'Ektara Foundation'
Preservation of Baul & Folk Music of Bengal and India
Indian Music
Inspiring a New Generation
BAUL IS an ORAL and INTANGIBLE
CULTURAL HERITAGE of HUMANITY
UNESCO 2005
Preservation of Baul & Folk Music of Bengal and India
Indian Music
Inspiring a New Generation
BAUL IS an ORAL and INTANGIBLE
CULTURAL HERITAGE of HUMANITY
UNESCO 2005
Donations accepted via PayPal account
[email protected]
Smallest amount helps!
Thank You
or
PLEASE CONTACT
BABU KISHAN
To arrange a fundraising concert or lectures, workshop on Baul or Indian Music.
[email protected]
Why donate?
To the "Ektara Foundation"
First Let's
Discover
Vaishnava Baul is an oral Sanskrit tradition, the stories are recorded in the songs. The whole Bhagavad Gita is one song. Baul starts with Radha and Krishna 5000 years ago. Babu is the eldest son of Purna Das Baul and the late Manju Dasi. He was raised by Sri Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and Brajabala Dasi in Siri Birbhum until age 8, then moved to Calcutta and spent 12 years at the Ramakrishna Mission.
Manju Dasi his mother is the first Women Baul to travel the world starting back in the 1960's until the mid 2000's she traveled every corner of the globe and performed on every stage, her story is truly what legends are made of. Manju was an extremely talented Folk musician, an HMV/EMI and Polydor artist.
Manju was the first Female Baul (Baulini) and perhaps the only to date to be a"A class female Baul singer in India" she was the first Baul to introduce Harmonium to Baul, before her the Bauls did not use the harmonium. Manju was the first Baul to introduce official Lalon Fakir songs to Radio, TV, recordings and film.
Brajabala Dasi and Radharani Dasi were 'Baul Women Guru's' who taught all the women. The people who are fundraising to preserve Baul do not mention and deleted their names , this is Cultural Appropriation, they are talking like they are the ones who discovered Baul and saying they are from a Baul lineage, making up stories and cheating people in the name of Baul. The Vaishnava Bauls of Birbhum are the roots of Baul, they are a spiritual tradition but at the same time they are Folk history of Bengal.
Without mentioning the names of this family there is no Baul there is no other lineage (period). Why because they are history and the only lineage, the rest is just made up stories, trying to take the stories of this tradition, their stories, their songs deleting the names and making up your own. This is Cultural Appropriation.
Today it has become fashionable to say that you are preserving the Bauls? The Bauls are already preserved Babu Kishan and his family and their ancestors have preserved their tradition for thousands of years. The songs are already recorded. Everything is stored away safely from all that is going on today. Perhaps they knew this day would come and if they did not protect what belongs to them it would be taken. To the New Baul singers, how can you preserve what does not belong to you. How can you preserve Folk Music when you have no roots in it or education from inside the tradition or other wise.
Now let's WORK
Preserve
Folk Music of India and Bengal must be preserved by someone who understands Folk Music and Baul a person who is a EXPERT in this area, who understand, who is a poet and has composed and composed Bengali Folk Music and Folk Music of India.
Krishnendu Das Baul aka Babu Kishan is an expert in the Folk Music of Bengal and India. He was a Music consultant during the 1980's for CBS India and Manager A&R, he was specifically hired to categorize all of India's Folk and Classical Music because he is an expert Master of Indian Music. Babu Kishan is a Master of Indian Folk and Indian Classical as a Music Composer and Master of Indian Music he has personally produced Indian Music since the 1970's. He has produced 45 albums and 150 Indian Musical Scores.
Babu Kishan has traveled throughout India hundreds of times with Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and his family singing Baul Mystic Music and playing on all the largest stages in India and around the world.
The Vaishnava Bauls are known as the wandering rural Bengali street singers. Babu Kishan and his pioneering family brought Baul out of the villages of Bengal to India and the world. Babu Kishan was born in Suri Bengal a village, into an ancient Lineage of Folk and Mystical Music. He was awarded the Youngest Music Composer of Bengal during the 1970's.
Babu Kishan is a multi instrumentalist playing 15 instruments.
He has been recording and preserving the folk music of India for 40 years. Born on the soil and soul of Bengal into a ancient Vaishnava Baul family, with a Masters degree from Calcutta University in Folk Music.
