Sivamani (1 December 1959), commonly known by his stage name Drums Sivamani, is an Indian percussionist. He plays many instruments including drums, octoban, darbuka,

udukai The udukkai, udukai or udukku (Tamil language, Tamil: உடுக்கை) is a member of the family of membranophone percussion instruments of India and Nepal used in folk music and prayers in Tamil Nadu. The drums are an ancient design of ho ...

ghatam The ghaṭam ( sa, घटं ''ghaṭaṁ'', kan, ಘಟ ''ghaṭah'', ta, கடம் ''ghatam'', te, ఘటం ''ghatam'', ml, ഘടം, ''ghatam'') is a percussion instrument used in various repertoires across India. It's a varian ...

and

kanjira The kanjira, khanjira, khanjiri or ganjira, a South Indian frame drum, is an instrument of the tambourine family. As a folk and bhajan instrument, it has been used in India for many centuries. The kanjira's emergence in South Indian Carnatic ...

. He performed drumming during the IPL Championships in 2008 and 2010. He is affiliated with the

Chennai Super Kings Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 2008, the team plays its home matches at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The team is owned by India ...

team, but gained recognition through his role as

A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...

's lead percussionist. They have been close friends since childhood. In 2019, he was conferred with

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

Career

Sivamani is a

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

-based percussionist. He began drumming at the age of seven. Sivamani started his musical career at the age of 11, and later shifted to

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

. He was inspired by Noel Grant and

Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the ''Mode ...

. He has played for M.S.Viswanathan, K.V. Mahadevan,

Illayaraja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one o ...

and others. In 1990, he shared the stage with

at Mumbai's Rang Bhavan. He has stated that S. P. Balasubrahmanyam is his godfather. Sivamani's earliest experiments with music were with Carnatic maestros including Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, T. V. Gopalakrishnan, Valliyapatti Subramaniam and Pazhanivel, and L. Shankar. During the early stage of his career, he collaborated with T. Rajendar for many of his music compositions. Sivamani also appeared on screen for the song " Dhinam Dhinam Un Mugam" alongside Actor Anand Babu for the movie "Thangaikkor Geetham" directed by T. Rajendar. The

tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...

player

Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain ( ur, , link=no) is the name of: * Zakir Husain (politician), an Indian politician and former president of India * Zakir Hussain (actor), Bollywood actor * Zakir Hussain (field hockey) (1934–2019), Pakistani field hockey player * ...

invited him to share the stage with himself and Trilok Gurtu at a fusion concert in Mumbai. Sivamani has since collaborated with several musicians including

Louis Banks Louis Banks (born Dambar Bahadur Budaprithi on 11 February 1941) is an Indian film composer, record producer, keyboardist, and singer. He has often been referred to as the 'Godfather of Indian jazz'. He has done world tours with

and collaborated with him for ''

Bombay Dreams ''Bombay Dreams'' is a Bollywood-themed musical, with music by A. R. Rahman, lyrics by Don Black and the book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan, originally produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The London production opened in 2002 and ran for two ...

''. He has also been a part of a musical group called ''Shraddha'' which comprises

Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan (born 3 March 1967) is an Indian singer and composer who is part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio that writes music for Indian films. Personal life and early career Shankar Mahadevan was born in Chembur, Mumbai into a Tam ...

, Hariharan, U. Srinivas and Loy Mendonsa. Sivamani has a band called "Asia Electrik" with Niladri Kumar, Louiz Banks and Ravi Chari. He also plays at another world music band named "Silk & Shrada." Sivamani has played drums for many film score composers hailing from Tamil Nadu. He has played drums for many Indian films including '' Roja,'' ''

Rang De Basanti ''Rang De Basanti'' () is a 2006 Indian drama film written, produced and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and co-written by Rensil D'Silva. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Aamir Khan, Siddharth, R. Madhavan, Atul Kulkar ...

'','' Swades'', '' Taal'', ''

Lagaan ''Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India'' () is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language sports drama film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film was produced by Aamir Khan, who stars alongside debutant Gracy Singh and British actors Rachel Sh ...

'', '' Dil Se..'', ''

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan- Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...

'',''

Kabul Express ''Kabul Express'' is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language adventure film written and directed by documentary film maker Kabir Khan and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films was released on 15 December 2006. The film stars John Abraham, Arshad ...

'' and ''

Rockstar Rock Star or Rockstar may refer to: Films * ''Rock Star'' (2001 film), an American film starring Mark Wahlberg * ''Rockstar'' (2011 film), an Indian Hindi-language film by Imtiaz Ali * ''Rockstar'' (2015 film), an Indian Malayalam-language fi ...

