Mahindra Percussion Festival 2026: Tapping into the primal

The fourth edition of the Mahindra Percussion Festival 2026 brings The Pulse Within to Bengaluru next week

“Without rhythm, melody would float off without direction. Percussion brings tempo, pulse, and groove; it is the structural backbone of music,” says VG Jairam, festival director of the Mahindra Percussion Festival.

Talking about the upcoming Mahindra Percussion Festival 2026, he adds, “Percussion itself as a form of expression lies at the heart of music. It has been the heartbeat of music from ancient tribal gatherings to modern day concerts. Rhythm is humanity’s most primal and powerful form of expression.”

Titled, The Pulse Within, the festival, which will be held on March 7 and 8, will feature a range of genres, instruments and artistes who have curated special pieces for this event.

Jairam says the curation process included hardcore percussion artistes as well as “those extending their art form and musicality by putting percussion in the heart of their performance.” He mentions vocalist Mahesh Kale who will be presenting Yatra, “the spiritual rhythmic sounds of India and how he is exploring an expression of infinity through rhythm.”

Jairam says though certain pieces at the festival are hardcore rhythm, “we are adding a bit of melody to it as well as voices, even while focussing on percussive elements in a strong way.”

One of the highlights of the festival will be a collaboration between mridangist Umayalpuram K Sivaraman, tabla artiste Ishaan Ghosh and drummer Shravan Samsi, titled Nada Pravaham – Circle of Sound.