Strictly Personal: Manmohan and Gursharan

by Daman Singh

'Clearing my throat, I announce that I havean idea for my next book. My mother smiles encouragingly. My father shows nosign of having heard. He is immersed in an editorial,no doubt another scathing comment on the state ofthe nation. Bravely, I continue. I say I am thinking ofwriting a book about them.' Strictly Manmohan and Gursharan is that book. In 2004, Manmohan Singh became prime minister of India. Over the next ten years he led the country through opportunities and challenges,not without some controversy. But this is not that story. This is the story of what went before, and it is told by his daughter Daman Singh. It charts the journey of a young boy growing up in undivided India, battling family hardship to pursue his dream of higher education, determining his intellectual and moral compass and learning to live life on his own terms. It is equally about Gursharan Kaur, the womanwith whom he made that life. Vivacious and talented Gursharan, the centre of the family and of the circle of friends they shared. And about their three daughters, Upinder, Daman and Amrit, growing up with aresilient mother and a workaholic father who stepped into the limelight. Based on conversations with her parents and hours spent in libraries and archives, this honest and affectionate memoir provides new insights into the former prime minister and his wife. Movingfrom Gah, Nowshera and Peshawar; through Amritsar, Patiala and Hoshiarpur; to Chandigarh, Cambridge and Oxford; then New York, Bombay and Geneva; and on to New Delhi, this intimate portrayal of two lives is also the history of a nation unfolding over half a century.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, India

531 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2014

About the author

Daman Singh is an Indian writer and daughter of Former Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh.

Reviews

[Rusha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manmohan Singh the man you were
Gursharan Singh the queen you are

[Binit Agrawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a creatively crafted biography that seamlessly integrates the narrative of Manmohan and Gursharan's journey with the history of their times. Through insightful interviews with her father and mother, Daman Singh provides a glimpse into India's economic policy-making since the 1970s. Surprisingly, the narrative is balanced, which is remarkable given its publication shortly after Manmohan Singh's tenure ended and he was still active within the Congress.

Daman, in her writing, and Manmohan Singh, in his interview responses, creatively crafted their critiques of the Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi eras, adding depth to the narrative.

Gursharan Kaur's life story enriches the book's narrative. Her experiences provide insights into the challenges of supporting a high-profile spouse and navigating a life marked by frequent relocations.

Daman's writing is lucid, conversational, and vivid, making "Strictly Personal" quite a satisfying read. I would certainly recommend anyone interested in getting a political (yet personal and fun) insight into Indian policy making in the 70s to the 90s, to get a copy.

This is a must read, particularly given the end of an era with PM Singh's demise. Often misunderstood and harshly judged by the media (both at the end of 1996 and then again in 2014), he was man of substance. Through a healthy mix of luck, upheavals, and political quirks, India had the fortune of having him preside as the finance minister and then as prime minister. It is unlikely there ever will be one like him anytime soon.

[Shivangi Yadav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs & Mr Manmohan Singh, stayed at 7 Race Course Road (The Prime Minster's residence) for a decade and despite that they still remain an elusive couple. Not much was known about their personal lives by masses, both choosing to stay largely inconspicuous despite the high profile nature of the PMs post.
This book changes that. Written by their daughter, the book is an insight into the man, the economist and the father that is Dr Singh and the backbone of the Singh household Gursharan.
A couple of things, if you are looking for salacious details about the reign of Dr Singh, this book is not for you. In fact the author does not touch his days as the Prime Minister as all.
What we do get is an unfettered access to the how the mild mannered MMS, who as a student travelled through riot torn colonies (at the time of Partition) to give his matriculation exams. Of a young man who cares for his step mother and lives in angst over not being able to fulfil a promise he made to her. Or of the scholar who overlooked immensely rewarding career opportunities to go work for the alma matter because they helped him complete his studies in UK.
In parallel we see Gursharan, pursuing her studies with not much stress and with a lot of flair.
What I really liked about the book was that even though she is the daughter, the author does not gloss over shortcomings of her parents. Especially how Dr Singh's inability to communicate with his children while he gets along fabulously with his grand kids.
The book took me a while to finish because it deals with a lot of economic concepts (which a noob like me) had to read twice or more to understand.
That apart this was one of the better biographies that I have read. Do read.

[Sameer · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't value something until something important is taken away from you. MMS as he was widely known, an amazing economist, intelligent human and far superior personality shows up in each aspect of this book.. from his working style, to the sacrifices , to the values and above all the way he took criticism and let time respond is just amazing.

I kept this book in the shelf all the for the last 2 years.. waiting to find the right time to read it and demonitazation, GST and the blunder caused by Shri Pradhan Sevak just forced me to read what we did not value.. MMS.

Daman Singh captured the side of MMS that never made the propoganda run by the political opponents of Congress, but this side of MMS is amazing. You can believe all that the "Ache Din" folks told you or you can just experience what he did and said....

I am sure everyone who has his hand on this book will enjoy it... No marketing, no propoganda, this book is REAL.

[Jibin Chavara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The notion that Manmohan Singh is such a gem of a person , which is again concreted in my mind by this book. From such a humble beginning , through handwork and dedication he attained everything in his life. Such a motivating figure for young people who wanted to be succeed in life through their dedication. In my opinion He should be awarded with the Greatest Civilian Honour “Bharath Ratna”, but i know the same political class where he unfortunately belongs they wont give him that. I am just repeating what he said “ The History will be kind to me than the contemporary media.”

