Waiting can sometimes be execrable, testing one’s patience level, and airports are notorious for making people wait. But what happened at Kochi airport was a refreshing sight. Departing from the usual frustration and agitation that come hand in hand with flight delays and cancellation, passengers at the airport found themselves lucky enough to watch a mini concert by renowned percussionist Sivamani, as they waited for their delayed baggage arrival.
Sivamani did an impromptu performance by using his drum stick on the railing of the conveyor belt and drum up beats of A R Rahman’s “Humma Humma”, from a 1995 film Bombay.
It’s been 40 minutes since we landed at Kochi airport and we are still waiting for our bags to come out. Instead of getting agitated we are getting entertained by a fellow passenger. pic.twitter.com/DJXe3rjFZZ
— Sheetal Mehta (@SheetalMehta) January 17, 2024
One of the passengers named Sheetal Mehta posted on her X (formerly twitter) account by saying that, “its been 40 minutes since we landed at Kochi airport and we are still waiting for our bags to come out. Instead of getting agitated we are getting entertained by a fellow passenger”.
After watching her post, X users were quick to point out that it is not any “fellow passengers”, but the “legend himself”.
“I would be very happy to get my luggage late if the legendary @drumssivamani were to enthrall like he did to lucky Sheetal and her co-passengers. More power to him as we need more such public places,” wrote Naandi Foundation’s CEO Manoj Kumar.
Another user said, “The great Shivamani, not just an amazing percussionist but good human being as well”. Other named Teddy asked “Sivamani? The legend himself?”. Another said, “Lucky all.. Free concert. Without paying anything”.
Indian air travellers are facing delays in recent days, which mainly comes from the unprecedented fog situation in Delhi and other parts of north India, reducing the visibility at the runway often. Over hundreds of flights are delayed and several others cancelled in Delhi due to the situation.
Sivamani is commonly known by his stage name Drums Sivamani. He is the lead percussionist of music maestro A R Rahman. Sivamani is a big name in bringing Indian rhythms to global attention through his various collaborations with A R Rahman. Indian government awarded him with Padma Shri in 2019.
Apart from drums, the “fastest drummer” also plays octoban, darbuka, ghatam, and kanjira. Sivamani is a big name in bringing Indian rhythms to global attention through his various collaborations with A R Rahman, who have been his friend since childhood. Iconic Indian songs like Chaiyya Chaiyya, Kaadhal Rojave, and Pudhu Vellai Malai had contributions from Sivamani. He also worked played drums for films like, Taal, Lagaan, Guru, Kabul Express, Rang De Basanti, and Rockstar.