NEW DELHI/MUMBAI - Indian politicians and artists on Wednesday joined those who are mourning the tragic demise of great singer Mehdi Hassan, as they described his death as an irreparable loss to culture, music and literature.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke on the behalf of millions of fans in India and said Mehdi Hassan would always have a special place in the world of music.Expressing deep grief over the passing away of the genius singer, who made ghazal singing an art by setting new standards, Manmohan said the influence of his passion for Urdu poetry and initial grooming in Dhrupad tradition earned for him a special place in the world of music. “Mehdi Hassan brought the sub-continental Sufi sensibilities to life through his songs,” Singh said.Leaders from various Indian political parties offered condolence over Mehdi’s death and said his mellifluous voice would continue to echo for generations. In his message, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal described Mehdi as a versatile singer who gave new dimension to the ghazal singing and regaled millions of music lovers not only in his country but across the globe.Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal described Mehdi as ‘Shahenshah-e-Ghazal’.West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said with Mehdi’s death, India and Pakistan lost their true cultural ambassador. “Mehdi leaves behind a rich legacy and a treasure trove of beautiful melodies behind. With his death, we have lost a true cultural ambassador of India and Pakistan,” she said.Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said music buffs would never forget his ghazals, while his Rajasthan counterpart Ashok Gehlot said he was saddened by Mehdi’s demise.The Rajasthan government had in January offered to bear all medical expenses of the ailing singer in India and also taken up the issue of visa to his family members with the Centre last month.The Nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar, and Punkaj Udhas offered their condolence to the Shahenshah-e-Ghazal’s family.Lata Mangeshkar, who made a rare collaboration with Mehdi Hassan for a song in an album, remembered the Pakistani ghazal maestro as an ‘outstanding singer’ and said the news of his death had left her upset. “It is very sad news. I am really upset ever since I heard this news. Not only me, the entire world loved his songs. There is no doubt about it that he was an outstanding singer,” Mangeshkar added.In 2010, Tera Milana, a duet by the two legends, was launched as part of an album named Sarhadein. While Mehdi recorded it in Pakistan in 2009, Lata later heard the track and recorded her part in India in 2010. It was later mixed together for a duet.Lata says they shared mutual respect. “I have shared a very good relationship with him. I really respect him a lot and even he used to respect me a lot. I have met him just two to three times; he was a wonderful human being.” “Music keeps everyone close and singers are always close to one another,” Lata added.Sharing fond memories about the singer, Lata said Mehdi had a unique voice and rued the fact that she couldn’t share a stage with Mehdi Hassan. “Demise of Mehdi Hassan is a great loss to music industry,” said Lata while talking to the media. “It’s very unfortunate that Mehdi is not with us anymore.”Punkaj Udhas also spoke to a news channel about his long association with the iconic singer.“I have wonderful memories of Mehdi Hassan. It’s a huge loss to the world of ghazals. He was one of a kind, was like an institution in himself,” said Pankaj.The famous ghazal singer went on to speak about his first encounter with Mehdi in 1977. “I’d first met him in London in 1977. Till then, he hadn’t been to India after he left the country. I’d got an opportunity to spend time with Hassan Sahib for about three weeks. He was looking forward to visit India, and then he came to the country in 1978.”When Punkaj took to singing ghazals, Mehdi Hassan was overjoyed, Punkaj said. “He (Mehdi) was very happy to know that I had started singing ghazals.”Speaking about his fondest memory of Mehdi Hassan, Punkaj says, “Just before he fell ill in 1990, before a concert, Hassan Sahib’s harmonium broke due to luggage mishandling. He had called me up from the airport and asked whether he could use my harmonium for the concert or not. I was only too happy to offer him my harmonium.”