Bajaye Bansuriya Shyam - Shatranj Ke Khilari by Reba Muhuri, Satyajit Ray

Few songs from 1977 have held their ground as well as Bajaye Bansuriya Shyam - Shatranj Ke Khilari, a track that keeps finding new audiences. The music, composed by Satyajit Ray, carries the song forward with a confidence that matches the performance.

Every line Reba Muhuri, Satyajit Ray sings feels considered, as though the performance was thought through long before recording began. Featuring Sanjeev Kumar, Shabana Azmi, Amjad Khan, Farida Jalal, Farooq Sheikh, the song carries the weight of the film's emotional arc and delivers it with conviction.

Released in 1977, it arrived at a time when Hindi music needed exactly this kind of sincerity. There is no right time to listen to Bajaye Bansuriya Shyam - Shatranj Ke Khilari. There is only the moment you press play and realise it was the right choice.

At 5:30, the track does not overstay its welcome — it says what it needs to say and leaves the listener wanting more. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Hindi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.