What is a pakhawaj?

A pakhawaj is a double-headed barrel drum, the main percussion instrument of dhrupad. Craftsmen carve the shell from a single block of jackwood or tun wood, and braided leather lacing holds the two heads. The player sits cross-legged with the drum across the lap: the right hand plays pitched strokes on the treble head, and the left strikes the bass head and presses it to bend the pitch. The drum predates the tabla by several centuries. Players who shaped it include Kudau Singh and Nana Saheb Panse, who founded teaching lines, and, in recent decades, Raja Chhatrapati Singh and Bhavani Shankar. Aditya Dip plays pakhawaj with KalaSudha.