PERCUSSION AND ME

"Mangana kayalli manikya kottange" is a Kannada phrase that literally translates to "like handing over a gemstone to a monkey". The Hindi equivalent is "Bandar kya jaane adrak ka swaad". Its literal translation is "What can the monkey know about the taste of ginger". Both these phrases are about experiences that appear to be beyond the capacity of one's limits, in this case the monkey's! I felt a lot like the monkey/s in the phrases when I booked tickets to the Mahindra Percussion Festival 2025. My knowledge about percussion, drums and classical music in general is minimal - at best! That did not prevent me from reserving two tickets on Sunday, 02-Mar-2025 though. I wanted to experience the percussion festival for myself.

My wife and I reached Prestige Center for Performing Arts early, drank coffee at the Food Court in Forum South Mall and collected our wristbands for entry into the auditorium. What we saw was that there were many families who had come, mostly from the upper middle class segment of society. There were selfie points and rare photos of Ustad Zakir Hussain in the ground floor, courtesy the photographer Dayanita Singh. This evening was a tribute to him.

The percussion recital began later than planned. It was my first visit to the auditorium and I was impressed! There are at least 35 seats per row. We were in row ZA and there was still one row behind us. It means that the auditorium can comfortably seat more than 900 people! It was almost full once the performance began. Clearly, people in South Bengaluru are willing to pay ₹750 or ₹1000 (the price of the exclusive seats) for cultural performances! A good summary of the two day festival is available at https://www.radioandmusic.com/entertainment/editorial/news/250304-mahindra-percussion-festival-2025-artists.

We attended Day 2, which began with Snax, a duo from Chennai. Kanak spoke about how they admired Zakir Hussain, spending hours with his compositions, marvelling at his genius and application.

The performance began with the lights dimmed. Then, a red spotlight focussed on Kanak playing the drums. The effect was superb, a wonderful combination of music and light. As Sumesh joined Kanak on his mridangam, the light moved to highlight him. In the background in the space between them, a video with simple special effects showed them larger than life. There was a slight lag in the video; so I kept my eyes on the two performers live. It was an energetic performance. The two of them performed songs from their upcoming album. One of the songs sampled dialogues and music from old Tamil movies, which drew the most cheers. What was galling to me was that the song originally was hugely popular during my college days and here it was being termed as an old song! Kanak and Sumesh were drained after playing the drums continuously for an hour.

There was a well deserved break (for them!) after the hour was up. We went out where snacks were served. My wife picked up mushroom enchiladas while I settled for coffee. Of course, her choice was far better: the cappuccino I picked was only slightly hotter than lukewarm (I prefer my coffee really hot!) and unremarkable. I should have expected it: malls, airports and percussion shows are not places to savour good food - or coffee!

After the break, the next performance was "Beat Route" led by music composer and percussionist Ranjit Barot and director Roysten Abel. As we settled in to our seats, I saw six sets of musicians and instruments arranged on the stage. To my left on the back were three musicians clothed in dhoti and appearing to be from Kerala, two of them with chenda drums. In front of them were two musicians with pot like instruments. They also looked like they were from Kerala. Symmetrically opposite on the right were two musicians clothed in Rajasthani attire. Behind them were two other Rajasthani looking artists with drums. Between the Rajasthani and the Kerala artists in the centre of the stage sat a Rajasthani musician with  big drum. Behind him with a set of modern drums was Ranjit Barot, literally and figuratively at the centre of the show! Behind him was a screen that played a video through out the performance.

"Beat Route" is seen here.

Then the magic began! The musician on the left at the back began playing the "Elathalam". The elathalam looks like a pair of cymbals, made of bronze. The web page https://www.madhyamam.com/lifestyle/special-one/elathalam-or-ilathalam-musician-pallavoor-ragavappisharadi-lifestyle-news/2017 is in Malayalam which can be translated. It gives an idea about the instrument and one of its foremost exponents.

The tones of the elathalam rung out melodiously even as the spotlight focussed on the left, back. The two other artists with the elathalam expert picked up the melody playing the chenda drums. In the background the video on the screen indicated that the imaginary train on a musical journey was nearing "Chenda". The video showed the temples and landscape of Kerala. The tempo of the chenda drums increased and reached a crescendo. As it ended, all of us in the audience broke into an applause. This was just the beginning !

The spotlight shifted to the musicians in the left foreground. As the musicians started their performance, the video showed that we were approaching the next station called "Mizhavu". The two performers played on the pot like drums in front of them, called the mizhavu. http://www.keralaculture.org/mizhavu/138 has more information on the instrument. The rhythm of the drums set my heart racing! The lighting was managed well. The hands of the performers were highlighted in a different shade of light. We could see the artists' hands move as they played the mizhavu. In the background, the video described the life of the mizhavu artists and the way in which the instrument itself is made.

