Celebrating the beats of India on Mumbai Drum Day

The city witnessed an electrifying evening of rhythm and melody as Mumbai Drum Day 2025 returned for its seventh edition last evening (Friday, February 21, at St. Andrews Auditorium).
Ahead of the festival, we met the legendary percussionist Trilok Gurtu, drummer Gino Banks, and keyboardist Sangeet Haldipur for an exclusive shoot and chat at the iconic Gateway Of India.
Curated by drummer Gino Banks, MDD was dedicated to celebrating the versatility and dynamism of the drum set. This year’s theme, India Unlimited, showcased an eclectic mix of some of India’s finest drummers and percussionists, including Gino, Joshua Vaz, David Joseph, Suyash Gabriel, Jivraj Singh, and Manjunath Sattyasheel. Adding a melodic dimension to the high-energy performances was keyboardist Sangeet Haldipur. Leading the stage was Trilok Gurtu, a pioneer in percussion who has influenced generations with his fusion of global rhythms.

Reflecting on the festival’s inspiration, Gino said, “Trilok ji created a different, unique sound with drums. Nobody played like that—strong, authentic, African, Brazilian music. No one had heard that before. It influenced all of us. There’s an MDD today because of seeing him play at various festivals. As a young musician, I wished for India to have a set like this.”
Performing at MDD for the first time, Sangeet said, “It’s great to celebrate drums in a big way like this because it is generally known to be a supporting instrument. I feel drums can be heard on their own for hours.”
For Trilok Gurtu, MDD was about more than just percussion. Speaking passionately about music’s role in India, he shared, “Music is an incredibly powerful medium, a vehicle to reach the divine. You can’t stop music, it is Chaitanya. It’s very hard to explain how it is so powerful.”
Recounting his early struggles, he recalled being dismissed as an outlier when he first experimented with unconventional techniques. “I was a teenager when I used to play here—Slip Disk, a disco in Colaba, in the ’60s. Later, I played tabla when it had little respect. Thanks to Zakir Bhai, tabla eventually zoomed ahead. What he did for tabla was extraordinary. My music was not understood here. People called me ‘ghati’ because I was the only Maharashtrian playing unusual drums. But criticism only cleanses the ego, and now those same critics, praise me!”
He also reflected on his time working with Bollywood legends RD Burman and Asha Bhosle, sharing how a tour to the US and Canada helped him finance his education at Berklee College of Music—an institution that initially rejected him. “They threw me out! I vowed I’d be back. Years later, they invited me for a workshop as they were using my music. I told the audience, ‘Someone like you kicked me out years ago. Thank you for that, otherwise, I would have been like one of you. Tocha borobar!’”