Manmohan was brilliant in college: Bhandari

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">HOSHIARPUR: "<span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Aane Wali Naslen tumpar fakkar karengi hum isroh, jab unko yeh dhyan aayega ki tumne Firak</span> (poet) <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">ko dekha tha</span>" (future generations will take pride in you thinking that you had intimacy with Manmohan Singh).<br /><br />This is how principal S P Bhandari chose to respond by reciting couplets of famous Pakistani poet Firak when asked to comment about his old college mate Manmohan Singh, Prime minister in waiting. An elated principal Bhandari who runs a kindergarten school in the city, told TNN at his residence that Manmohan was an unassuming and a brilliant boy while in college.<br /><br />"Manmohan''s other close friends were Pritam Singh Bhinder, husband of former MP Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder, B N Goswami and Prof M L Bhanot," Bhandari said.<br /><br />Principal Bhandari while recalling his days with Manmohan Singh who completed his post graduation in Economics from the Punjab University College Hoshiarpur and later taught as a lecturer for six months, said he and Manmohan Singh were contemporaries in College though principal Bhandari was doing masters in English in 1954-55. <br /><br />Principal Bhandari while pointing out towards the street across said that the Punjab University College hostel was right across where Manmohan used to stay. And what was Manmohan like as a young boy. Bhandari replies "We use to talk the same way as young boys are supposed to". Memaan... Shameaan, especially after he visited Hoshiarpur after completing his PHD from Cambridge.<br /><br />Principal Bhandari has not remained in touch with Manmohan Singh though.<br /><br />Bhandari says, "After he became the finance minister, I thought he would be very busy." But Bhandari now wants to meet Manmohan and congratulate him in his moment of glory. "Friends always thought that he would become a bureaucrat but becoming the Prime Minister of India, one could never imagine sixty years back," Bhandari said.</div> </div>