P. V. Narasimha Rao(June 28,1921 – December 23,2004) 9th Prime Minister of India during June 21,1991 – May16, 1996

P V Narasimha Rao ascended into Prime Ministerial office at a time when the India was stuck at its worst phase of economic turmoil. His keen foresight had initiated India to a path of liberalization, the ripples of which are felt by the country till date. Apart from being an astute politician, he was also a polyglot and a fond writer.

As we celebrate the 95th anniversary of the father of Indian economic reforms, here are a list of ten things you need to know about him:

1. Narasimha Rao was popularly called “modern day’s Chanakya” for being a visionary and steering in tough economic and political reforms at a time when India was going through one of the severest economic crises.

2. He could speak 9 Indian languages (Telegu, Hindi, Oriya, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Sanskrit, Tamil and Urdu) and 8 foreign languages ( English, French, Arabic, Spanish, German, Greek, Latin and Persian).
3. He was the first Prime Minister of India to have hailed from Andhra Pradesh (present day Telengana).
4. Under Rao’s governance, the Rupee was made convertible on trade account.
5. The idea of a nuclear test in India was first mooted by Narsimha Rao, though it was implemented by Atal Bihari Vyajpayee.
6. Rao played a vital role in the freedom struggle against the Nizam who ruled Hyderabad during the 1940s.
7. He along with his cousin, edited a Telegu weekly magazine called Kakatiya Patrika from 1948 to 1955.
8. A number of ministers across parties, including BJP leader Subramanian Swamy supperted Rao’s name for the Bharat Ratna.
9. He initiated the ‘look East’ policy. It was during his ternure that India first recognized and revived its links with South-East Asia.
10. Narasimha Rao was the first PM of India to lead a minority government for a full term.