Rendezvous with rhythm: The Mahindra Percussion Festival returns with its fourth edition

Mahindra Percussion Festival 2026, organised in assication with The Hindu, returns to Bengaluru with strong beats and diverse rhythms

India is a rhythmically diverse nation, where every region nurtures and practises its own percussive dialect. To unify this musical spirit, the Mahindra Percussion Festival, organised in association with The Hindu, returns to Bengaluru with its fourth edition on March 7 and 8.

Presenting a curated line-up of artistes across generations, regions and rhythmic expressions, the two-day festival celebrates legendary musicians and contemporary ensembles, besides putting the spotlight on percussion.

Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman’s ‘Nada Pravaham – Circle of Sound’ brings together the Carnatic mridangam with tabla and drums. | Photo Credit: B. Thamodharan

“Percussion has always been an integral part of India’s musical culture. Through this festival, we aim to bring together artistes from across the country — each with different identity, yet percussively converging as one singular spirit of India’s evolved musical tradition. It is our attempt to reach out to the next generation,” says Jay Shah, vice president and head of cultural outreach at the Mahindra Group.

Mridangam exponent Umayalapuram Sivaraman. | Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Prakash

A highlight of this edition is ‘Nada Pravaham – Circle of Sound — a collaboration between mridangam maestro Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, alongwith formidable instrumentalists Ishaan Ghosh and Shravan Samsi.