If there’s any place on Earth that Sidd Coutto is happy, it’s probably on stage. From the early 2000s, the Mumbai artist shaped the sound and stories of Indian independent rock with seminal underground heroes Zero and Helga’s Fun Castle.

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Drawing from reggae to rock, funk and pop, Coutto gave Indian music its first stoner anthem of sorts when he wrote “Smoke Some Ganja” with Helga’s Fun Castle. But the shapeshifting didn’t stop there, with Coutto going on to launch solo projects, team up with the likes of Ankur Tewari and join hip-hop duo ViceVersa to prove that everywhere he went, he could be the party-starter.

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In the thick of it all, Coutto inserted life lessons, best heard on the no-frills-only-fun rock act Tough On Tobacco. With songs like “Happy,” “The Mayans Know” and “Big Big Joke,” the artist was mature, jokester and philosopher all rolled into one, and serving it up at festivals across the country.

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Coutto’s way with humor even made him comedian Vir Das’s go-to for the latter’s band Alien Chutney, but his strength remains being a bankable multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. A man for all seasons and stages.