Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao (పాములపర్తి వెంకట నరసింహారావు) (28 June, 1921 - 23 December, 2004) was the tenth Prime Minister of the Republic of India. blank">Prime Ministers of India. Indian PM's official website. Retrieved on March 2 2007. He led one of the most important administrations in India's modern history, overseeing a major economic transformation and several incidents affecting national security. Narasimha Rao - a Reforming PM. _BBC News. Retrieved on March 2 2007. Rao, also called the "Father of Indian Economic Reforms," is best remembered for launching India's free market reforms that brought the nearly bankrupt nation back from the edge. blank">India's Pathway through Financial Crisis. Arunabha Ghosh. Global Economic Governance Programme. Retrieved on March 2 2007. He was also commonly referred to as the _Chanakya of modern India for his ability to steer tough economic and political legislation through the parliament at a time when he headed a minority government.

Rao's term as Prime Minister was an eventful one in India's history. Besides marking a paradigm shift from the socialist-based style of economy propagated by Nehru to a market driven one, his years as Prime Minister also saw the emergence of the BJP, a major right-wing party, as an alternative to Rao's Congress, which had been governing India for most of its post-independence history. Rao's term also saw the destruction of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya which triggered one of the worst Hindu-Muslim riots in the country since its independence.

Rao's later life was marked by political isolation due to his association with corruption charges. Rao was acquitted on all charges prior to his death in 2004 of a heart attack in New Delhi. He was cremated in Hyderabad.