lane of the global highway and picked up pace, the political risks that the likes of Singh and then Prime Minister (PM) PV Narasimha Rao took were proven to be well worth their effort.

In his two terms as PM, Singh embraced the contradiction – he was a technocrat who gave importance to social protections; he green-lit both Aadhaar and the world’s largest rural jobs programme; he was a quiet internationalist who pushed for better India-US ties and even bet his government on the stance, but was also conscious about shielding India from the vagaries of the global economy; he championed economic growth and presided over a boom that created enormous wealth but was not blind to the lopsided nature of that growth. It is here that the limitations of Singh’s politics came to the fore. He represented the pitfalls of incremental progress and political compromises without structural changes. As corruption cases dented his government’s reputation and even corroded his personal appeal, Singh appeared reticent, unable or unwilling to make the drastic changes required to get his administration back on track. In his setbacks, Singh underlined that the India story needs constant attention and innovation, lest global vicissitudes and structural deficiencies derail it.

But more than anything, Singh represented the hope inherent in a country that established a Republic against all odds, pulled millions of people out of poverty and fed them when none thought it possible, and established a stable democracy tolerant of its multiple faiths, creeds and languages. His ascension suggested that by dint of hard work and integrity, the common man can make a difference. He embodied the transformative power of education. He wore the badge of secularism proudly, highlighting his Sikh heritage to argue that the constitutional promise of equality extended to all communities. And he showed that decency and civility are not weaknesses but strengths. That will be the legacy of India’s 14th prime minister — a man who tried to give every Indian the opportunity for a better life, even if he couldn’t always ensure it.