Happy Returns: PM spends 76th birthday at work

New Delhi, Sept 26 (PTI) Birthday boy Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, who turned 76 Friday, spent the day as he has
been doing for the past several years -- working, not in his
South Block office, but in New York.

And, this time it seems he is still hoping to fly
back home with 'happy returns' from the U.S. -- the nuclear
gift nicely packaged.

The Indian camp had hoped to sew up the nuke
agreement during Singh's meeting with US President George W.
Bush in Washington but this could not happen in the absence of
Congressional nod to the concerned bills in the Senate and the
House of Representatives.

In fact, in the past five birthdays during his
tenure, on two occasions Singh was in the overseas dealing
with foreign leaders, while in the rest of the three, he was
bogged with work in his South Block office.

In 2004, the Prime Minister was in the U.S. attending
the United Nations General Assembly and meeting world leaders,
including President George W. Bush.

While returning, he cut a cake on-board the Air India
number one 'Tanjore' with his wife Gursharan Kaur by his side
and greeted by senior officials and journalists accompanying
him on that trip.

Interestingly, a famous astrologer had predicted that
his government would fall on that birthday.

In 2005, the Prime Minister was busy whole day
at his South Block office. Though he was greeted by the then
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, United Progressive Alliance
Chairperson Sonia Gandhi besides others, there were no
celebrations at all.

In 2006 too, it was a working day for the Prime
Minister on his 74th birthday. President Kalam and the then
Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat sent him bouquets and
the Congress chief called him to extend her best wishes.

In 2007, it was a little different as he released
the autobiography of evergreen actor Dev Anand, who actually
shares birthday with the Prime Minister.

Singh released the autobiography of the "immortal"
film personality and had said that the "chocolate hero" has
possibly acted with every top heroine over five decades --
from Suraiya and Waheeda Rehman to Madhubala and Zeenat Aman.

The P.M., nine years juniors to Anand, released his
'rags to riches' story, by recalling one of his most popular
film songs -- 'Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya, Hur
fikr ko dhuain me udata chala gaya' from 'Hum Dono'.

And Friday, Singh was deprived of what could have
been his most memorable birthday gift as he couldn't ink the
historic Indo-U.S. nuclear deal with U.S. President George W.
Bush.

Singh, who is India's 14th Prime Minister, was born
on September 26, 1932, in a village in the Punjab province of
undivided India.

He, however, himself had said that the date of birth
given by his mother to the school at the time of his admission
became his birthday.