The President of India, Shri Pranab
Mukherjee released a set of eight Commemorative Postage Stamps on Indian
Musicians at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (September 3,
2014).
The set of stamps brought out by the
Department of Posts feature luminaries in the field of classical Indian
music namely Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Ms. D.K.
Pattammal, Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, Ms. Gangubai Hangal, Pandit Kumar
Gandharva, Ustad Vilayat Khan and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.
Speaking on the occasion, the
President stated that as we pay tribute to eight of the greatest music
maestros of contemporary India, we celebrate their life and work and
their matchless legacy. These eight maestros are, without a doubt, among
the tallest luminaries in the history of world music. They have not
only achieved personal perfection but have made extraordinary
contributions, in their respective fields, to the development and
evolution of the schools of music in which their talents were nurtured
and honed. Their contribution and its enrichment of our cultural
heritage cannot be quantified or estimated. It is infinite in its
resonance and their names will be mentioned with great reverence. Their
music will be cherished by the young and old, for many decades to come.