Releasing a commemorative
stamp in honour of late ghazal singer Jagjit Singh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday
said he
was a "unique artist" whose music will always continue to have an
impact on people. "In the musical
history of our country, Jagjit Singh has a special place. He is not amongst us
today but his magical voice and music will continue to always have an impact on
us," he said on the occasion of release of a stamp in the memory of the
late singer. The ghazaal singer passed away in October 2011.
The
Prime minister noted that Jagjit Singh sang classical, devotional and folk
songs but he would probably be most remembered for his ghazals. "It would not be wrong to say that the
style of ghazal singing adopted by him in India gave a new life to the art in
the country," Singh said. The Prime
Minister said Jagjit Singh was behind the experiment to use western musical
instruments in ghazal singing and was ably supported in this by his wife Chitra
Singh. "Artists such as Jagjit Singh are born once in several centuries.
He is not amongst us today but his music will always keep touching our hearts
and I congratulate the postal department for releasing a stamp in his
memory," he said.