'I Could Never Afford Oxford And Cambridge': Why Manmohan Singh Called Himself A Product Of Scholarship System

Former PM Manmohan Singh, despite humble beginnings, excelled in his studies and went to Cambridge and Oxford Universities. He chose economics as his subject, to understand why India was poor.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh passed away on December 26, 2024.

Source : X/@RahulGandhi

Manmohan Singh Death: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away on December 26, was considered the "world’s most highly qualified head of government". A brilliant student from the beginning, Singh had managed to continue his studies despite all the odds his family faced after migrating to India following Partition in 1947. He was 15 years old then.  

After completing his education from Panjab University, he went to the University of Cambridge and then to Oxford University.

In an interview to American journalist Charlie Rose on his talk show in 2004, four months after he became the PM, Singh shared how he managed Cambridge and Oxford education despite being from a poor family with meagre means.

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My Parents Could Not Send Me To London: Manmohan

As Rose mentioned how Singh "grew up in meagre circumstances", the then PM recalled his humble past, growing up in a village — Napanja  — that became part of Pakistan after Partition.

"I was born in a village in west Punjab. I come from very poor agricultural families. Though I think the land holdings were very small, so many members of our family would go out in search of jobs outside the village," he said.

Singh went to a primary school in the village. He was surprised to hear from Charlie Rose that the school had still kept his records though it had been "more than 60 years". 

Asked how he managed to go to London for education at the University of Cambridge and then at Oxford University, the economist said it was a "tribute to our system of scholarships", without which it would not have been possible.  

"I could have never afforded to go to Oxford or Cambridge on the basis of resources at my disposal. My parents could not send me, but I did well in the examinations in India, and therefore I was able to win a scholarship," Singh recalled, adding that was how he went to Cambridge. He continued: "I did well in Cambridge, and Oxford University gave me a fellowship, so that's how I am the product of the scholarship system."

Rose called this "a meritocracy", and Singh agreed, but asserted that he also considered himself "very fortunate, because not all people get these chances". 

What Drew Manmohan Singh To Economics

Speaking to Rose, Singh also shared why he chose economics as his subject.

"...right from the beginning, as a thinking student of 15, 16 years ago, I was troubled by the grim poverty that I saw around me," he said. Talking about Minoo Masani's 'Our India', which he read in school, Singh recalled: "...the first sentence in that book was, 'one man in every five is an Indian'. And yet it concluded India happens to be a rich country inhabited by very poor people. To understand factors, why India is such a poor country, why there is so much misery, why there is so much poverty, that is what led me to the study of economics."

Asked what would he do now that he has become the PM and has the "capacity to change history", Singh acknowledged that the position gave him "a great opportunity", and that he "always regarded public office as private education at public expense".