Manmohan Singh was India’s economic freedom fighter

IT IS FITTING that Manmohan Singh, who unshackled Indian trade as the country’s finance minister, was the son of an importer. His father’s firm in Peshawar procured dry fruit and spices from Afghanistan. As a boy, Mr Singh would fill his pockets with raisins that classmates tried to steal. From an early age, he appreciated the fruits of international commerce.