He sets the drums on fire. He has been written about again and again. And his name is synonymous with percussion.

And when Sivamani performed at the Hotel Grand Ashok on Sunday, those cliched descriptions took a whole meaning and dimension.

In the city as part of Navaratri festivities, Sivamani left the audience asking for more after delivering a power-packed performance.

The audience were stunned by his enthralling beats and Sivamani closed his eyes many a time while performing as if he was immersing in the music.

He arrived in his own trademark style, sat on a corner of the stage with a few brass trinkets making music out of it too. From there onwards, it was indeed magic with fingers. Years of experience with different kinds of instruments and many a great name in music was only too visible.

Men, women and children played dandiya to build up the mood of the event, Drums and Sticks- A Sivamani- Disco Dandiya Extravaganza organised by ‘What you see is what you get’ , before Sivamani arrived.

Talking to Deccan Herald earlier, Sivamani said his performances are always spontaneous. "On my way from the airport,  I saw a boy selling balls with lights on it. If you hit it, lights will burn. So I am going to use it on the drums today." he said

And he is performing for dandiya after a span of 20 years. Sivamani does not think it as a challenge but as a celebration. "There is rhythm in everything. I look  at the spot  and the surrounding areas and decide what I want to play,” he said.

As for the Bangalore audience, he finds the audience the same everywhere. “Some energetic playing will be the finale,” he says. Sivamani, who is all for music reality shows,  says he has found great talent in these participants. As for practising in spite of his tours, he says, "Once you jump into the ocean, you have to swim.

The same goes for all art.." And he has been swimming against the tides when he began it all when there was no TV, no reality shows.

"The show is all about sharing your music and life is full of rhythm." Which he certainly did on on Sunday evening in tune with the festivities.