For all those navigating an emotional minefield of ambiguity — situationship, love bombing, breadcrumbing and what have you — a song of pure love and longing may just be what the doctor ordered. And you can’t do better than Tu chanda main chandni from Reshma Aur Shera (1971), composed by Jaidev, with lyrics by Balkavi Bairagi.

And yes, sung with electrifying passion and precision by Lata Mangeshkar.

If you watch the critically acclaimed film — Sunil Dutt’s ode to Romeo and Juliet, set in Rajasthan — you’ll know that the song is about a magical night when the star-crossed lovers meet in a desert. But as a song, it is nothing short of an epiphany, a painting in melody.

Set in Raag Maand, resplendent with the sounds of the santoor, the sarangi and the flute, it is one of Jaidev’s most difficult compositions.

The lyrics don’t make it easy. Bairagi was a poet and his lines aren’t those of the usual film music meter. It explores the many moods of love with offbeat, challenging imagery. For instance, the girl who goes to meet her lover sings of her virginal desires (jaag uthi hai saavre meri kunwari pyaas re), but when the night ends, she speaks of becoming one with her beloved like a peacock in rain (saajan sang sajni bani mausam sang mayur).

But Jaidev pulls it off. Rather, Lata pulls it off for him. At the peak of her powers, she awes you with her range, her restraint and her tonal variations.

No wonder that Jaidev won his first National Award for the score of this film — Gaman and Ankahee would follow.

Reshma Aur Shera flopped miserably at the box office, but was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and was India’s entry to the Oscars. Bolly quiz buffs remember the film as it starred Amitabh Bachchan minus his trademark baritone — he played Dutt’s mute brother. There’s something for trivia lovers — poet Bairagi was an MLA and a Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh.

But all these will disappear in the sands of time. What will remain is the song from the desert. A song that echoes the heartbeats of a woman’s desire.