New Delhi: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday, December 26, at All India Institue of Medical Sciences in Delhi. Dr Manmohan Singh, the two-time PM, was the 'architect' of India's 1991 economic reforms. However, very few people knew that all his Hindi speeches were written in Urdu.

Singh reportedly could not read and write in Hindi but could speak the language fluently. This was the reason why all his speeches which he delivered in Hindi were written in Urdu language. Some reports even claimed that Singh needed time to practice speeches in Hindi.

In 2018, Singh, during the launch of senior Congress leader Ashwani Kumar's book 'Ehsas-o-Izhar, called Urdu a symbol of 'Ganga-Jamni tehzeeb', reported PTI. Singh had also underlined that Urdu symbolised the syncretic culture of India and had appealed to all citizens of the country to make efforts so that the language could flourish.

The former PM was born on Sepetmber 26, 1932 in Punjab's Gah village in British Inida, now part of Pakistan.

Singh died at 9:51 PM on Thursday. The 92-year-old veteran leader was admitted to AIIMS Delhi due to age-related issues. According to reports, Singh was rushed to the hospital at around 8 PM after he lost consciousness.

"With profound grief, we inform the demise of former prime minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, aged 92. He was being treated for age-related medical conditions and had sudden loss of consciousness at home on 26th December 2024. Resuscitative measures were started immediatedly at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency at AIIMS, New Delhi at 8.06 PM. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9.51 PM," the hospital said in a statement.

After the news of his demise surfaced, tributes started pouring in from all sections of the society. Cutting across party lines, PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shaaha, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and other leaders expressed grief over Singh's death.

He will be cremated with full state honours on Saturday. The Centre announced a seven-day national mourning after Singh's death.