In 1962, Jawaharlal Nehru personally invited Singh to take a government position, but he refused, opting to pursue his teaching career in Amritsar. The division of India in 1947 compelled his family to relocate to Amritsar, where they began their lives afresh. Singh was only 14 then. Although Singh was fluent in Hindi, he favoured having his speeches composed in Urdu, showcasing his skill and ease with the language. Four high-ranking officials rose to the position of finance minister, such as Singh, H.M. Patel, C.D. Deshmukh, and Yashwant Sinha.
Singh is part of a unique set of four finance ministers who eventually became prime ministers, alongside Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, and V.P. Singh. Singh's routine of tuning into BBC news each morning became crucial during the 2004 tsunami crisis, allowing him to react quickly to the catastrophe. Among the governors of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), two went on to serve as finance ministers—Manmohan Singh and C.D. Deshmukh.
