Ram Shankar Das "Pagal Das" (lit. "Crazy Das") of Ayodhya was a remarkable and knowledgeable musician with a distinctive pakhavaj style. Among other publications he was responsible for promoting the publication of Mridang-Tabla Prabhakar, a useful text with excellent material by one of his teachers, Bhagwan Das Mrdangacharya. Pagal Das co-wrote the second volume. He was known for his rushing style, inventive and unexpected twists and turns in his compositions, and an almost frenetic excitement in his playing. As a listener it is easy to share in his unbridled enthusiasm for his music. In this clip from a solo in chautal, he toys with the theka pattern, first presenting it in different lays, then building longer and longer parans from the material.

Swami Pagal Das received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1988.