Ramesh Shotham was born in Madras, South India. After graduating from Loyola College, University of Madras with a degree in zoology, he began his musical career as a self-taught drummer, co-leading a Rock band called 'Human Bondage'.
Since 1980, Shotham has lived and worked in Europe, and is recognized as one of the most successful percussionists around. He has performed not only with leading European and American Jazz and Rock musicians, but also with artists from Africa, Australia, China, Korea and several Arabic countries. During the last 20-odd years, Shotham has recorded over 120 LPs and CDs and has worked for almost all the leading TV and Radio stations in Germany and Europe.
His son Keshav Purushotham is also a musician.