The Rat

The Rat is a single-track instrumental composition by sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar. The piece appears on her 2005 studio album Rise. Shankar performs the sitar throughout the work, which lasts 7 minutes and 50 seconds. The composition blends elements of Indian classical music with contemporary production techniques.

Anoushka Shankar released The Rat under the Angel Records label. The track features layered sitar arrangements and electronic textures. The piece does not include vocal performances or traditional percussion instruments such as the tabla. The album Rise marked Shankar’s fifth studio release and her first to incorporate electronic influences alongside classical raga structures.

The exact release date of The Rat as a standalone single is not documented. The composition remains associated with the Rise album, which premiered on September 27, 2005. The track exemplifies Shankar’s experimentation with cross-genre fusion while maintaining the melodic and rhythmic frameworks of Hindustani classical music.