The first anniversary of demonetisation, one of the biggest economic exercises in India, is slowly approaching and music composer, AR Rahman, has a song to mark the occasion.
He has released a 19-minute track, called The Flying Lotus, which is about demonetisation and its impact on society. He denies any kind of criticism but feels that the song is open to interpretation. The lotus is the symbol of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
“I don’t see any politics in the move,” he says. “I personally believe that historic moments like these need to be recorded artistically. For example, the initial motif of Beethoven’s (18th century German composer) Fifth Symphony is credited with symbolic significance as a representation of fate knocking at the door. Similarly, when the Prime Minister made the announcement, it was a big moment for India, and the rise of the country, and I felt like talking about it through my music. The song is open to interpretation.”
The Oscar-winning music director says that while he wasn’t directly affected by demonetisation, he turned to the common man for their reaction. “I thought the common man felt extremely good about the move. I like to live a very normal life, and I live in a normal neighbourhood. For this song, my voice is their (common people’s) voice,” says the composer. “Sometimes, I travelled economy class to understand what people thought about it. You can’t live a comfortable life and then try and have an opinion about something. You have to see both sides of the world, and then derive your opinion from it.”