Babu Kishan has recorded, produced, promoted
through India's top Music Labels the biggest Folk Musicians of India including,
Dr. Bhupen Hazarika
Purna Das Baul
Manju Das
Gostho Gopal
Aarti Mukerjee
Sapna Awasthi
SapnaChakroborty
Amar Pal
Allan Fakir
Abida Parveen
Sharada Sinha
Anuradha Paudwal
Hemlata
Mahendra Kapoor
Phalguni Pahak
Daiyanti Bai
Mshola
Gopa Bose
and many more.
BabuKishan is the only one of the very few living authentic oral Sanskrit authorities alive today regarding the Bauls from inside the tradition who is also, a Scholar . He is a pioneer in preserving Baul and no Baul would have songs to sing if he and his family had not recorded all back in the 1950, onward. Today fake Bauls are singing their songs recorded in the 1960's and as if they are the writer of the song. Not only that there are some who are putting other poets names on songs that were recorded by this family long ago.
Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das is starting to speak now because he is seeing a prolific amount of mis-information on Baul by the many scholars, PhDs, new Bauls singers and writers who are lacking information in what the authentic Baul lineage is really about, they are making it us as they go, copy and paste over and over. Each day he see's another story or more speculation on who the Bauls are, it is has become the biggest joke to those that know this family and friend and well wisher of this Baul Lineage. You must know there is no other lineage of Baul.
IT'S UP TO US
Change
True knowledge and wisdom from the real Folklore, the real authentic Folk traditions comes from understanding the music and languages of the land.
It has to start from the people who have lived the traditions, outsiders can not understand because they do not have an understanding of the deep culture of the land. They do not understand how the people of the land think, it is easy today to take pictures and copy and paste all sorts. We live in a world of internet Guru's who have not lived the tradition.
We must bring out the real and give the real a voice. Support our Folk Traditions at the ground level.
There are other Folk traditions without a voice.
We must support this silent voice.
The true authentic hidden away in the cracks that have the true stories and these stories are not being preserved or told, today anybody can say anything.
There are too many using the stories of this lineage taking the names off and making up new stories in the name of preserving Baul?
It is too easy for others to lay claim to what can Never be owned and say well you did not copy right your songs? It is too easy to make excuses as to why you do not know where the songs have come from and who wrote the songs. The ones who have held, and preserved their folk traditions now to only see them watered down and reduced.
Cultural Appropriation is a real issue and needs to be acknowledged.
The stories of the soul and soil of the land need to be respected.
SUPPORT/DONATE
This is Babu Kishan's Work in this lifetime, to him WORK is Worship and he has been dedicated all his life to preserving Baul and Folk Music !
This is a lineage and the lineage of Baul who brought Baul to the world.
Babu Kishan is the pioneer.
To help with the authentic preservation of this ONE and ONLY 'Lineage of Vaishnava Baul'.
The roots of Baul from Birbhum Bengal India.
The preservation and history of Indian Folk Music by someone who is actually qualified to preserve Indian Music.
To the "Ektara Foundation"
First Let's
Discover
Vaishnava Baul is an oral Sanskrit tradition, the stories are recorded in the songs. The whole Bhagavad Gita is one song. Baul starts with Radha and Krishna 5000 years ago. Babu is the eldest son of Purna Das Baul and the late Manju Dasi. He was raised by Sri Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and Brajabala Dasi in Siri Birbhum until age 8, then moved to Calcutta and spent 12 years at the Ramakrishna Mission.
Manju Dasi his mother is the first Women Baul to travel the world starting back in the 1960's until the mid 2000's she traveled every corner of the globe and performed on every stage, her story is truly what legends are made of. Manju was an extremely talented Folk musician, an HMV/EMI and Polydor artist.
Manju was the first Female Baul (Baulini) and perhaps the only to date to be a"A class female Baul singer in India" she was the first Baul to introduce Harmonium to Baul, before her the Bauls did not use the harmonium. Manju was the first Baul to introduce official Lalon Fakir songs to Radio, TV, recordings and film.
Brajabala Dasi and Radharani Dasi were 'Baul Women Guru's' who taught all the women. The people who are fundraising to preserve Baul do not mention and deleted their names , this is Cultural Appropriation, they are talking like they are the ones who discovered Baul and saying they are from a Baul lineage, making up stories and cheating people in the name of Baul. The Vaishnava Bauls of Birbhum are the roots of Baul, they are a spiritual tradition but at the same time they are Folk history of Bengal.
