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As we were lighting and setting up our 2-camera unit for the interview, Dr. Singh, after welcoming us with a warm smile, began pacing up and down his cavernous office. His impatience was evident. Then suddenly he started whistling. Yes, walking up and down the room, loud steps, loud whistles, up and down, up and down. I winked at our cameraman for recording that unusual scene. And he did. Dr. Singh was not playing any popular tune, at least I could not identify it. Just a loud, accompanying whistle to accompany his brisk steps. I’m sure that remarkable piece of video footage lies in an archive somewhere, but it remains very clearly etched in my mind. Well, finally we agreed and Dr. Saheb sat down to explain in detail about the economic tsunami he had created. After that interview, it became a ritual where I would talk to him after every Budget speech, year after year.
Go back to May 2004. India was in the midst of a general election, which was widely seen as a challenge to incumbent Prime Minister Vajpayee. Dr. Singh, who was then the leader of the opposition, agreed to give an interview early in the morning, sitting in the garden of his Tughlaq Road residence.
It was almost derailed by his over-estimated wife, who was angry with Dr. Singh for “doing too much work” while he was slightly under the weather. But as we sat under the shade of a huge tree he sent deliciously hot cups of tea and biscuits. Dr. Singh quietly walked out, shook my hand (his handshake was a feather in the cap for such a staunch reformer), and we began the interview, both confident that Dr. Singh would continue his tenure in the opposition.
Imagine my – and I’m sure their – disbelief when the Congress delivered a crushing defeat to the over-confident BJP to form the government. And when an even bigger blow came from Sonia Gandhi, who nominated Dr. Saheb as the 13th Prime Minister of India, I rejoiced. Because in the times before social media, my regular conversation with him had suddenly become a “viral phenomenon”. Clips from that interview were played over and over again for almost a week, as CNBC-TV18 (then our channel) celebrated its “lucky scoop” with the new Prime Minister!
I may be in the minority, but I believe Dr. Manmohan Singh’s 10-year tenure at the top was fundamental, transformative. In contrast to the half-hearted commentary (so fashionable at present), his tenure was extremely successful.
It was such a heady time that I wrote my first book on an enthusiastic impulse: Superpowers? The amazing race between the rabbit of China and the tortoise of India. I was happy when Dr. Singh agreed to meet me. I proudly grabbed a copy at Race Course Road and presented it to him (I have a photo to prove it!). “Oh Mr. Bahl, I didn’t know you were a China expert?” “No sir, not an expert. But I was always curious to know how China created its economic miracle. And since I’ve followed the reforms you initiated in depth here, I thought it was important to educate myself on how China did it, so I can compare the two stories. “That’s how I got this somewhat amateurish, spontaneous piece.”
“Oh no, I’m sure your studies are pretty solid. I promise to read it”. I’m sure he never found the time, but he was always very kind to me.
