India's former PM Manmohan Singh cremated with state honours

NEW DELHI: The mortal remains of Manmohan Singh, the former Indian prime minister whose death has sparked outpourings of grief at home and accolades from abroad, was cremated on Saturday on the banks of the Yamuna River in New Delhi with full state honours.

The funeral was conducted in the Sikh tradition as priests chanted hymns, after Singh's body, draped in the Indian flag, was carried through the capital on a flower-decked carriage pulled by a ceremonial army truck.

The flag was removed and the body covered with a saffron cloth before it was placed on the pyre.

Since Singh died on Thursday at 92, many have taken up his comment near the end of his 10-year rule that "history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media".

He was referring to a perception of weak leadership as he headed a coalition government facing numerous charges of corruption, which was thrown out of office in the 2014 election won by his successor Narendra Modi.

Modi, who called Singh one of the nation's "most distinguished leaders" after his death, attended the funeral, along with President Droupadi Murmu and representatives of various countries. Modi's government has decided to allocate land for Singh's memorial.

Singh, considered the architect of India’s economic liberalisation, had criticised Modi's economic policies such as demonetisation and introducing a goods and services tax.

Singh is survived by his wife and three daughters.

Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi accompanied Singh's family on the truck to the Nigambodh Ghat cremation site after the procession from party headquarters in New Delhi, where people joined Congress party leaders and members to pay their last respects.

The leaders of the US, Canada, France, Sri Lanka, China and Pakistan were among those expressing grief at Singh's death and highlighting his international contributions.

Gandhi said he had lost "a mentor and guide", adding that Singh had "led India with immense wisdom and integrity".

US President Joe Biden called Singh a "true statesman", saying that he "charted pathbreaking progress that will continue to strengthen our nations — and the world — for generations to come".

Service to the nation

Born in 1932 in the mud-house village of Gah near Chakwal in what is now Pakistan and was then British-ruled Indian sub-continent, Singh studied economics to find a way to eradicate poverty in the vast nation.

He won scholarships to attend both Cambridge, where he obtained a first in economics, and Oxford, where he completed his doctorate.

Singh worked in a string of senior civil service posts, served as a central bank governor and also held various jobs with global agencies including the United Nations.

He was tapped in 1991 by then Congress prime minister PV Narasimha Rao to serve as finance minister and reel India back from the worst financial crisis in its modern history.

Though he had never held an elected post, he was declared the National Congress's candidate for the highest office in 2004.

In his first term, Singh steered the economy through a period of nine percent growth, lending India the international clout it had long sought.

He also sealed a landmark nuclear deal with the United States that he said would help India meet its growing energy needs.

President Droupadi Murmu said that Singh would "always be remembered for his service to the nation, his unblemished political life and his utmost humility".