A large crowd gathered at the Prestige Center of Performing Arts in Bengaluru on Saturday evening for the Mahindra Percussion Festival 2026 in association with The Hindu. The two-day festival, now in its fourth edition, brings together musicians and artists from different genres, showcasing the power of rhythm.

The theme of this edition of the festival is Pulse Within. The festival was started by famous Mridangist K Umayyapuram.

Naad Pravaham – Circle of Sound – led by Sivaraman. Born in 1935 in Thanjavur, he is a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

He was accompanied by his disciple, tabla player Ishan Ghosh, drummer Shravan Samsi and singer N. Hariharan was also there. “Age is just a number,” the 91-year-old man said as he took the stage.

“This is the 81st year of my career. Playing for Bengaluru is an important day for us because the crowd is very knowledgeable.

” The performance was inspired by the four C’s – Confluence, Creativity, Harmony and Connection. With Hariharan providing the Konakol, Carnatic-style improvised vocals, the performance was a spectacular showdown between the four musicians.

Free-flowing beats and rhythmic vocal improvisation were expertly led by Umayalpuram in a composed performance. Ishaan was particularly impressive on the tabla.

The program was set on a high note and ended with a power-packed Mrigandam act. After a short break, it was time for Mahesh Kale’s visit. Mahesh is an Indian-American classical singer, known for his expertise in Hindustani and devotional music.

“Through my concert, I want to give you the feeling of a pilgrimage. A pilgrimage to different saints in different parts of the country, in different languages”.

Yatra used devotional music from Maharashtra to ask the question, what is the spiritual path? It used shock and movement to explore the meaning of the infinite. The ensemble consisted of 12 musicians, playing instruments such as tabla, drum set, electric guitar, keyboard and harmonium, but the rhythm and rhythm led them.

The confluence of all the instruments and voices was a sensory thrilling experience. The second day of the festival will feature events such as Bikram Ghosh, Women Who Drum and Parai Awakens, a performance with the Parai, the ancient drum of Tamil Nadu.