The most important figure in sitarist Ravi Shankar's life, musical and otherwise, was his austere guru, Ustad Allauddin Khan, a sarod player whose lithe virtuosity is evident in "Raga Lalit (Original)". Sarod player Ali Akbar Khan's prayerful duet with Bollywood playback star Asha Bhosle, "Guru Bandana in Desh Malhar", suggests why Shankar performed alongside him so often.