The sounds of dhol tasha are in the air as neighbourhood groups gear up for the upcoming festival season, practising beats traditional and new. Percussion has long been woven into India’s cultural fabric, but a new wave is building. This time, it’s the emotionally charged Western drumming that’s capturing the imagination of a generation searching for ways to cope, connect, and rebel. For Eric Misal, an 18-year-old science student and session drummer in Mumbai, picking up the sticks wasn’t a calculated decision — it was visceral. “The sound of dhol and tasha, that thundering vibration that hits your chest, it’s a different feeling. I knew I had to learn it.”

Eric Misal. PIC COURTESY/ERIC MISAL

Part of this rhythm revolution is the Bombay Drum School (BDS), an institution offering structured, notation-based drumming education. Founded by Akoi (who goes by a single name), a self-taught drummer, BDS was built on a gap he noticed while growing up. “There were schools for tabla, keyboards, vocals — but nothing serious for drums,” he says.