Manmohan Singh as talent spotter

Among the many tributes that have been paid to Dr Manmohan Singh, this one focuses on his ability to spot and nurture talent.

Among the many bright people Singh brought into or promoted in government were: C Rangarajan, Y V Reddy, MS Ahluwallia, Rakesh Mohan, Shankar Acharya, Jairam Ramesh, Nitin Desai, Arvind Virmani, Bimal Jalan, Vijay Joshi, Raghuram Rajan and Urjit Patel. Building leaders for the future is one of the principal task of a leader. It can be said that Dr Singh performed this role in an exemplary manner.

There is also a rousing tribute from Martin Wolf in the FT:

Singh achieved what he did because he was a special man at a special time. Ultimately, however, technocrats only succeed if those with power trust them with it. India benefited from the fact that people with power were willing to trust him to use it well at critical moments. He, in turn, provided something that today’s populists increasingly despise: knowledge, wisdom and experience. He also knew the importance of brilliant colleagues. A recent paper from the Mercatus Center describes him as “India’s finest talent scout”. In some quarters today, all this would condemn him as an embodiment of the “deep state”. That is because these people lack belief in the ideal of public service. Singh did believe in it. He believed, too, in a thriving democracy. Indeed, he thought India could not survive without one. The economically dynamic India of today is his legacy. So, too, is his example of service to the cause of a prosperous India in harmony with the world.