Dad believes in the power of discussions: Daman Singh

Author and daughter of former Indian Prime Minister Daman Singh said today that her father strongly believed in discussions and debates to resolve any matter.
"Since his college days, my father has strongly believed in discussions and debates. He has been a very open minded person. I believe that he does not shy away from criticism but there should be a distinction made between personal attack and criticism," Daman said here.
She said this at the India Non Fiction Festival, where she was participating in a panel discussion titled "Observe, Aspire, Be inspired."
Daman who has penned "Strictly Personal: Manmohan and Gursharan" said she started writing about her parents after leaving her job as a consultant in the rural sector.

"When my father became the PM I was working as a consultant in Rajasthan. I used to go out on field assignments but was garlanded and welcomed profusely," she said.
She said she was unused to such receptions and eventually had to leave her job to avoid such incidents.

"I was angry resentful and bitter but later I took it as an opportunity because I was getting time to write about my parents and spend time with them more. I wanted to know what my parents used to do as kids and they behaved as children," she said.
Talking about her experiences she pointed out that as the daughter of the Prime Minister she had learnt a lot from her parents.

"My father used to say if you have a strong conscience you need not bother about anything. And my mother says that every human being is worth knowing and that all human beings are equal," Daman said.
When asked about whether Manmohan Sigh would ever pen an account of his experiences as the leader of the country, Daman said "Very soon, In fact I would also hope he writes a book very soon."
Anuradha Goyal and Vinita Dawra Nangia were the other panelists at the session.