As the spotlight fell on the Mylapore Fine Arts Club stage on July 18, performers were seen carrying paint buckets, empty cartons, metal pipes, washing machine tubes, water cans and a car wheel, leaving the audience intrigued.

Moments later, these everyday objects transformed into percussion instruments. As the beats fell into perfect sync, one of the best performances of the evening came alive, sweeping the audience away with its rhythm.

“The piece was inspired by three of the five elements of nature – Earth, Water and Air,” said S Muralikrishnan, also known as Drums Murali, the curator of the show and the founder of the institute Jus Drums.

From Ilaiyaraaja’s ‘En Jodi Manja Kurivi’ to AR Rahman’s ‘Yaakkai Thiri’, the students of this institute, celebrating their 24th annual day, performed a series of 11 pieces. Explaining the selection of songs, Murali said, “I care about the musicality of the songs. This is besides other aspects like whether they will leave an impact on both the students performing them and the audience listening.”

In between performances, scenes from the films Poovizhi Vasalile and Tik Tik Tik were screened on mute as the musicians recreated the films’ soundtracks live using drums and percussion. As a tribute to late singer S Janaki who died on July 11, students played the song ‘Etho Mogam’ from the film Kozhi Koovuthu too — a moving tribute.

From Ilaiyaraaja’s ‘En Jodi Manja Kurivi’ to AR Rahman’s ‘Yaakkai Thiri’, the students of this institute, celebrating their 24th annual day, performed a series of 11 pieces. 
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Special arrangements

Usha Uthup’s ‘Ramba Ho’ had the audience singing along, and hands flew up in the air when the artistes asked for Vijay fans in the crowd. Soon after, ‘Appadi Podu’ from the film Gilli took over the soundscape of the hall.

The chief guest of the show, Padma Bhushan awardee and eminent singer Sudha Ragunathan was enthralled by the show and communicated the same to the audience who watched her speak. Soon, requests to perform poured in, prompting a couple of lines from a Carnatic song.

Murali has been training students aged between six and 75. “It is always enjoyable to work with Murali because he is understands the needs of students across different age groups. He gives each one the attention they require and can be accommodating when my work clashes with practice sessions,” says VP Rajan, one of the performers at the event.

“For my son, learning the drums has become a stress buster. It has also helped him stay calm, focused and grounded,” says Poornima Narasimhan, a parent of a performer, who adds that all performances on stage showcased unbridled passion.

Repeating patterns

Such a musical night is not rare for Murali and his students. Although Murali has been teaching drums since 1999, he founded Jus Drums in 2003. Since then, around 2,500 students have trained under him. He recalls that requests from audience members encouraged him to start teaching.

Over the years, Murali has shared the stage with several musical legends including KJ Yesudas, AR Rahman, Usha Uthup and Shankar Mahadevan.

He says, preparations for the annual concert took nearly a month, with different batches of students rehearsing every evening. Though the process was exhausting, he adds that he would gladly do it all over again. “I constantly work on improving my musicality and believe in passing on everything I learned to my students, helping them become the best.”

Published - July 22, 2026 04:50 pm IST