President Pranab Mukherjee released a set of eight commemorative postage stamps on Indian musicians at a function held in Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday 3^rd September 2014.

The set of stamps brought out by the Department of Posts feature 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 said, “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 who have not only achieved personal perfection but have also 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.”