Thrill in the rhythm at Mahindra Percussion Festival 2025  

The third edition of Mahindra Percussion Festival was a comprehensive mood elevator

An air of reverence greeted anyone who walked into the Prestige Srihari Khoday Centre for Performing Arts auditorium in Konanakunte on March 1 and 2. The third edition of Mahindra Percussion Festival in association with The Hindu was dedicated to the music and life of Ustad Zakir Hussain, who passed away in December 2024. 

A photo exhibit featuring the tabla legend at his most candid, captured by Dayanita Singh, was a great way to pay tribute, as was a gold-framed portrait of Hussain illuminated at the side of the stage. Among the festival’s curation of five acts to perform across two days, there was not necessarily a direct tribute through song but the likes of sitarist Ravi Chary and Chennai duo SNAX did mention the impact that the Ustad had on their artistry. 

Day one started off with vocalist Aruna Sairam’s fusion act, Thrillana Project. Giving (aptly) exciting takes on thillanas, the artist gave space to all her instrumentalists, whom she lovingly praised as “magicians”, and that included mridangam artist BC Manjunath, Giridhar Udupa on ghatam, drummer Arun Kumar, violinist Jyotsana Srikanth, keyboardist Sangeet Haldipur and bassist Shalini Mohan. In addition to Sairam’s sublime vocals, since this was a festival dedicated to percussion, it was only apt that Kumar, Manjunath and Udupa engaged in a konnakol and solo-driven movement that was a treat for audiences. 

Understanding that percussion was at the center of it all, sitarist Ravi Chary too let his tabla artist Satyajit Talwalkar start off their performance, under the moniker Ravi Chary Crossing, with konnakol. Performing off his 2012 album Crossing, Chary, like Sairam, was more than happy to let his fellow instrumentalists take the spotlight, from Gino Banks’ charged-up drumming to Sheldon D’Silva making his bass guitar sing. Haldipur was back on keys as well for consecutive sets and led the audience in a delightful singalong portion. 

After a half-hour break, audiences returned to their seats to find a massive setup on stage for Trilok Gurtu Project. The legendary percussionist was not one to entertain any stragglers before his performance started – after all, he had painstakingly put together a collective of musicians that included four percussionists, keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist. Joined by the likes of Chandana Bala Kalyan on vocals (a versatile voice) and guitarist Dhruv Ghanekar, there were a few Marathi abhangs as well as an African song that the band carried off with gusto. The most intriguing part, however, remained Gurtu’s mad-scientist-like percussive solo, featuring everything from a steel bucket to his own breathing. 

It was esoteric at times, but also mesmerising to watch a veteran like Gurtu in action, stepping away from his crowded drum setup to sit on a cajon and jam with his band.  

Day two brought in just a couple of acts, but they were playing to a full house. SNAX, with drummer Ramkumar Kanakarajan and mridangam artist Sumesh Narayanan, raised the volume levels to the highest levels with their set, comprising songs from their 2024 debut album Thrillex. SNAX’s set was fluid, fast-paced and nonstop, which is exactly what you can expect from an opening act tasked with drumming up energy levels in the crowd. Their performance at Mahindra Percussion Festival came just as they are set to go on a Europe tour, taking this electronica-heavy blend of South Indian rhythms, rock and metal to new levels.