Prashanth Srinivas, who had composed certain covers on YouTube, collaborated with 'Ghoomar' singer Swaroop Khan recently. They recreated a Rajasthani folk song called 'Thaare Bina'. The new version, called 'Thaare Bina - A Longing', released on April 29.

We at DNA exclusively caught up with Prashant over text. Sending in smileys, he was excited to talk about his track, recreating folk songs in general, how he is spending his lockdown and what's next in the pipeline for him.

Here are some excerpts from the interview:

Was Thaare Bin shot before lockdown?

Yes it was conceptualized and recorded before lockdown, and the editor on my team Dinesh from Celluloids Films, Chennai, collected a set of found footage that he thought would work for this kind of a futuristic experimental Rajasthani folk vibe and then waved his magic over the entire video.

What was the reason to release the song during the lockdown?

They say hope springs eternal, and thats what ‘Thaare Bina' is about - a longing. A simple conversation between two lovers, separated, possibly forever. This lockdown has brought about a variety of negative human responses across the globe, since a calamity of this proportion has never been seen before. But along with these, there have been numerous acts of kindness, love and  selflessness, which are the traits that will truly enable the human race and humanity to survive. So even in the darkest of times, we must cling to hope, because without it, there is nothing left. And what better time to introspect on and spread this message through music, than during an indefinite lockdown followed by an uncertain future?

Recently a Bengali folk song Genda Phool was recreated too. What is your opinion on the folk song recreations?

Folk songs have been recreated since time immemorial, there are no real origins to true folk songs, and recreating them is a very useful way to ensure they do not die, and remain relevant to current and future generations. Having said that, while such songs are transformed to fit current trends, the essence of a folk song, which is why it has lasted so long, must be respected, and its authors must treated with reverence, ethically and monetarily. As long as this practice is followed, folk songs will never die and music will be in safe hands.

How are you spending your lockdown?

People need art more and more to survive this lockdown, so I'm providing that service, creating and releasing positive music thats relevant to the current times!

What's next for you?

As RagaHaus, my musical collaborative unit, we have a few songs in the pipeline scheduled for release in the coming weeks, across a range of topics, and musical genres, where we have collaborated with some amazing independent musical artists in the last 1 year. Also I just re-furbished and migrated my Youtube channel to a new one under the name Prashanth Srinivas, so you can stay tuned in to all our latest musical collaborations there. We just keep creating, making the best of what we have right now, and having fun doing it... and ensuring our audiences do too!