SUNDAY Spl ::::: Bengali folk 'Baul songs' enthrall Delhi audience ::: Baul Music can give a stage where religious belief and Pluralism stand side by side

 The musical number - 

আমার নাম কালো কৃষ্ণ বেদে।
আমার ঘর বাড়ি নাই, 

Aamar Naam Kalo Krishno Bede/ Aamar Ghor Barie Nai ... and a few others mesmerized a sizable Delhi audience.  

I have no home, no dwelling of my own, 

I wander from place to place; I catch snakes in forests, jungles and lakes

— My name is Kalo Krishno, the Bede. 

Most of those in the audience were north Indians. They might have had challenges in understanding word to word the heart-touching lyrics; nevertheless the power of Music is always universal. This definition comes to the fore more easily and 'emotionally powerful' with Baul songs.   

This variety of folk songs from West Bengal as well as Bangladesh is anchored in the “man of the heart”, a mystical theme that represents inner selves. -- “Moner Manush” !! 

The singer of the evening was Nilkanta Das from Tripura. The show was organised by a group of social workers - mostly women from India and also Bangladesh. 

The show was the valedictory session of Taanabana. The three-day exhibition of 'embroidery' dealt with rebellion-variety messages on women empowerment. What does a woman feel inside a bus ... that has not reached the destination or a roadside toilet on time ? 

Does human existence clash with the spirit of the Moner Manush along the international borders ?  

"We do not claim that embroidery undoes what borders do", says one of the organisers. 

Coming back to our focus area about Baul songs; Nilkanta says: "A Baul song is essentially connected to roots ... I sing songs those speak about human existence .. about nature, body, mind and land". 

As practical but often pessimistic as it may sound, this world is ravaged by greed and conflicts. 

Baul songs can offer some answers .. while taking its followers to the world of mysticism, peace and universalism. 

Interacting with the blogger - Nilkanta explains rather shyly :

"The Baul songs are grounded in Hindu bhakti movements and Sufism of Islam.. You can have a stage where a strong religious belief and the spirit of pluralism can stand side by side".  

Dr Nilkanta 

Mesmerized by the lyrics .... in effect after a long gap of a few decades; --my last exposure to a fest of Baul lyrics and music was in the late eighties in Shillong - I did some surfing on net.  

I discover the protagonist Lalon Shah, an influential icon in the Baul movement in Bangaldesh, who had highlighted the significance of  humanity first in his number - 

“manush bhojle shonar manush hobi”,

Blogger and the Baul singer 

There is another. Baul Rashid Uddin’s “Manush dhoro Manush bhojo”  (focus on man, worship thy man) == 

the lyricist urges people to put humans first because God can be found in humanity alone. 

Born in 1933 in Birbhum district, West Bengal, India, Purna Das Baul Samrat is considered a legend. 

In 2013, the UPA regime had conferred upon him the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian award.  

As a matter of fact,  Dr Rajendra Prasad, first President of India, had acknowledged Purna Das as the 'Baul Samrat' way back in 1967.

The underlining messages of Baul songs find similarities in the spirit of the poems (dohas) of Kabir.  

ends