New Delhi
30 May 2008
It was an emotional reunion for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his
childhood friend Raja Mohammed Ali from Pakistan. They met here after nearly six
decades.
Mr Ali is a native of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's ancestral Gah village in
Pakistan's Punjab province. He was the Prime Minister's classmate and childhood
friend.
"Bachpan ki yaadein taaza ho gayeen (childhood memories came alive)," Mr Ali said in a
telephonic conversation with this newspaper on Friday evening. The Prime Minister and
Ali hugged each other warmly and chatted for some time. "He was very happy to meet
me after so many years," Mr Ali said about his meeting with the Prime Minister, whom he
affectionately refers as "Mohna". "We talked about the primary school we went to in our
village Gah. I also had gup shup with Bhabhi (Mrs Gursharan Kaur, the Prime Minister's
wife)," Mr Ali recalled.
The school in which they studied has since been renamed as Manmohan Singh High
School.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was born on September 26, 1932, at Gah village. At the
time of Partition, the Prime Minister, then aged 13, came to live with his parents in
Amritsar.
The childhood friends didn't forget to exchange gifts. The Prime Minister gifted Mr Ali a
turban, a set of watches and a shawl. Ali, in turn, had brought a photo of Gah village and
a 100-year-old shawl for the Prime Minister and two embroidered salwar kameez suits
for Mrs Gursharan Kaur.
"I hope to visit Ambala to visit another old friend from my village. I also intend to go to
Ajmer Sharief," Mr Ali said. He invited the Prime Minister to visit their village. "Inshallah,
we will meet again ... in our village," Mr Ali added. The Prime Minister is expected to
visit Pakistan later this year.
Mr Ali, who is accompanied by his nephew Mehmud Ali, were to stay on their own in New
Delhi but the Prime Minister arranged an accommodation for them.
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