The steely JNU anecdote to an 8-page long resume: Why the late Manmohan Singh’s life is pure inspiration fuel

Former Prime Miner Manmohan Singh’s passing has come as a sorrowing blow to the country, just a few days before we welcome the new year. He was admitted to a hospital in Delhi due to deteriorating health, which is where he breathed his last on Thursday. Prime Miner Narendra Modi shared his condolences, calling Singh, one of India’s “most dinguished leaders”, characterised his “wisdom and humility”. But no amount of words, can actually manage to capture the full force of impact Singh’s long spanning career, first as a civil servant and then as a politician, has had in shaping India’s recent hory. Pure inspiration fuel: Manmohan Singh’s resume reflects the rationale behind the evergreen JNU episode(Photos: X) How many times have you sat at your desk, trying to craft the perfect approach for your resume so as to maximise first impressions for potential employers? Have you yourself, or anybody you know, managed to make it to a third page when ling down your achievements and dedications? Now imagine a professional life so full and well-lived that besides an undying legacy, you leave behind a resume spanning not 3, not 4, not even 5 but 8 long pages. Now coming back to us, the laymen — who hasn’t at one point or the other, layered in a little bit of fluff to add appeal to their resumes. We say guilty. But when you let your airtight work speak for yourself, you are likely to end up with the simplest resume of them all with no pretensions, just ream after ream of all that you have pursued, achieved and succeeded at — which is what the former PM’s resume is testament to. Simple, straight and uncomplicated, it is the perfect specimen, of all that one can attempt to achieve if they put their mind to it. The resume begins with his years at Panjab University leading to his labored trot to Cambridge for a Masters and eventually Oxford for a D. Phil. It is probably his extensive and rooted academic background which explains his resonance with the student demographic of India — we’re referring to the time he shielded the JNU students partaking in black flag protests against him, from punitive action. Despite being at the receiving end of the demonstrations back in 2005 during his campus visit to the institution, which of course sparked eventual action the university coupled with police intervention, he made a personal request to the Vice Chancellor at the time, BB Bhattacharya, asking for a lenient treatment of the students involved. During his JNU address Singh had also quoted Voltaire, saying, “I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it”; a handy anecdote if there ever was one, to understand the true essence of freedom of speech. Circling back to the resume, the section titled ‘Prizes and Awards’ runs almost 2 pages long and carries top-ranking honours like the Padma Vibhushan in 1987 and the Lokmanya Tilak in 1997. Honorary degrees of D.Litt from as many as 16 universities, in India and abroad, make up the next section which gives way to his illustrious — though the word pales in comparison to all that he was — professional life. A professor, a secretariat, an economic advisor, a governor (of the RBI mind you), a Rajya Sabha elect, the Finance Miner of the country, an opposition leader and finally, the Prime Miner of India — his professional journey sounds like that of a superhero’s and we aren’t far off with that analogy. Delegations and publications make up the remaining pages of his resume. And just to round it all off and leave you with a heavier heart than you are already nursing, Singh’s resume ends with: “S/o. Shri Gurmukh Singh Born on 26th September, 1932 Married in 1958 to Smt. Gursharan Kaur Have three daughters”. International comedian and actor Vir Das made a post earlier today which reads “Do yourself a favour and Google Dr Manmohan Singh’s resume. Read just the education section, then the whole thing. Awe-inspiring stuff”. We urge you to do the same.