[Archana Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book which truly gives a peek into the unknown life of Dr Manmohan Singh and his Wife. The focus on his personal life rather than his political career made this book a very interesting read.

[Anushuka Rathour · Rating 4 out of 5]

As goes the title, it is truly a personal account of Dr Manmohan Singh's life. If you looking to understand the person behind the Doctorate and the Prime Ministership, this is a good one.

[Chandrasekar Gokulanathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read really. But, the only thing which disappointed me was there was near to no information on Manmohan Singh during his tenure in PMO. May be the author wished to keep it that way.

[Sukanya Remesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a fangirl of the expert maneuvering of the political economy in '91, and keep trying to learn more through anything I can find.

This was the book that I was most excited to read out of the three biographies (Montek's, Mr. Rao's and Dr. Singh's).

But this book is not a real page turner. The parts that are set in the government and the parts that describe economics/economic terms were interesting. However, the parts that describe their everyday life, just feel like a set of interviews or drab diary entries with next to no flair in the writing.

I was delighted to read some of the snippets of Dr. Singh's speeches, but the book itself leaves a lot to be desired.

3 stars, but don't think I'll come back to this book to re-read anything but a few of Dr. Singhs's speeches and occasional quips.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

More relevant today than ever, this memoir presents a kind of prudence which is perhaps not evident in the halls of power in Delhi today. The careful consideration of a strictly personal life is helped along by the relationship between the author and the subjects of the book. There is a valiant attempt at steering clear of the politics, and that is somewhat successful. What gave me pause is the lack of acknowledgement that all pressures in the lives of the two subjects are coloured by the struggles, anxieties and pressures exerted by the functions emanating from the exercise of politics in the capital city and beyond.

[Teghbir Sandhu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the paperback edition. A very disappointing read. Felt like an ode to Manmohan Singh by his daughter, which might be justified too, as after all its written by a very close family member.

Somewhere I was looking for a critical assessment of Manmohan Singh's personality, which wasn't forthcoming. Nevertheless the book contained some interesting personal information, which was good to read about.

Should have been titled Strictly an Ode.

[Ujval Nanavati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely account of a life well lived. The advantage of having someone close to you write your biography (of sorts) is that you open up more than otherwise while the writer uses the right level of discretion.

A worthwhile and informative read, especially for those unfamiliar with the rich experience and contribution of MMS pre-2004 and even pre-1991.

[Nikhil Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by his daughter, this book is a rare account of the person of PM Dr. Manmohan Singh that is not colored by the caricatured version in the media.

Every person who made fun of his personality as PM should read this.

[Arvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the name suggests its a personal account of Dr. Manmohan Singh's life and his wife Gursharan Kaur's. It was a good read. The things that interested me most are about how Dr. Manmohan Singh dealt 1991 crisis and his professional life. Although there was not much about it.
3.5 *

[Tanveen Bhasin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, well I've come after quite sometime after finishing this book, to write a review. I read Dr APJ Abdul Kalam's Wings of Fire right after finishing this book.

My earlier review of the book was that it was straight, true and simple. Life story of a simple man, raised to the palladium of ultimate success and glory. It discussed about his childhood, his struggles, his family, his marriage and every and anything anyone could possibly want to know about him, but I felt a tinge of exasperation at the presence of the hardcore economics that gushed into the book in the form of his Thesis, his Policies as a civil servant etc, but still, this book was a big inspiration and an enchanting insight into the dreamy world of Cambridge and Oxford. I credit my dream to study infinitely, solely to this book, I don't know, but somehow this man has managed to push me onto the revered path of knowledge and education through his story.

Now talking about the only con that I had found in this book, i.e the moderate presence of economics in it, was too shunned, after I read Kalam's Wings of Fire which was a Handbook on Science, Rocketry and Indian Space Programme. Sometimes another thing lets you explore, understand, savour and appreciate the meaning of something else. And that is exactly what has happened to me, I have realised and understood this book's essence only after being thoroughly disappointed by some other book which of course shares the same genre of Biographies!!

[Navjot Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

When one educates his/ her children, the best way to pay back your parents is to highlight their achievements and their life struggle in your best way. Parents need love and attention rather than materialistic things. Daman Singh as a daughter of former Prime Minister has given wonderful and best gift to her parents. Strictly personal as name suggest is more about personal matters, marginally covering politics. It narrates the story how the boy from undivided India with combination of his parents money , scholarships and some borrowings became scholar, professor, Joined civil service and then Finance Minister and finally Prime Minister of India. Whenever opening up of economic and reduction of subsidies in India will be discussed , such discussion will be incomplete without reference to Dr. Manmohan Singh. I relished this book for 10 days, worth for book lovers.

[Jay Jani · Rating 2 out of 5]

As boring book as Manmohan's personality over the years has been.....Writer has done some terrific amount of research (particularly assuming Manmohan won't have spoken too much to her as well). But the book contains too many unnecessary details that hardly other than the family of writer would be interested. No startling facts just a few revelations that turn Manmohan into even more boring person.

If you are hoping to find some scintillating telltales, don't read this book. Don't expect them to come when the story revolves around Manmohan. It is indeed strange that even Manmohan's daughter can't portray him to be either a hero or a legend.

[Anuradha Goyal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed Review at http://www.anureviews.com/strictly-pe...

[shankha Dey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got inspired...

[Amit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written. Awesome tribute to ones parents.

[Nishit Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A loving tribute sincerely told.