BANGALORE: The rain and slush were little deterrent to the true spirit of music lovers in Bangalore, who flocked to Palace Grounds on 19 October to watch Sivamani and Mandolin Shrinivas as part of the Times Bangalore Festival.

Hundreds of fans gathered to witness the magic of the maestro of percussion, accompanied by the magician on the mandolin and the rain, if anything, only made the experience more magical. Sivamani has enthralled audiences across the globe for several years now and continues to do so. His charming ability to use just about any sonorous object to create infectious beats has been unmatched.

Sunday evening saw him use a variety of such objects including a suitcase and kitchen vessels. The audience was spellbound and overcome by an urge to dance. Mandolin virtuoso, U Shrinivas added his touch of melody and together, they sounded like a dream. Keyboardist Steven Devassy also added a layer of unobtrusive, yet necessary textures making it all sound like a coherent and harmonious orchestra.

The crowd was entertained with wellknown hits like A R Rahman's Humma Humma as well as a couple of Kannada tracks. Bangalore's Palace Grounds has not seen such fervour in a while now and one can only hope that music lovers continue to express such enthusiasm and support for musicians in the city, in spite of the dampening restrictions.