It's very flattering, the government, thinking it is right to confer the award on me.It came as a pleasant surprise. It's Gods gift, I accept it with all humility,Manna Dey told PTI.

This, however, I attribute it to the great music makers of the industry, the veteran singer said.

Manna Dey, who initially trained under his illustrious uncle Krishna Chandra Dey, and then honed his singing under the tutelage of stalwarts like Ustad Aman Ali Khan and Ustad Abdul Rahman Khan, attributes the honour to music composers par excellence like Shankar-Jaikishan, Madan Mohan and Sachin Dev Burman "who made me sing the way I sang. PTI