In recent days, air travelers in India have faced significant disruptions to their plans, with widespread flight delays and cancellations causing widespread chaos. The main reason behind this turmoil was adverse weather conditions, especially dense fog, due to which more than a hundred flights faced delays or cancellations due to severely poor visibility. Amid the usual gloom that accompanies such travel disruptions, passengers at Kochi airport were treated to an unexpected and heartening surprise. The incident reportedly happened on Wednesday, when passengers were anxiously waiting for their luggage on the conveyor belt, leaving them waiting for 40 minutes already with no trace of their bags.

However, this mundane situation took a happy turn when 64-year-old renowned Indian percussionist Shivamani, a fellow passenger on the same flight, decided to bring a little joy to the scene.

Skillfully using his drumsticks on the railing of the metal conveyor belt, Shivamani gave a spontaneous performance to the waiting passengers, playing the tune of AR Rahman’s popular Humma Humma song. A fellow passenger captured the impromptu concert on video and shared it on micro-blogging platform X (formally known as Twitter).

“It’s been 40 minutes since we landed at Kochi airport and we’re still waiting for our bags to come out,” wrote X user Sheetal Mehta. Instead of getting excited, we are entertained by a fellow traveler.

The video quickly went viral. Check it out here:

This sentiment resonated with Internet users who watched the video, and praised the artist for turning ordinary airport delays into a memorable and enjoyable experience for his co-passengers.

Online reactions were full of delight as users appreciated Shivamani’s humility and talent. Some users also corrected the description of Shivamani as a “fellow traveller”, and emphasized his renowned status as a percussionist.

“That is Shivamani. You are blessed. Enjoy the delay,” one user wrote.

“That is Drumsivamani. Another said, even if there is a delay of 12 hours, I will never complain.

More comments poured in expressing appreciation for Shivamani’s impromptu performance, with one user saying, “Sivamani is playing…if he doesn’t stop playing, the bags will never come out…because even the staff can’t hear it. Will be busy! Privilege to witness the legend! No doubt no one was excited by the delay, hahaha.”

The appreciation continued, highlighting the positive impact of Shivamani’s unexpected concert on airport delays. One user commented, “If Shivamani is playing, I can wait for 4 hours for the bag,” while another said, “How do we ensure that we travel with Shivamani too so that these delays are painful.” May it not happen.”

Shivamani, also known by his stage name Drums Shivamani, is an accomplished percussionist. Shivamani, who is skilled in playing various musical instruments including drums, octoban, darbuka, udukai, ghatam and kanjira, was awarded the prestigious title of Padma Shri in 2019.