President releases stamps on Indian musicians

President Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday released a set of commemorative postage stamps on eight Indian musicians, describing them among "the greatest music maestros of contemporary India".

The stamps feature luminaries in classical Indian music: Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, D.K. Pattammal, Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, Gangubai Hangal, Pandit Kumar Gandharva, Ustad Vilayat Khan and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

"As we pay tribute to eight of the greatest music maestros of contemporary India, we celebrate their life and work and their matchless legacy," the president said at an event at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"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," the president added.