Friendships are often built over common likes or dislikes. For maestros Taufiq Qureshi and Bickram Ghosh, it was the rhythm that drew them together. Born into legendary musical families that shaped their interests, they both sought out an inimitable style. Their latest, and surprisingly first-ever collaborative album, RamTa, released earlier this week is emblematic of this journey.

As for the long delay, Qureshi laughs as he recalls the line from the 1970s camp classic, Padosan, saying, “Jo jo jab jab hona hai, so so tab tab hota hai [Things happen when they have to happen].” The humour is a common theme between the two percussion artistes. Ghosh remarks, “I had wanted to do a percussion album for a long time. I popped the question, so to say. We not only had our legacies behind us, substantial and intimidating to us even today, but are also coming to the album with refined sonic sensibilities.”