New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) Reminiscing about the legendary media advisor H.Y. Sharada Prasad, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said he was a man of great erudition, civility and integrity, who embodied in his multi-faceted personality the highest ideals of public service.
"In his passing away, the country has lost a role model and an exceptional human being who left a deep impact on public life and in the world of letters," Prime Minister Singh said in his condolence message.
Sharada Prasad, who died Tuesday after prolonged illness, served Indira Gandhi for all her 15 years that she was in power and was not only her speech writer but a political confidant as well. He also served prime ministers Morarji Desai and Rajiv Gandhi.
Prime Minister Singh called on his wife, Kamalamma Sharada Prasad and conveyed his condolences to her and other family members.
"His scholarship and thinking shaped the views and public discourse of three Prime Ministers, who he served with great distinction as media advisor," said Singh.
"He was jailed during the Quit India movement and his association with the freedom struggle instilled in him his strong sense of selfless service and dedication to duty that won him his very large circle of friends and admirers.
"He once said that he was lucky to be born in India at a time when Mahatma Gandhi still walked the earth. He was first and foremost a civil servant, steeped in Nehruvian traditions and inspired by Gandhian values. Despite the demands on his time, Shri Sharada Prasad was a prolific writer who wrote both in English and in Kannada.
"Despite his many accomplishments, his friends will always remember him as a simple man who led an extraordinary life in the service of the country."
