To the world, Manmohan Singh was an erudite economist-statesman who had transformed India. But on Friday, the man that nephew Gurdeep Singh remembered the most was his affectionate, soft-spoken “Mamaji” whose love of the simple life and frugal fare did not preclude a sweet tooth, especially a fondness for the flavour of nolen gur.

The former Prime Minister preferred vegetarian food and “was a very light eater but liked sweets”, said Gurdeep, son of Manmohan’s sister Gobind Kaur and a Calcuttan.

“We got sweets made of nolen gur for him; he liked them. He was also fond of bakery items like cakes and patties,” Gurdeep, 59, who runs an insurance brokerage, said.

Manmohan’s personality did seem to share something of the nolen gur’s subtle and mellow sweetness.

“As in public life, he was soft-spoken with family members. He was mild-mannered and very affectionate,” Gurdeep said.

He said his mother, now 85, was seven years younger than Manmohan and was the second among the siblings.

On Friday, Gobind Kaur sat in her room alone, not wishing to talk. She used to address her elder brother as “Papaji”, Gurdeep said.

“She is devastated. She was insisting on going to Delhi. But she is ailing and cannot travel,” Gurdeep said.

Manmohan had visited Gobind Kaur’s Tollygunge apartment in January 2017 when he was in Calcutta for the bicentenary celebrations of Presidency University.

The nephew was in Delhi in September this year and visited Manmohan’s home. “We had cakes and patties together.”

During that visit, Gurdeep had connected his mother and uncle via a video call. “Both of them turned very emotional,” he said.

Like Manmohan, Kaur was born in Gah, a village in the Punjab province of undivided India that is now in Pakistan.

“He was the eldest of 10 siblings. My mother was born after him. Both were very close to their grandmother,” Gurdeep said.

Kaur was eight at the time of the Partition and Manmohan was 15. Brother and sister were very close and Kaur regularly spoke with Gursharan Kaur, Manmohan’s wife.

Gurdeep’s family received a call about Manmohan’s worsening health around 8pm on Thursday. His death was announced at 10.30pm.

“We were surprised to learn about the sudden deterioration. The news of his passing came as a shock,” Gurdeep said.

He referred to the tributes being paid across India and the world: “He was an unparalleled statesman; the global admiration for him is a testament to that.”

Another of Manmohan’s sisters, Pritam Kaur, lives in Behala Parnasree. Gobind Kaur’s family shifted from Behala to Tollygunge more than a decade ago.

Gurdeep’s elder brother, Ravinder Pal Singh, has travelled to Delhi with his wife for the former Prime Minister’s funeral. Gurdeep said he would go to Delhi for the Bhog ceremony, which marks the end of the period of mourning.

Manmohan loved visiting Calcutta, he said. “He had a very amicable relationship with (former chief minister) Jyoti Basu.”

The economist-turned-politician wanted to spend more time with his relatives but was constrained by his public life, Gurdeep said. “He was very close to his brothers and sisters and their families.”