Guru Vandana - Kinara by Pankaj Mitra

The Kinara album has several strong tracks, but Guru Vandana - Kinara is the one most listeners come back to first. Pankaj Mitra, R.D. Burman has a history of strong work, and the music on Guru Vandana - Kinara is among the most memorable of it.

The vocal on Guru Vandana - Kinara is among the better performances Pankaj Mitra has committed to record. On screen, a talented ensemble cast bring the emotional world of the song to life in a way that enhances rather than competes with the music.

The song dates from 1977, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. The emotional register of Guru Vandana - Kinara is wide enough to fit celebration and solitude equally well.

Running to 1:04, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Hindi in recent memory — and the numbers agree.