Award-winning composer AR Rahman says an artist is always inspired by human beings, and what they go through. He has come up with a 19-minute music piece titled The flying lotus, based on the government's move last year to demonetise high value currency notes.

In a Twitter question and answer session, Rahman was asked whether artistes should react or stay away from reacting to issues around them. The Grammy and Oscar winner responded via a video: "As an artist, it will be insensitive to really say that I am immune to everything, and I don't see everything. What inspires an artist are human beings, and to reflect that is inevitable. Even in the past, painters, composers, and artistes have always taken something which is raw and made it beautiful, and that is my humble attempt in The flying lotus."

Rahman said his idea behind the piece was to bring out a musical expression inspired by the "extraordinary praises" and the "inconvenience" that followed the demonetisation move last year.