Lata’s Theme

Lata’s Theme is a solo instrumental track by sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar. The composition appears on her 2005 studio album Rise. The piece lasts 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Shankar performs the sitar throughout, accompanied by minimal percussion and drone elements.

The track serves as a tribute to playback singer Lata Mangeshkar. Shankar structures the melody around a recurring raga motif that evokes Mangeshkar’s vocal style. The album Rise was released under the Angel Records label. No specific single release date for Lata’s Theme is documented.

Anoushka Shankar recorded the piece in London and Mumbai. The production team included Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj of the MIDIval Punditz collective. The album features additional contributions from percussionist Tanmoy Bose and vocalist Sunidhi Chauhan, though Chauhan does not perform on Lata’s Theme.

The composition blends Hindustani classical traditions with contemporary electronic textures. Shankar employs meend (glissando) and gamak (ornamentation) techniques characteristic of Indian classical music. The track does not include lyrics or vocal performances.