Sivamani and Kala Ramnath kick off this discussion with a musical jamming session to arrive at ideas for their upcoming performance, set to take place tomorrow. Meeting us at a five-star restaurant, the drummer turns every piece of metal — plates, vessels and spoons — into an instrument. Perpetually in his element as drummer, he finds an apt companion in Ramnath, who beautifully weaves her voice to match his beats. Ramnath, whose compositions have earned Grammy nominations, counts veterans like TN Krishnan and N Rajam, as family. And even though they may not have blood ties, she commences this conversation with a question for her "Anna".

Kala Ramnath: When you play in different parts of the world, [I'm sure] the audience is never the same. How do you gauge the audience and alter [your set]?
Sivamani: First, I put a bit of my masala, and try to [decipher] which rhythm they are reacting to. Once, in Rishikesh, during a yoga festival that [I perform at] every year, [I rendered] an alaap, and the audience began to dance to it. So, it became a dance party. No matter how much I altered my rhythm, they danced. So, we have to adapt. We can't tell them to sit and watch.