Mahindra Percussion Festival 2025: Artists Display An Innovative Mix Of Traditional And Contemporary Percussion, Paying Homage To Late Ustad Zakir Hussain
New Delhi : The Prestige Centre for Performing Arts in Bengaluru echoed the musical spirit of the late Ustad Zakir Hussain’s great legacy as the third edition of the Mahindra Percussion Festival paid homage to the legendary artist. The festival saw musical connoisseurs congregating to celebrate the transcendental musical traditions through the power of percussion on March 1st and 2nd, 2025. From world-renowned virtuosos like Trilok Gurtu to the future of percussion music, SNAX, the artists took the audience on a musical trail, an unforgettable experience at the intersection of ancient and contemporary music. To pay tribute to the maestro of Indian Hindustani music, Mahindra Percussion Festival built a photo gallery curated with pictures by Dayanita Singh. Through pictorial marvel, it narrated the story of how a young, passionate musician led global domination, putting the ancient art of Indian classical music on the world map.
The two-day celebration of the Grammy-winning artist’s legacy saw some incredible artists taking forward the fusion music movement that he pioneered. And what better way to begin the third edition with none other than Aruna Sairam’s meditative performance with the Thrillana Project! She curated a spellbinding musical ensemble with Shalini Mohan, Arun Kumar, Sangeet Haldipur, Jyotsna Srikanth, Giridhar Udupa, and B.C. Manjunath, who delivered a soulful rendition of thillanas accompanied by modern and traditional sonic instruments like violin, ghatam, tabla, and bass guitar.
Ravi Chary, a sitar virtuoso with an international repertoire, infused the string instrument’s magic into the Indo-Jazz fusion album ‘Crossing’. Along with his quartet, he struck a synergistic chord on the first day of the festival with an interweaving of jazz, funk, and rock, sending ripples of pulsating energy into the audience. He was accompanied by other percussionists like Sangeet Haldipur, Satyajit Talwalkar, Gino Banks, and Sheldon D’Silva.
The final act of the day very well encapsulated the spirit of this year’s edition, as Trilok Gurtu, a master percussionist, took over the stage for a magnificent performance, along with accompanying percussionists. With the Trilok Gurtu Project, a one-man percussionist, Gurtu, collaborated with other artists like Chandanabala Gullapalli, Vaibhav Wavikar, Rahul Wadhwani, Rohit Khavale, Dhruv Ghanekar, Prashant Paradkar, and Umesh Warbhuvan. Trilok proved his distinctiveness by experimenting with various percussion through improvisation, redefining musical boundaries by infusing a rhythmic life into inanimate objects.
The second day saw the musical duo, SNAX, comprising Ramkumar Kanakarajan and Sumesh Narayanan, take stage with their electrifying performance. The duo brought their signature styles, incorporating Tamil kuthu beats, metal, and dubstep, while performing their debut album, Thrillex. Ramkumar’s synthesis of rock, metal, and electronic drumming, accompanied by Sumesh’s energetic mridangam, was a palatable fusion for the fans of both modern and classical schools of percussion.
The final act of the night and the festival was one for the history books. Bringing tropical and arid percussion traditions of Kerala and Rajasthan, BeatRoute, helmed by veteran artist Ranjit Barot and theatre director Roysten Abel, gave a fitting conclusion to the two-day extravaganza. From the powerful mizhavu and chenda to the dynamic dhol, nagara, and khartal, BeatRoute took us on a journey through India’s diverse soundscape—where desert beats meet temple echoes, and tradition meets innovation. The audio-visual storytelling of two diverse folk traditions through folk instruments added a great heartland flavour to the strong Indo-Western fusion theme this year.
This year’s edition saw curation of a great line-up of artists for the commemoration of the eminent artist in the ancient tradition of Indian percussion, Ustad Zakir Hussain. The third edition was in association with The Hindu, and co-sponsored by Mahindra Finance, Roulette Packaged Drinking Water, and Carlsberg Smooth Packaged Drinking Water. The audience also enjoyed some thirst-quenching refreshments and lip-smacking food provided by the F&B partners—Smoke House Deli, Araku, Social and Spice By Club Mahindra.