From there, the lights moved to the right and the front. The video announced that the next station was "Kartaal", an instrument from Rajasthan.The kartal or khartal or kartaal comprises two blocks of wood or iron that are struck together to "make a rhythm" which is in Hindi, literally "kar taal". I have seen pictures of saints like Sant Tukaram holding such instruments.

One of the musicians played the kartal wonderfully. The other musician picked up from him playing the "Morchang". I had a fundamental doubt when I saw the morchang. The musician held this instrument by his teeth and seemed to strike it. Wasn't this a string instrument rather than a percussion one? I didn't mind of course: the music was superb! As https://www.indianculture.gov.in/musical-instruments/ghan-vadya/morchang and https://youtu.be/SOYl0l4x-lw show, it is considered as a percussion instrument or a "ghan vaadya".

These were unusual sounds. The milder sounds of the kartaal and the morchang complemented the heavier thumps of the mizhavu that had played earlier. The transition from the mizhavu was smooth, marked by resounding applause from the audience. The next transition to the dhols played by the musicians in the back, on the right brought back the familiar sonorous thumps of drums. The dhol is more common, but the combined effect of the talent of the musicians, the acoustic arrangements and the lighting made the music special.

There were three more transitions. From the dhol, the focus moved to the centre of the stage, to the front. The video declared that we were approaching "Nagada". The nagada is described at https://www.indianculture.gov.in/musical-instruments/avanaddha-vadya/nagara and https://chandrakantha.com/music-and-dance/instrumental-music/indian-instruments/nagada/. It is one or two huge drums played with sticks. Proportionate to its relatively bigger size, even its sound seemed greater! As I mentioned, we were 27 rows away from the stage, but the effect of the nagada and the sound system made my seat vibrate. The experience was awesome !

The penultimate transition was to one of the creators of this show, Ranjit Barot who was in the back in the centre of the stage. He played the modern drums. In the background, the video showed Mumbai and clips from movies starring Padma Shree Sitara Devi, the mother of Ranjit Barot. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/music/news/My-mothers-responsible-for-my-musical-inclination-Ranjit-Barot/articleshow/19016127.cms describes Ranjit Barot's family. Art was part of their life. It showed in this evening's performance. Again, the segue from traditional music to the modern era was seamless. It felt like a logical progression. As Ranjit Barot finished, the applause rung out a little longer.

The video announced the final station "Ensemble". This was the proverbial icing on the cake. The music flowed from one section to another. Being in one of the last rows, I pointed out to my wife how many smartphones were taking videos of a memorable spectacle. Practically all of us had our phones out! I did take several short videos during the concert, but I could not appreciate the live event if I was doing that for a long time.

All of us felt that we were in the middle of something special. The musicians treated us to the melody of percussion instruments, ending in a lovely climax! At the end of the performance, the audience gave a standing ovation. Roysten Abel conceived the idea of "Beat Route". He came and introduced the artists. Ranjit Barot and he called out each other as brothers. The show ended on this note.

I have three more points to make: First, the video of "Beat Route" by Kabir Singh Chaudhary merits attention. It begins by using water as a theme that unites the musicians in Kerala playing the chenda and mizhavu and the musicians in Rajasthan playing the morchang and kartaal. The video shows the men in Kerala bathe in the river, pray and rehearse as do the musicians in Rajasthan. The complexity of instruments like the mizhavu and the morchang is brought out well. The hard work and dedication that art demands is captured in the video. There are images of drummers with thick, calloused fingers. A dance performer practices her mudras and dance, a family of musicians savour cups of tea together in Rajasthan ; the video gave me an idea of the sacrifice and commitment of such artists and musicians. The video is worth watching on its own, if you ask me. The trailer is available at https://youtu.be/1uTjAV0ERHw?si=-Hsw_rShQ6IRNpQh for viewing.

Second, my kudos go to the crew managing the lighting and sound in the Prestige Centre for Performing Arts. Whether it was the opening performance by Snax or the Beat Route experience, the lighting and sound arrangements highlighted the music of the percussion instruments.

Third, while I am a fan of the video played during the Beat Route performance, I did find it as a distraction at times. I would be listening to the nagada when an interesting clip in the video would grab my attention. For a few seconds, my listening pleasure was diverted. Perhaps, the video can be shown separately later instead!

As we left, I felt energized and glad about the evening. Probably, I would think twice if another such performance came up simply due to the excessive price of the tickets, but this evening was one where I felt that the experience was worth what I paid. Ustad Zakir Hussain would have liked it, I wish to believe. I can only thank all the performers of Day 2 of the Mahindra Percussion Arts Festival 2025 and the organizers of the event for an evening I will treasure.