Without mentioning the names of this family there is no Baul there is no other lineage (period). Why because they are history and the only lineage, the rest is just made up stories, trying to take the stories of this tradition, their stories, their songs deleting the names and making up your own. This is Cultural Appropriation.
Today it has become fashionable to say that you are preserving the Bauls? The Bauls are already preserved Babu Kishan and his family and their ancestors have preserved their tradition for thousands of years. The songs are already recorded. Everything is stored away safely from all that is going on today. Perhaps they knew this day would come and if they did not protect what belongs to them it would be taken. To the New Baul singers, how can you preserve what does not belong to you. How can you preserve Folk Music when you have no roots in it or education from inside the tradition or other wise.
Now let's WORK
Preserve
Folk Music of India and Bengal must be preserved by someone who understands Folk Music and Baul a person who is a EXPERT in this area, who understand, who is a poet and has composed and composed Bengali Folk Music and Folk Music of India.
Krishnendu Das Baul aka Babu Kishan is an expert in the Folk Music of Bengal and India. He was a Music consultant during the 1980's for CBS India and Manager A&R, he was specifically hired to categorize all of India's Folk and Classical Music because he is an expert Master of Indian Music. Babu Kishan is a Master of Indian Folk and Indian Classical as a Music Composer and Master of Indian Music he has personally produced Indian Music since the 1970's. He has produced 45 albums and 150 Indian Musical Scores.
Babu Kishan has traveled throughout India hundreds of times with Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and his family singing Baul Mystic Music and playing on all the largest stages in India and around the world.
The Vaishnava Bauls are known as the wandering rural Bengali street singers. Babu Kishan and his pioneering family brought Baul out of the villages of Bengal to India and the world. Babu Kishan was born in Suri Bengal a village, into an ancient Lineage of Folk and Mystical Music. He was awarded the Youngest Music Composer of Bengal during the 1970's.
Babu Kishan is a multi instrumentalist playing 15 instruments.
He has been recording and preserving the folk music of India for 40 years. Born on the soil and soul of Bengal into a ancient Vaishnava Baul family, with a Masters degree from Calcutta University in Folk Music.
Babu Kishan has recorded, produced, promoted
through India's top Music Labels the biggest Folk Musicians of India including,
Dr. Bhupen Hazarika
Purna Das Baul
Manju Das
Gostho Gopal
Aarti Mukerjee
Sapna Awasthi
SapnaChakroborty
Amar Pal
Allan Fakir
Abida Parveen
Sharada Sinha
Anuradha Paudwal
Hemlata
Mahendra Kapoor
Phalguni Pahak
Daiyanti Bai
Mshola
Gopa Bose
and many more.
BabuKishan is the only one of the very few living authentic oral Sanskrit authorities alive today regarding the Bauls from inside the tradition who is also, a Scholar . He is a pioneer in preserving Baul and no Baul would have songs to sing if he and his family had not recorded all back in the 1950, onward. Today fake Bauls are singing their songs recorded in the 1960's and as if they are the writer of the song. Not only that there are some who are putting other poets names on songs that were recorded by this family long ago.
Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das is starting to speak now because he is seeing a prolific amount of mis-information on Baul by the many scholars, PhDs, new Bauls singers and writers who are lacking information in what the authentic Baul lineage is really about, they are making it us as they go, copy and paste over and over. Each day he see's another story or more speculation on who the Bauls are, it is has become the biggest joke to those that know this family and friend and well wisher of this Baul Lineage. You must know there is no other lineage of Baul.
IT'S UP TO US
Change
True knowledge and wisdom from the real Folklore, the real authentic Folk traditions comes from understanding the music and languages of the land.
It has to start from the people who have lived the traditions, outsiders can not understand because they do not have an understanding of the deep culture of the land. They do not understand how the people of the land think, it is easy today to take pictures and copy and paste all sorts. We live in a world of internet Guru's who have not lived the tradition.
We must bring out the real and give the real a voice. Support our Folk Traditions at the ground level.
There are other Folk traditions without a voice.
We must support this silent voice.
The true authentic hidden away in the cracks that have the true stories and these stories are not being preserved or told, today anybody can say anything.
