Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh celebrates 77th birthday on board Aircraft

ON BOARD SPECIAL AIRCRAFT - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh celebrated his 77th birthday onboard special aircraft while returning from G20 Summit in Pittsburgh and heading to Geneva on Saturday.

National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Dr. Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur and daughter Amrit Singh were present in the cake-cutting ceremony.

The cake was later shared with other officials and the media delegation accompanying Dr. Singh on his tour.

On this occasion, Dr. Singh had a brief interaction with reporters during which he wished: “I pray to the God the He gives me strength to serve my country.”

Having completed a jet-setting schedule at G20 Summit, Dr. Singh looked exhausted on Saturday.

Earlier, a modest Dr. Singh said: “I could never pay the country’s debt which has elected me for the second term.”

As the Indian National Congress registered a thumping victory in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, under the leadership of Dr. Singh, he was reappointed as the Prime Minister of India on May 22, 2009.

It made him the first Indian Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term before this over 40 years ago.

Manmohan Singh was born to Sardar Gurmukh Singh and Amrit Kaur on September 26, 1932, in Gah, Punjab, (now in Chakwal District of Pakistan).

He lost his mother when he was very young. His paternal grandmother, to whom he was very close, raised Singh. He was a hard working student who studied under candlelight during school days, as his village did not have electricity.

After India’s partition, Singh migrated to Amritsar.

Singh married Gursharan Kaur in 1958 and has three daughters-Upinder, Daman and Amrit from it. By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)