Intoxicated by rhythm: Siddharth Nagarajan talks about his musical journey

Born to a percussionist and rhythm programmer Nagarajan, Siddharth Nagarajan first played the drums when he was only a year old. It was only by accident that his father realised his potential.

He recalls, “My father also runs a company that manufactures percussion instruments. One day, they had laid a dhol made of animal hide to dry, and suddenly they heard someone playing a dandiya beat on it. My father found me, standing with two drumsticks in my hand, playing away to glory. I was a year old and could barely stand!” Nagarajan then custom-made a three-foot drum kit for Siddharth.

This youngster went on to win the title of India’s Youngest Drummer by the Limca Book of World Records when he was two-and-a-half years old. “I think I still hold the record,” he says.

He also holds the Guinness Record by the World Records University for playing the most number of beats on a snare drum in under a minute — the count stands at 2,164 beats. He says with a shy smile, “Well, what can I say?

He was also conferred with a doctorate for devising a new technique of playing the drums fast. Siddharth reminisces the time he spent in the company of Grammy award-winning Indian percussionist Vikku Vinayakram.

He recalls, “Luckily, I’ve never had any issues with any musician I have collaborated with. Be it Ilayaraja sir, Vikku Vinayakram sir, Sivamani — they’ve all been encouraging. In fact, I lived in Hyderabad for six years, but each time I’d visit Chennai, Vikku sir would invite me to stay over at his home. At around 2 am, I’d suddenly feel a slap on my back — he’d say, ‘wake up and listen to this rhythm’. And we’d end up playing some instrument for four hours, before I fell asleep again,” he recalls fondly.

It has been a busy year for Siddharth — he has been performing and collaborating on live shows with artistes and even visiting colleges and corporates for workshops.

“I hold workshops in colleges and corporates to teach them a certain team building exercise — each member in the audience is given a drum and I instruct them to play a beat along with me,” Siddharth says, adding, “According to me, this is what true music should be. I want to win over every audience I play in front of, rather than just bag awards or fame.”