There are too many using the stories of this lineage taking the names off and making up new stories in the name of preserving Baul?
It is too easy for others to lay claim to what can Never be owned and say well you did not copy right your songs? It is too easy to make excuses as to why you do not know where the songs have come from and who wrote the songs. The ones who have held, and preserved their folk traditions now to only see them watered down and reduced.
Cultural Appropriation is a real issue and needs to be acknowledged.
The stories of the soul and soil of the land need to be respected.
SUPPORT/DONATE
This is Babu Kishan's Work in this lifetime, to him WORK is Worship and he has been dedicated all his life to preserving Baul and Folk Music !
This is a lineage and the lineage of Baul who brought Baul to the world.
Babu Kishan is the pioneer.
To help with the authentic preservation of this ONE and ONLY 'Lineage of Vaishnava Baul'.
The roots of Baul from Birbhum Bengal India.
The preservation and history of Indian Folk Music by someone who is actually qualified to preserve Indian Music.
KD BABU KISHAN INSTITUTE
OF INDIAN MUSIC & FILM
& the 'Ektara Foundation'
Cultural Representative of India for 40 years
traveling worldwide as a representative of India since 1970
With the
Sangeet Natak Academi
"Indian National Academy of Music Dance and Drama"
&
ICCR "Indian Council of Cultural Relations"
The Tagore Societies around the World
Ramakrishna Vedanta Societies Worldwide
King of Folk Music & Baul Fusion Music
Legendary Folk Music Composer
International Folk Festivals since the 1970's
40 years of Fundraising for many Communities, Temples and Societies, Seniors, Children and for the Bangladesh Floods, Hurricane Katrina
Performed at:
- The Royal Albert Hall, London
- Hyde Park London
- Royal London Museum
=-Carnagie Hall New York
- Netaji Indoor Stadium Kolkata
& Around the world, on the biggest stages of India 100's of times for over 4 decades.
International Paid Guest Lecturer of Indian Music, Folk Music, Indian Philosophy and Authentic Lineage Baul at Universities around the world.
Movie Film Music Composer
Music Producer
Film Producer for 40 years
Please see Babu Kishan resume on the page Babu Kishan on this site.
------------------------------------
Translation and re-recording of all of this ancient lineages Baul songs.
Babu Kishan had categorized all of the Folk Music of India for the major Music Companies back in the 1980's, this is not new he has been preserving and promoting 'Baul' from a very young age, his first trip oversea's was in 1971 to London and Nice France for the fundraisers for Bangladesh put on by The Rolling Stones and Beattles. No one outside of Birbhum would know who and what Baul is without this family of Bauls. The are the legendary lineage who brought Baul to India and the World.
OF INDIAN MUSIC & FILM
& the 'Ektara Foundation'
Cultural Representative of India for 40 years
traveling worldwide as a representative of India since 1970
With the
Sangeet Natak Academi
"Indian National Academy of Music Dance and Drama"
&
ICCR "Indian Council of Cultural Relations"
The Tagore Societies around the World
Ramakrishna Vedanta Societies Worldwide
King of Folk Music & Baul Fusion Music
Legendary Folk Music Composer
International Folk Festivals since the 1970's
40 years of Fundraising for many Communities, Temples and Societies, Seniors, Children and for the Bangladesh Floods, Hurricane Katrina
Performed at:
- The Royal Albert Hall, London
- Hyde Park London
- Royal London Museum
=-Carnagie Hall New York
- Netaji Indoor Stadium Kolkata
& Around the world, on the biggest stages of India 100's of times for over 4 decades.
International Paid Guest Lecturer of Indian Music, Folk Music, Indian Philosophy and Authentic Lineage Baul at Universities around the world.
Movie Film Music Composer
Music Producer
Film Producer for 40 years
Please see Babu Kishan resume on the page Babu Kishan on this site.
------------------------------------
Translation and re-recording of all of this ancient lineages Baul songs.
Babu Kishan had categorized all of the Folk Music of India for the major Music Companies back in the 1980's, this is not new he has been preserving and promoting 'Baul' from a very young age, his first trip oversea's was in 1971 to London and Nice France for the fundraisers for Bangladesh put on by The Rolling Stones and Beattles. No one outside of Birbhum would know who and what Baul is without this family of Bauls. The are the legendary lineage who brought Baul to India and the World.
Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das
Cultural Mis-Appropriation
versus
Cultual Appreciation
Baul is Extinct. Let us examine Why?
When you appreciate a culture you keep it in context, you do not use it for your benefit. You preserve what you can, one does not make up stories chopping the historical roots of the tradition off and adding new names. Taking the songs of the tradition adding new made up names to Nabani Das Baul songs and making up lineages that never ever existed. Lineage is not a one of two generation it goes way back.
In the context of The Vaishnava Bauls of Birbhum Bengal, Cultural MisAppropriation is a real thing, it is not just appropriated by westerners but new singers who use Baul and have pretended to be Baul as a way to become famous using Baul as a way to survive. These fakes are not Baul Masters or from a lineage. Foreigners are easily fooled they are attracted by the exotic posers, therefore, they get sucked into an exotic look thinking that is Baul, it is not. They dress like Baul and all they do is sing, some are good singer some are not, they are tourist attractions and panhandlers.
"Cultural MISappropriation occurs when elements of a marginalized culture in this case 'The Bauls' are taken and used by another culture with a huge sense of entitlement attached. That unhealthy sense of entitlement is obvious when an individual cannot even accept criticism
from members of the culture they're appropriating." It all starts off innocently enough, but over time there is a deconstruction of the narrative. It is like gossip by the time it gets to the end of the line it is completely different and has no resemblance to the original. This does not mean Baul will never change but it must adapt within its context in its own narrative not the narrative of new Baul singers or Scholars of a different language and culture.
Scholars may appear as well intentioned but over the years Babu Kishan has met many and when he has tried to correct many of the University level PHD Scholars who did their thesis on Baul and wrote books, these same scholars do not want to hear about this, they have already written their books and they are the ones that know. These scholars have been outright dismissive, an attitude of (we know better than you, our white privilege makes us smarter than you because you are just an illiterate Baul.")
No one ever thought that the real Baul's were literate, now that the world knows more about Sanskrit, if you can speak 'oral Sanskrit' then perhaps a real 'Lineage Baul' can allow you into the conversation, Bauls were not illiterate they were Sanskrit speakers in an oral tradition. Bauls are the greatest of philosophers and Guru's. They are Oral Sanskritist's and born on the soil in the soul of Birbhum India. Sanskrit from birth gives one a genius memory, more literate and advanced than any English literature speaking person, this was not understood until recent times by outsiders.
Baul does NOT originate from Buddhism! This is the latest pass around the internet by an outsider who wants to be famous by looking exotic, what right do they have to pass around this and yet the exotic looks and spinning create a great watering down of this tradition.
Baul is Genius not a beggar or cigarette seller, snack seller, refugee or dread locked exotic whirling Baul who steals Baul songs and makes up a lineage. An authentic Baul is a genuis Baul Guru and should produce something great, poetry, music, a Baul is an intellectual genius not a regular speaker."
Baul does not originate from Islam!
Baul is a highest level spiritual messenger (Guru) they used to go village to village to give past, present and future, entering the village with their wake up call the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. They were given Dakshina, they never begged, wandering minstrel (Guru's) but they had their own land and cows. They speak the whole the Bhagavad Gita through a song, they did this so that the oral tradition was down to earth singing in Bengali to the villagers in the language they could understand, taught so that people could remember these ancient teachings, they did not or should not sing to impress anyone."
The real crime of 'identity theft' starts much earlier for the Vaishnava Bauls, it comes from the New Age Vaishnava who appropriated the Vaishnava Baul tradition back in the late 1800's. They had a good intention perhaps but the languaging they used to describe the Bauls and other sects was not at all the language a born or inborn Vaishnava Baul would use. These were Bengali's who were British educated and learned Sanskrit later in their life and learned about Vaishnava later in life. It started as trying to preserve and probably because the Christian English were there they tried to compete or do the same with Vaishnavism turning it into an intolerant circle. Then when it came to with West well that is another story for perpetuated Cultural appropriation. The intention perhaps was not for this to happen but this is what happens when another Culture reinterprets an ancient tradition. It changes the original.
"Baul was never and is not a beggar."
