(This article was first published on 20 September 2019 and has been republished from The Quint's archives to mark Dr Manmohan Singh's 90th birthday on 26 September 2022.)
In 1991, India was far from being an economic superpower. Foreign exchange to cover just three weeks of imports, gold pledged to take loans, political instability with Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination: India was facing an economic and a political crisis. How did the battle to save India’s economy unfold?
Chapter 1: ‘Sir, Who Are You Representing?’
![How did 1991 reforms, led by the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, unfold?](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2019-09%2F98b8bdfb-ce0f-4ad5-a66a-8dc00e1006c3%2F1new.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
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![How did 1991 reforms, led by the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, unfold?](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2019-09%2F47a13708-6d24-4eb4-b4b3-1a0aea383542%2F1.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![How did 1991 reforms, led by the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, unfold?](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2019-09%2F9c7d5e17-d896-49ec-8ca5-ad6ee3ce5b3a%2F2.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
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![How did 1991 reforms, led by the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, unfold?](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2019-09%2F08b93609-68dc-4fb4-b547-c8afe0f83e5d%2F4.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
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Chapter 2: ‘Suddenly, There Was An Explosion’
![How did 1991 reforms, led by the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, unfold?](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2019-09%2Fbac7134d-3110-408d-b751-7d202eed237a%2F5.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
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Chapter 3: A New Prime Minister & An Unfinished Lunch
![How did 1991 reforms, led by the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, unfold?](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2019-09%2F1d3efa92-bdd3-4018-8232-b39374bad4b7%2Fsudden_urgent.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![How did 1991 reforms, led by the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, unfold?](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2019-09%2F93825dcb-1bd9-4ef0-9c05-a8f4d453f5e7%2F7.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
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Chapter 4: The Month Which Changed India
![How did 1991 reforms, led by the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, unfold?](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2019-09%2F25665bb9-c85e-4523-b5fc-99119effc77b%2Ffgfg.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![How did 1991 reforms, led by the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, unfold?](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2019-09%2F51c5b1b0-0e2f-488d-8a17-60c8ab4c1dc0%2F8__2_.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
![How did 1991 reforms, led by the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, unfold?](https://images.thequint.com/thequint%2F2019-09%2F058e7ab5-9c16-4be7-b29e-383ab321e511%2FSHRUTI.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
(Sources cited: India After Gandhi by Ramchandra Guha, The Hindu, India Today, Livemint, Businessworld)
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Topics: India Manmohan Singh Rajiv Gandhi
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