The record lies with first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru who did the honours 17 times from 1947 to 1964.
Nitin Desai, who has known Dr Singh from 1971, extends his 'deepest condolences to his wife Gurcharan Kaur and to his three talented daughters Upinder, the historian; Daman, the writer; and Amrit, the human rights activist.'
What stood out in his 15-year journey as a member of the political executive at the Centre was his glowing record as India's most successful and effective finance minister. Both as prime minister and finance minister, he understood the importance of gradualism, except when the economy or the polity was in a crisis.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to create history when she presents her seventh straight Budget on Tuesday for the fiscal 2024-25, surpassing the record of former prime minister Morarji Desai. Sitharaman, who will turn 65 next month, was in 2019 appointed as India's first full-time woman finance minister when Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a decisive second term.
Perhaps because the Modi government had some differences of opinion with two of the economist governors (one of whom was appointed by the Manmohan Singh government), there is a view that its political leadership prefers a civil servant to head the RBI, notes A K Bhattacharya.
Kangana Ranaut's decline as an actor feels complete, observes Utkarsh Mishra.
'Writers are always nervous.' 'If you go to a party, you will notice that the writers are always in a corner of the party, looking anxious, sweating and tense about something or the other.' 'I am that kind of person.'
Bunty Aur Babli turns 15 while Amar Akbar Anthony turns 43.
Mithun Chakraborty started from scratch in bit roles and had no Godfather backing him. Yet, remarkably, his career now straddles six decades and he continues to win acclaim, observes Dinesh Raheja.
Brinda examines some alarming aspects of religious fanaticism through the narrative engine of a well-oiled serial killer mystery, observes Arjun Menon.
'I was sure Amar Akbar Anthony would flop.'
A look at the top tweets from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
From melodrama to mockery (remember Amar and Prem's phony separated-at-Kumbh Mela reunion in a gag of Andaz Apna Apna?), there are numerous instances of its presence.
If you think Bollywood's kitschy overkill from the 1980s is stuff of throwback terror, wait till the big, bad, bold fashion of the 1970s is unleashed upon you.
Forty four years after Mohammed Rafi's untimely demise on July 31, 1980, at the young age of 55, the singer's work continues to enjoy a musical afterlife on radio, television and modern streaming channels.
His Bhoothnath might not have done well at the box office inspite of big names like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. But that hasn't deterred director Vivek Sharma from making his next -- Kal Kisne Dekha, starring newcomers Jaccky Bhagnani (producer Vashu Bhagnani's son) and Vaishali Desai (filmmaker Manmohan Desai's grand-niece).
The interim panel headed by him would take the place of the Congress Working Committee, the apex decision-making body, till a new CWC is formed after Kharge's election is ratified at the party plenary.
The Emergency came as a surprise to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who saw an atmosphere of fear in the country during which there were many "arbitrary arrests and detentions", says a new book on him by his daughter.
Emotions ran high during the star-studded music launch of the Deol's upcoming movie, Yamla Pagla Deewana.
Call it cinematic liberty, wild imagination or continuity lapses, these slips are hard to miss and harder to digest.
'Salman wanted to do the interview properly. That's why he was nervous, you know, that dad should be happy.'
'I would rather focus on the good rather than what didn't happen.'
Sukanya Verma looks at the coolest endorsers of bell bottoms in Bollywood.
The film will be directed by Manish Jain, and will star Bhojpuri heavyweights.
Indian-origin economist Lord Meghnad Desai has said India will get a more 'decisive leadership' in Narendra Modi if he takes over as the new prime minister after the general elections next month. Lord Desai endorsed the Gujarat chief minister's credentials for the country's top job.
Other ministers who have presented five straight annual financial statements include Arun Jaitley, P Chidambaram, Yashwant Sinha, Manmohan Singh and Morarji Desai.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her sixth straight Budget ahead of the Parliamentary elections, matching the record of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai. Sitharaman in her pre-election Budget, which technically is a vote on account and popularly termed an interim Budget, will seek Parliament's nod for a grant in advance to meet the central government's essential expenditure for the first four months of the new fiscal year that starts in April. A new government elected after the April/May general elections will present the full Budget, likely in July.
Farah Khan brings Bollywood together for a truly spectacular song.
The finance minister continues to be backed by the same policy team in charting out the broad strategy as in the few earlier Budgets.
'I'm talking about that predator in your house, and how one should protect one's children from him.'
Pranab Mukherjee's stewardship of the economy will stand out as much for the manner in which he managed controversies as for creating quite a few of them, says A K Bhattacharya.
At the age of seven Shahazadi was kidnapped from Mariahun village in Uttar Pradesh. Now, 29 years, she is back in her native village with a Swiss husband to boot.
'Laxmi and I firmly believed that while working, the egoistic word 'Main (I)' never interferes.'
'Laxmi was insistent that our homes should never have name-plates, because the name Laxmikant-Pyarelal should never be separated!'
Sixty-eight Rajya Sabha members, including nine Union ministers, are completing their tenure this year, triggering a race of sorts among leaders across political parties to eye a six-year term in the Upper House of Parliament.
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