Raja Chatrapati Singh Ju Deo of Bijna was a gentleman, mathematician, and chess expert. (Once, in 1982, he instantly identified the day of my birth from its date alone.) The son of great patrons of music, he learned pakhavaj in the silsila of Kudau Singh. Known for his magnificently-constructed solos in complex tals, and for the clarity and beauty of his sound, he was a man of unique talents. In this clip, Raja Sahib opens with a Ganesh shlok paran in chautal (12 counts). It is his own composition, one he adapted for different tals.