In a crisis, collaboration is key, whether political, medical or creative. And digital is the way to go. Maati Baani, made up of Nirali and Kartik, who are known for their world music, decided they were going to be ambitious when they planned to get 17 artistes together from across the world, to record a song, under lockdown, of course. Together, from places as varied as Mumbai, Israel, Russia, Spain, America, Germany and Italy, they performed the Karpur Gauram, an ancient Sanskrit Shloka related to lord Shiva, and a popular aarti in Shaivism. The result is a spiritual but strong rendition, which has you believe in the universal language of music.

Edited excerpt from the interview.