Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he never thought that he would get an opportunity to lead India one day, and attributed his success to the functioning of democracy in the country.
"I never thought that I would reach that far," the prime minister said in an interview to American television news channel CNN on Monday.
"I am what I am, because of the education that I received.
"But it's due to democracy that a person with such a background as mine can, I think, become the prime minister of this great republic of ours," Singh said in response to a question.
Asked whether world has anything to learn from the Indian democracy, the prime minister said if it (India) succeeds in remaining a functioning democracy, and simultaneously tackling problems of poverty, disease, illiteracy, it is going to be an international public good.
"It would have lessons for the evolution of the countries of the hitherto Third World in the 21st century," the prime minister said.
"The fact that there are very few countries of India's size, which have remained functioning democracy throughout the 60 years of our independence, I think the world has to recognise that.
"If we do succeed, it will have some bearing on the evolution of the countries of the Third World in the 21st century," Singh said.