'' . Some of the songs that he has contributed to include "Kadhal Rojave," "Pudhu Vellai Malai" '' Chaiya Chaiya'' and ''Nadaan Parinde''. sivamani has also acted in two Telugu films: ''

Padamati Sandhya Ragam ''Padamati Sandhya Ragam'' ( te, script=latn, Paḍamaṭi Sandhyārāgaṁ; ) is a 1987 Telugu-language drama film written and directed by Jandhyala. It stars Vijayashanti as Sandhya, a young Indian woman, and Thomas Jane as Chris, a white Ame ...

'' and ''

Sirivennela ''Sirivennela'' () is a 1986 Indian Telugu-language romance film written and directed by K. Viswanath. The film stars Suhasini, Sarvadaman Banerjee and Moon Moon Sen. The film has music composed by K. V. Mahadevan. The film won five Nandi A ...

''. He has also acted in the Hindi film ''

Madaari ''Madaari '' () is a 2016 Indian social thriller film directed by Nishikant Kamat. It is produced by Shailesh R Singh, Madan Paliwal, Sutapa Sikdar, and Shailja Kejriwal and co-produced by Nishant Pitti from Easemytrip. The film stars Irrfan Kha ...

'' (2016). sivamani has performed in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...

, Moscow, New York,

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor, it is home to m ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. During the Mumbai Festival 2005,

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...

India invited him to perform at the Limca Fresh Face 2005 event, where he created melody from

Limca Limca is an Indian multinational brand of lemon- and lime-flavoured carbonated soft drink made primarily in India and certain parts of the U.S. It contains 60 calories per 150ml can. The formula does not include fruit, relying instead on arti ...

bottles. He has also worked on ''Galli Galli Sim Sim'', an educational series on Pogo and

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

. He also composed music for the

ZEE5 ZEE5 is an Indian subscription video on-demand and over-the-top streaming service, run by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on Web, Andro ...

original film '' Atkan Chatkan'' (2020) where he worked alongside A. R. Rahman.

Awards

In 2009, Sivamani was conferred upon with the title of ‘Kalaimamani’ by the Tamil Nadu Government, which is the highest State Honour in the field of arts. In 2015, he was honoured with the ‘Best Instrumental Act’ at the prestigious Live Quotients Awards (LQA 2015). In 2019, Sivamani was conferred upon with the title of "Padma Shri" by the Government of India.

Albums

* ''Golden Krithis Colours'', (1994) a Carnatic Experimental album. BMG Crescendo (collaboration with A. S. Dilip Kumar ( A. R. Rahman), Zaakir Husain and Srinivasan and Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan) * ''Pure Silk'' (2000) * ''Krishna Krishna'', a club track released in UK, with Malayalam composer Rahul Raj. * ''Drums on Fire'' (2003). New Earth (collaboration with James Asher) * '' Kaash'' (first ghazal album with Hariharan) * ''Mahaleela'' (first individual album by Sivamani) * '' Arima Nambi'' (2014) * ''

Kanithan ''Kanithan'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by T. N. Santhosh and produced by S. Thanu. The film stars Atharvaa and Catherine Tresa. Sivamani composed the film's music. Having begun production in 20 ...

'' (2016) * ''

Amali Thumali K. S. Adhiyaman is an Indian film director and producer, who has directed Hindi and Tamil films. Career Adhiyaman apprenticed under director K. Vijayan for eight films in the late 1980s, before deciding to become a film maker. After beginning ...

'' (unreleased)

Filmography

* ''

''; Telugu (supporting actor) * ''

''; Telugu (cameo) * ''

''; Hindi (Drums Artist) * '' Arima Nambi''; Tamil (music director) * ''

''; Tamil (music director) * ''Mersal''; Tamil (Drums Artist) * ''

Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava ''Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava'' () is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Pooja Hegde and Jagapathi Babu. It revolves around Veera Raghava, a young m ...

''; Telugu (Drums Artist) * ''

Arjun Suravaram ''Arjun Suravaram'' is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film written and directed by T. Santhosh. The film stars Nikhil Siddharth and Lavanya Tripathi. It is produced by Rajkumar Akella, and presented by B. Madhu on the Movie Dynam ...

''; Telugu (producer for song "Che Guevara", beat reused from ''Kanithan'') * ''Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo''; Telugu for the single " Ramuloo Ramulaa"(Drums Artist) *''

Dehati Disco ''Dehati Disco'' () is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language dance film directed by Manoj Sharma and produced by Vaseem Qureshi, Gitesh Chandrakar, Kamal Kishor Mishra under the banner of Qureshi Productions Private Limited. The film revolves around ...

'' Hindi (music director)

References

External links

*
Sivamani Interview
NAMM Oral History Library, January 24, 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sivamani, Anandan Indian percussionists Kanjira players Tamil musicians Recipients of the Kalaimamani Award 1959 births Living people Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Musicians from Tamil Nadu Male actors in Telugu cinema