Alaiya Bilawal

Alaiya Bilawal is a Hindustani classical music composition performed by vocalist Mishra Bhankar. The track appears as the opening piece (A1) on the 1969 album Indian Music, released under the Standard Music Library label. The recording spans 4 minutes and 52 seconds and was issued on a 12\" vinyl format.

The album belongs to the mid-20th-century catalog of Indian classical recordings distributed internationally. Mishra Bhankar renders the composition in raag Bilawal, a fundamental raag in the Hindustani tradition characterized by its shuddha (natural) scale structure. The track title Alaiya suggests an alaap-style improvisational introduction, though specific performance details or accompanying instrumentalists remain undocumented in available sources.

Indian Music reflects the era’s practice of compiling classical works for global audiences, often through labels like Standard Music Library that specialized in archival and educational releases. The vinyl format indicates a primary distribution method for institutional and collector markets during the late 1960s. No additional tracks, liner notes, or reissue information for this release are verified in public records.

The artist Mishra Bhankar is associated with the Mishra gharana, a lineage known for its vocal techniques in dhrupad and khayal styles, though his broader discography and biographical details are not fully cataloged. The 1969 release date positions the work within a period of cross-cultural exchange for Indian classical music, coinciding with increased Western interest in raga-based compositions.