The festival showcased a range of artists across styles, music and cultures and evoked a unique celebration of rhythm

Some of the world’s greatest legends of percussion came together for the debut edition of the Mahindra Percussion Festival at the Jayamahal Palace Hotel in Bengaluru on Saturday, March 18. The festival featured some of the best-known names in the world of percussion.

Jay Shah, Vice President – Cultural Outreach at Mahindra Group said, “With Mahindra Percussion, we intend to create a world-class cultural experience with a clear focus to democratise various percussion art forms. Aligning the brand Mahindra with the percussion art form and its sub-cultures, we aim to connect and empower communities globally while promoting inclusivity and equality. And with many more future editions, we hope the festival becomes a mainstay of the Indian percussion soundscape.”

Homage to the elements

The performances included collaborations between A Sivamani and musicians such as the Pulse Conversations featuring Gino Banks, Vinayak Pol, and Jai Row Kavi, and multi-instrumentalist Arto Tuncboyaciyan. Pulse Conversation’s drum beats and Sivamani’s unique percussion sounds melded together to produce tunes that paid homage to natural elements such as water and aether.

Music without borders

Viveick Rajagopalan’s Ta Dhom Project also presented one of their new songs called ‘Music without border’ which featured three rappers originating from Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Their song, a mix of Marathi, Tamil and Bhojpuri rap and Konnakol, highlighted the main theme of the song and truly broke the constraints of genre while being accompanied by the beats of Viveick Rajagopalan’s Mridangam.

A spell of percussion

The festival ended with the energetic beats of one of Spain’s top percussionists, Paquito Gonzalez, and his ensemble along with guitarist Jose Quevedo, aka Bolita and flamenco dancer Antonia Molina, aka “El Choro.”

From the earliest times, drums and their rhythm have been at the centre of social and cultural activities. The festival’s aim was to celebrate the timelessness of rhythm by infusing it with contemporary perspectives. The performances cast a powerful and everlasting spell of percussion rhythm over the audience.

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