Dr.Manmohansingh...PM

PM likes to give holidays a break
IANS
Published: December 30, 2007, 01:16

New Delhi: In a country where 52 official holidays a year don't raise eyebrows, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh keeps his tight schedule without taking even a day off.

Singh's aides say he crams in as much work even in his foreign trips and does not waste an extra minute during his official visits.

Public holidays are reserved for meeting people who have sought appointments.

Government officials have 17 gazetted and 35 optional holidays in a year but the prime minister has virtually worked non-stop since he took the office on May 22, 2004.

Unlike predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who used to vacation in the last week of December to celebrate the New Year, the 75-year-old Manmohan Singh prefers to catch up on his work instead at a time when most of his counterparts around the world are taking a well-needed break.

Mode of relaxation

"He does not take a break. He is always looking for work. I think his mode of relaxation is to work," said an aide, who did not wish to be named.

His aides describe him as a "workaholic". One personal aide, who has worked with many prime ministers before, was ready to vouch that no prime minister worked so late in the night as Manmohan Singh did.

Most of Manmohan Singh's overseas visits are strictly business-like, with hardly a breather in between scheduled appointments for sightseeing or even having a meal at a restaurant.

His visit to Russia in November was originally meant to be for three days but, some last-minute changes later, the trip spanned barely 30 hours.

The Prime Minister's Media Adviser Sanjaya Baru later explained that Singh had insisted that he wanted to be back in his office for work the next morning. "He didn't want to waste an extra working day by staying in Russia overnight," said Baru.

The prime minister's recent trip to Singapore and Uganda was another example of Manmohan Singh's business-like approach. Since he wanted to be in New Delhi to attend the parliament's winter session, he returned to the capital after attending the day-long Asean summit in Singapore. After an overnight stay in New Delhi, during which he attended the parliament session, he left for Uganda.

"It looks as though this is his nature or way of life," said an official who works with Manmohan Singh. "He prefers to work without a break."

Though he is a religious person, Manmohan Singh keeps himself busy with official duties even on important religious days. Sources say his family is also "tuned" in to his style of functioning.

Surgery

The only time he took off from his routine work was in September when he was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for undergoing a minor surgery of the prostate gland. "He was physically immobile, but was operating from his home office," said the official.

Vajpayee used to personally choose where to spend his New Year holidays. Manali appeared to be his favourite holiday destination after his term was over, but while in power he spent his New Year in Kumarakom (Kerala), Goa and in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Kumarakom has become well known for Vajpayee's "Kumarakom musings", his New Year thoughts for the nation that he penned while vacationing there in 2000.

Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had made the Andaman and Nicobar islands and Lakshadweep islands popular by holidaying there with his family. Ladakh and Kashmir also ranked high among his favourite holiday destinations.