On receiving news that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had passed away on Thursday night, His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote to his widow Gursharan Kaur to express his sadness on Friday.
“I will remember him in my prayers and offer my condolences to you and your family at this sad time," he wrote.
“Whenever we met over the years I deeply appreciated his concern and good counsel. I felt he was like an elder brother to me.
“Your husband was motivated by a strong wish to help others. He made a significant contribution to India's development and prosperity, especially its economic growth, improving the lot of the Indian people. He was also a good friend to the Tibetan people,” he wrote.
His Holiness ended his letter by saying, “We can rejoice that for 92 years he lived a truly meaningful life -- an inspiration to us all.”
The state funeral of the former PM is scheduled for Saturday, before which his body will be kept for public 'darshan' at the All India Congress Committee office in Delhi.
The cremation will take place near Rajghat in the afternoon, at a location where the last rites of Prime Ministers are performed.
Dr Manmohan Singh died at AIIMS, Delhi, on Thursday evening at the age of 92 due to age-related medical conditions. He had a sudden loss of consciousness at home after which he was rushed to AIIMS, Delhi.
Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday led the party in paying tributes to Manmohan Singh at his residence in Delhi.
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi placed a wreath on his body, which was wrapped in the tricolour, and offered prayers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and other prominent leaders also visited the former PM's residence and paid respects.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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