The most popular classical vocal form in North Indian Music is without doubt 'khayal'. Although at least five hundred years old, today's concerts in India featuring major khayal singers attract large audiences and its leading exponents are treated with the very highest respect and reverence. A word of Persian origin, Khayal literally means "imagination," and demands improvisational flexibility from the singer as well as careful attention to nuances of intonation, phrasing and rhythm. The subjects of khayal texts range from praise of kings or seasons, the pranks of Lord Krishna to divine love and the sorrow of separation. The texts contain rhyme, alliteration, and play on words. However, the primary focus in a khayal performance is less on the textual or lyrical content of a song than on abstract musical values.

This recording features one of the most important and influential female khayal vocalists of the modern era of Indian classical music.