A Passenger’s Unplanned Performance at Kochi Airport An Impatient Traveler’s Lesson During Airline Delays

A charming occurrence occurred at Kochi airport among the frustrating routines of travelers dealing with delayed flights and airport hassles—a possible “lesson” for all those restless fliers. Unfazed by the boring and annoying luggage wait, renowned Indian drummer Sivamani turned the situation into an unplanned drumming session. The incident came to light after a video of the 64-year-old musician playing “Humma Humma” by AR Rahman from the 1995 movie “Bombay” with drumsticks on conveyor belt rails became viral on social media.

Sharing the video, a lady known only as ‘X’ user Sheetal Mehta—who had no idea who Sivamani was—talked about how a ‘fellow’ traveler had amused everyone waiting at the conveyor belt.

“We landed at Kochi airport forty minutes ago, and we are still waiting for our bags to come out,” the woman tweeted. We are being amused by a fellow traveler rather than becoming upset.

But as soon as the video went viral, it became clear that the “entertainer” was really Drums Sivamani, a well-known percussionist, and not just any random fellow traveler. Commenters quickly cleared up the misunderstanding and commended Sivamani for his spontaneous act. A user said, “Companion traveler? The wonderful Sivamani sir deserves all the honors and recognition that can be bestowed upon him. “I don’t think anyone would mind delays if Sivamani performed impromptu,” said another.

The admiration persisted with statements such as “Wow! Rarely does a delay in luggage turn into a memorable occasion. Sivamani is amazing! & “Remarkable drummer Sivamani, a longtime friend of AR Rahman, is your companion traveler. Sivamani is the drummer for most of AR Rahman’s well-known songs.

For those who don’t know, Indian percussionist Sivamani, better known by his stage name Drums Sivamani, plays a variety of instruments, such as the drums, octoban, darbuka, udukai, ghatam, and kanjira. As the principal drummer for A. R. Rahman, he rose to prominence and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2019. In 2008 and 2010, he also contributed drumming performances to the Indian Premier League (IPL).