NEW DELHI: Passengers at Kochi Airport were pleasantly surprised when they were treated to an impromptu musical performance by renowned Indian percussionist Sivamani at the airport. The incident took place on Wednesday as passengers waited for their luggage at the conveyor belt.
After a long 40-minute wait, with no sign of their bags, the 64-year-old musician, who happened to be a passenger on the same flight, decided to entertain his fellow travelers with his rhythmic artistry.Using his drumsticks, Sivamani skillfully played the beats of AR Rahman’s popular song ‘Humma Humma’ on the railings of the conveyor belt. A fellow passenger captured the heartwarming moment and shared it on a micro-blogging platform, where it quickly went viral.

Sheetal Mehta, expressing her delight in a post, said, “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,” The post went viral, accumulating over 4.5 lakh views and hundreds of comments from fans of the drummer.
Another user highlighted the significance of the artist, saying, “That’s not just any fellow passenger. That’s the legendary percussionist Sivamani sir. Lucky you guys get a live performance from him for free, and it’s humble of him that he didn’t throw any VIP tantrum of his own.”
One user remarked, “That’s Drums Sivamani. I would never complain, even if the flight is delayed for 12 hours.”
Many others echoed these sentiments, suggesting that such a unique spectacle is worth the inconvenience that Sivamani’s co-passengers had experienced.
Drums are not the only instruments in Sivamani’s repertoire, he also excels in playing the octoban, darbuka, udukai and kanjira. As a frequent collaborator with AR Rahman, the artist had his time in the spotlight while drumming for the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings in 2008 and 2010.