Jagjit Singh has special place in country's music history

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.