"I am a politician only by accident. Teaching has been my first love. My days as a teacher have been the most enjoyable part of my life," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday.

Inaugurating the International Centre for Materials Science (ICMS) and C N R Rao Hall of Science at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) in Bangalore, the PM said, "Hence, whenever I get opportunities to visit universities and institutes of learning, I do so with great joy. They fill me with a sense of pride and happiness and I feel proud at the achievements."

"Long ago Sir Winston Churchill said 'Empires of future are going to be the empires of mind'. Whenever I visit Bangalore I have a feeling of elation," he said.

The Pm said that, Moon mission (Chandrayaan-1) has filled the nation with pride and has proved that Indian scientists are second to none.

Singh complimented Prof C N R Rao, director of JNCASR and chairman of Prime Minister's Scientific Advisory Council, for his contributions not only to scientific research but to the development of Indian science also.