Dr Manmohan Singh was my neighbour in Bombay [now known as Mumbai] when he was head of the Reserve Bank of India.

My house on 5, Carmichael Road, is next to the RBI governor's bungalow. 

I did not know him personally.

However, I knew his [youngest] daughter Amrit [she now works with the American Civil Liberties Union in New York and is reportedly in India at the moment], who was in Cathedral School with me.

It was from her that I gathered their family was extremely upright and conservative.

My best wishes to our new prime minister!

Alok Aggarwal
Managing director
Kwality Developers Ltd
Mumbai

A frank, honest answer

I met Dr Manmohan Singh at the All India Management Association's 27th National Management Convention.

The convention, which focused on the theme India Can Do It, was held between September 14-16, 2000, at the Nehru Centre in Mumbai.

During a break between sessions, I asked him whether it was viable to give free power to farmers.

This is what our then Opposition leader, Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy [now chief minister of Andhra Pradesh] had promised the farmers in his 1999 election campaign. It was a campaign that he lost.

Dr Singh said it was a promise that was difficult to implement.

Now, I have the satisfaction of knowing I have spoken to the country's prime minister on a one-to-one basis!

Dr Lanka Krishnanand
Assistant professor
Mechanical Engineering Department
National Institute of Technology
Warangal, Andhra Pradesh

A helping hand

I met Dr Manmohan Singh in 1996.

He was a member of the Rajya Sabha and I was the general secretary of the Assam Engineering College Student's Union.

He gave us a grant of Rs 10 lakhs from his MP's local area development fund so that we could construct a gymnasium-cum-indoor stadium in our college.

He even laid the foundation stone.

The project was completed in 1997.

I am really grateful to him for his valuable contribution.

I want to use this opportunity to offer my heartiest congratulations to the next prime minister of India.

Deba Kumar Mahanta
Ex-general secretary
Assam Engineering College Student's Union
Guwahati

A smooth term for Dr Singh

Dr Manmohan Singh is a great man.

I am very happy that he has been nominated prime minister.

He was the chief guest at a convocation ceremony at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. I was then a Ph D student there.

I enjoyed his convocation address.

I have great respect to him.

I sincerely wish he will be able to complete his term as prime minister without any trouble.

Velu Subramani, PhD
The Energy Institute
Pennsylvania State University

Have you met Dr Manmohan Singh? Share your experience with us.