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Indian industrialist Tarun Das receives honorary Singapore citizenship
NEW DELHI
Former director-general of India’s Confederation of Indian Industry Tarun Das personally spearheaded many initiatives to build bridges between Singapore and India.ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
- Singapore conferred honorary citizenship on Indian industrialist Tarun Das, 85, in recognition of his contributions to championing Singapore-India relations over several decades.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam presented the award to Mr Das, who was the former director-general of India’s Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), at a ceremony held in New Delhi on Jan 15.
Mr Tharman is currently on a five-day visit to India to commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Singapore and India.
In his role as director-general of CII, which champions and facilitates business for Indian industries and where he served for more than 40 years, Mr Das personally spearheaded many initiatives to build bridges between Singapore and India, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.
It described him as “one of Singapore’s strongest advocates in India”, adding that he went beyond trade and economics to foster closer ties between people on both sides.
Mr Das, who first led a delegation of Indian industrialists to visit Singapore in 1993 during the nascent stages of India’s economic liberalisation, said the honorary citizen award was very special, and that he was very emotional and humbled.
Speaking to the Singapore media before the ceremony, he recalled how then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had motivated the group and “wanted to start an ‘India-Singapore fever’”.
This initial meeting laid the foundation for annual visits to Singapore by CII to engage Singapore’s political leaders and businesses on developments in both countries and the region.
“We have stayed firm with each other... there were lots of ups and downs. Sometimes the fever would go up, sometimes it would come down, but it was a great ride,” Mr Das said.
He noted his longstanding relationships with “key personalities” among Singapore leaders, including the likes of Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who negotiated the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement. The free trade pact was inked in 2005.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam presented the award to Mr Tarun Das at a ceremony held in New Delhi on Jan 15.ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
On the Indian side, it was former prime minister Manmohan Singh who was a “constant figure, who encouraged (Indians) to look east and work with Singapore”, Mr Das said.
He added: “It’s been a great ride and the future will be even better, because I see that the current leadership on both sides is determined to take the relationship forward.”
Singapore instituted the honorary citizen award in 2003 to recognise foreigners who have made extensive contributions to Singapore or who have made significant impact in the areas of business, science and technology, and information communications, among other sectors.
It is the country’s highest recognition for a non-Singaporean.
Mr Das, who was awarded the Singapore Public Service Medal in 2004, is the second Indian to receive Singapore’s honorary citizenship. The late Ratan Tata, former chairman of the Tata Group, was conferred the same award in 2008 for being a strong advocate of the Republic, and for his valuable contributions to its economic transformation.
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