Tori Jai Jai Kartar - Baiju Bawra by Naushad Ali, Ustad Amir Khan

Released as part of Baiju Bawra, Tori Jai Jai Kartar - Baiju Bawra announced itself as a standout the moment it reached listeners. The music, composed by Naushad Ali, carries the song forward with a confidence that matches the performance.

Naushad Ali, Ustad Amir Khan's vocal here has a quality that is difficult to describe but impossible to miss — it simply feels true. Bharat Bhushan Pant, Meena Kumari, Surendra, Kuldip Kaur, Manmohan Krishna, V.m. Vyas are at the heart of Baiju Bawra, and Tori Jai Jai Kartar - Baiju Bawra captures their dynamic at its most compelling.

The song dates from 1952, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. There is no right time to listen to Tori Jai Jai Kartar - Baiju Bawra. There is only the moment you press play and realise it was the right choice.

Running to 2:54, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. The staying power of Tori Jai Jai Kartar - Baiju Bawra is not a mystery. It is just what happens when every element of a song is exactly right.