Ramshankar Das ‘Pagaldas’: The Great Pakhavajee of Ayodhya

One of the leading light of the Awadhi tradition of pakhavaj (the Kudau Singh Gharana), Pagaldas was a master artiste, who belonged to an unbroken chain of ascetic-musicians. Baiju Bawara’s guru Swami Haridas is the best known proponent of this school, Baba Alauddin Khan being the other. In contemporary terms, Pagaldas was in the same class as Bismillah Khan (shehnai) and Pannalal Ghosh (flute).

Born on August 15, 1920, near Deoria, Ramshankar Das was unusual child with a strong interest in music and acting, a trait frowned upon in rural upper-caste families even now. He first learnt tabla under the late Nepal Singh Pitawans of Patna and then mridang under Swami Bhagwandasji, Baba Thakur Dasji and Shri Ram Mohini Sharanji. Later, he trained with Pandit Santsharan ‘Mast’ in tabla. Panditjee advised his young disciple to adopt ‘pagal (crazy)’ as his Nome-de-plume to write his verses. The pen-name stuck to the poet-musician.

A staunch devotee of Hanuman, Pagaldas spent his life at the Hanumat Vishwakala Sangeet Ashram in the Pramodvan locality of Ayodhya composing for Holi, Sawan, along with kajari and jhoola, songs that celebrate the incidents in the life of Ram (most of these verses are collected as an anthology ‘Rasna Rasayan’); practicing and teaching music. He lived the life of an ascetic but was active in Ayodhya’s social life often essaying the roles of Tulsidas or kevat in the Ramlila. He also contributed to the field of music as a lecturer and examiner, and respected commentator. Pagaldas was instrumental in the Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Akademi’s decision to organise Dhrupad festivals to commemorate his guru

Swami Bhagwandas Mridangacharya. He wrote Mridang Tabla Prabhakar, Tabla Kaumudi (prescribed university level textbooks) and ‘Bol Paran Sangrah’, a collection of pakhawaj parans. He also wrote an unpublished play ‘Ramabhinay’ on the life of lord Ram and a number of dohas (couplets).

To honour his contribution to music, the national Sangeet Natak Akademi awarded Pagaldas. The UP Sangeet Natak Akademi too announced its Ratna membership for him in 1995. Perhaps the last giant of the Sanatani Rasik Bhakti tradition of Ayodhya, Pagal Das’s music was a luminous gem of pure Margi (classical) music, some of it is conserved in the archives of AIR, SNA and Doordarshan. The recording companies never got their hands on the recluse’s music. He breathed his last on 20 January, 1997, in Ayodhya