A commemorative postage stamp on Kishore Kumar Ganguly, Indian playback singer [a part of the series ‘Golden Voices of Yesteryears‘] :

Issued by India

Issued on May 15, 2003

Issued for : The Department of Posts is issuing a set of postage stamps to honour four such great legends of yesteryears: Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Mohammed Rafi and Hemant Kumar.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Sankha Samanta
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Miniature Sheet, Mint Condition

Colour : Four Colour

Denomination : 500 Paise

Overall size : 2.90 x 3.91 cms.

Printing size : 2.90 x 3.91 cms.

Perforation : 13.5 x 13.5 with elliptient hole on each 39.1 mm sides

Paper : Matt Chromo

Stamps Printed : 0.8 million

Miniature Sheet : 0.1 million 

Number per issue sheet : 40

Printing Process : Photo Offset

Printer : Calcutta Security Printers Ltd.

Name : Abhas Kumar Ganguly

Born on Aug 4, 1929 at Khandwa, Central Provinces, British India [now Madhya Pradesh, India]

Died on Oct 13, 1987 at Bombay, Maharashtra, India

About : 

• Film music is omnipresent in India. Songs in different languages, sung by talented singers and set to catchy tunes fill the urban and rural landscapes of the country, emanating from radio sets, public address systems and cassette players. They bring to the common man everything ranging from the classical to semi-classical mode, and folk music from different parts of the country to the new sounds of fusion. Marriage parties, political rallies, cultural functions – whatever be the occasion, the songs keep the gathering engaged for the most part. It is not surprising then, that film music is often described as the ‘folk music’ of the present generation.
  
• Songs are a crucial ingredient of Indian films. The allure of the films, even if they have melodramatic and escapist recipes, is often due to the songs. The technique of playback i.e. using a voice ‘double’ to sing for the actors has been in use since the 1930s. The popularity of the songs ensured that some of the singers went on to become cult figures and cultural icons.
  
• Kishore Kumar (1929-1987), singer, actor, composer and director, was one of the most versatile and loved personalities of the Indian film industry. His first Hindi song appeared in the film Ziddi (1948). Though he focussed on an acting career for a few years, the immensely popular songs of the film Aradhana (1969) marked his return as a play back singer much in demand. The yodelling style of Kishore Kumar had the entire nation cheering for him. His laughter and his tears interlaced his music. He was honoured with several awards, including eight Filmfare awards.
• Text : Based on material received from the proponents of the stamps.

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Hemant Kumar 2003 Lalan Fakir 100 Years of Indian Cinema Mohammed Rafi 2003 Mukesh 2003 Kishore Kumar 2016