Google on Tuesday honoured tabla maestro Lachhu Maharaj on his 74th birth anniversary with a doodle. Born as Lakshmi Narayan Singh on October 16, 1944, in the city of Benaras in Uttar Pradesh, the musician was one of the most popular tabla players of all times. Lachhu Maharaj was fourth in twelve siblings. His father's name was Vasudev Maharaj.

The music maestro was trained in tabla from a young age and even showcased his talent overseas. The doodle shows Lachhu Maharaj at the table in a simple yet beautiful doodle in the colours of Google. He was conferred with the 1957 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the highest award for performing artists, which is given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Indias National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama. Happy Birthday Ustad Zakir Hussain: We Can't Stop Listening to the Tabla Maestro.

He was a part of the Benaras Gharana- one of the six most common styles of playing the tabla, which was developed nearly 200 years ago. Along with being known for his performances, he also appeared in a number of films. The tabla maestro was nominated for a Padma Shri, but he refused to accept the award.

Know more about Lachhu Maharaj here:

Lacchu Maharaj passed away in July 2016 in Varanasi due to a prolonged illness at the age of 72 and was cremated on Manikarnika Ghat. His death was condoled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Classical singer Girija Devi had said that his death was an irreparable loss.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 16, 2018 09:08 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).