Alta Makhi by Bijay Anand Sahu, Pankaj Tandi, Pratham Kumbhar, Kiran Dash

The Alta Makhi album has several strong tracks, but Alta Makhi is the one most listeners come back to first. Bijay Anand Sahu sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Alta Makhi, Bijay Anand Sahu, Pankaj Tandi, Pratham Kumbhar, Kiran Dash clearly belongs in the second group. The connection between a talented ensemble cast and this song is part of what makes it resonate beyond the film itself.

2023 was a strong year for Odia music, and Alta Makhi was among the reasons why. There is no right time to listen to Alta Makhi. There is only the moment you press play and realise it was the right choice.

Running to 3:32, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. It is, at the end of it, a very good song — and sometimes that is the only explanation that matters.