Paras Nath: Had freedom to touch new notes

Santosh Mulekar

Anticipation makes it tough to navigate the first few minutes of Desert Rose (Instrumental Music), until Paras Nath arrives at the crux of Sting's abundantly consumed 1999 rendition that became an anthem of sorts at the time of its release. In this version, created along with Santosh Mulekar, the flautist adds a desi touch to the number, punctuating it with his distinct style.

What's conspicuous is that Nath's ambitious project was shot in the desert of UAE, in the middle of a pandemic. "We were told [by those on our team] that rarely has an Indian song been shot in desert and the streets of the UAE. We collaborated with a local model who features in the video. Cases of infection are under control there, and we followed all safety precautions," says Nath, who shot it in September, only weeks after he recovered from COVID-19.

A second dekko at the track makes one appreciate Nath's play with the melody. Liberating themselves from the bondage of lyrics, the makers enjoyed a free hand when exploring tunes.

"We changed the arrangement, altered the introduction, and concluded it differently as well. Since we didn't have lyrics, we had the freedom to touch new notes before returning to the melody. We followed the song's structure, but we also added our touch to it," says the artiste, who is set to make his singing debut with an upcoming thumri. "This is an authentic and beautiful thumri that will be one among several tracks that are in the pipeline.

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