A short fixed melody, exactly one avartan long, repeated without variation so the cycle stays audible while the tabla takes the foreground. Usually played on sarangi or harmonium in concert, it is the soloist's clock: every departure and return is measured against it.
The lehra inverts the normal hierarchy — melody accompanies rhythm — and its discipline is metronomic steadiness under provocation. For practice it is the standard anchor for layakari and tihai work; Tabla Focus's Lehra feature serves exactly that role.