If Baul (was) a beggar why would all the top Scholars and Intellectuals including Rabindranath Tagore, Allen Ginsberg, Gopinath Kaviraj, Satyajit Ray, Kavi Nazrul, Nehru, Indira Gandhi all the top Musicians, Spiritual Gurus, Politicians of India and the world, why would they be associated with and hold them up high for their genius brain and creativity. The so called New Bauls singers are not Baul.
Nabani Das Khyapa Baul is the only Baul that had anything to do with Tagore. It was Nabani who intimated Tagore into Baul giving him the name Ravi (Robi) Baul. Tagore appointed Nabani as the only Baul Professor at his University in Shantiniketan and took famed photo's of Nabani, they were best friends. Tagore even had Ram Kinkar Baj sculpt a statue of Nabani that still stand there today. The famed photo of Nabani is on the front page of this web site take by Tagore. This family performed at all Tagore Societies around the world.
People used the Bauls genuis and creativity and then degraded them and now people are posing as Baul and begging. People took from Baul and then because they took what did not belong to them and called them degraded. This is cultural Appropriation taking the names Das and Dasi and giving you names and you their Kirtan, taking the names off and elevating yourself but putting down the roots of Baul. The only roots of Baul are in Birbhum, they are the indigenous peoples of the land of Rarh even before Sri Chaitanya and this families ancestor Sri (Nitai) Nityananda they were Baul for thousands of years based on Sanatan Dharma Radha and Krishna, Kali and Shiva.
"Baul should be a genius, Baul is not illiterate." they were Sanskrit Scholars and Guru's, the final stop on the path.
Even Ramakrishna Paramahamsa said, he wanted to be born a Baul in his next life.
The real authentic Baul is gone they were mystical and never do what is happening today,
you will see many tourist attraction Bauls in Birbhums villages but they are not real Bauls, they are tourist attractions. Nobody even knows where they came from?
Please know that what truths I say about Baul has come from Babu Kishan. I am his speaker, he speaks a multitude of languages including Oral Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi and English, I write what he speaks to me. Babu Kishan is the pioneer of Baul what people know about Baul they know about Baul from him and his family. Babu Kishan never did for him he did for Bauls to try to make them on track, to give them a track.
These are Babu Kishan's stories, his Knowledge and Wisdom. If it were not for Babu Kishan nobody of todays would know about Baul (period). Before many of you were born, before we had internet and telephone he was busy writing letters and it wasn't easy in those days to take Baul to the world. He and his family opened the door for new Baul singers to even enter the door of Baul. There is no other lineage of Baul, this is a complete lie made up by some new Baul singer, this is a complete cultural appropriation which Babu Kishan will speak about in upcoming months.
All the Baul songs that the new Bauls are singing today are because Babu Kishan recorded them, because his father and family recorded them on India's first record company Hindustan Records.
You can ask Babu Kishan any question and he can qualify anything you ask about Indian Music or Baul. It is his tradition, it is his Sampradya, please email any question or sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of the pages.
versus
Cultual Appreciation
Baul is Extinct. Let us examine Why?
When you appreciate a culture you keep it in context, you do not use it for your benefit. You preserve what you can, one does not make up stories chopping the historical roots of the tradition off and adding new names. Taking the songs of the tradition adding new made up names to Nabani Das Baul songs and making up lineages that never ever existed. Lineage is not a one of two generation it goes way back.
In the context of The Vaishnava Bauls of Birbhum Bengal, Cultural MisAppropriation is a real thing, it is not just appropriated by westerners but new singers who use Baul and have pretended to be Baul as a way to become famous using Baul as a way to survive. These fakes are not Baul Masters or from a lineage. Foreigners are easily fooled they are attracted by the exotic posers, therefore, they get sucked into an exotic look thinking that is Baul, it is not. They dress like Baul and all they do is sing, some are good singer some are not, they are tourist attractions and panhandlers.
"Cultural MISappropriation occurs when elements of a marginalized culture in this case 'The Bauls' are taken and used by another culture with a huge sense of entitlement attached. That unhealthy sense of entitlement is obvious when an individual cannot even accept criticism
from members of the culture they're appropriating." It all starts off innocently enough, but over time there is a deconstruction of the narrative. It is like gossip by the time it gets to the end of the line it is completely different and has no resemblance to the original. This does not mean Baul will never change but it must adapt within its context in its own narrative not the narrative of new Baul singers or Scholars of a different language and culture.
Scholars may appear as well intentioned but over the years Babu Kishan has met many and when he has tried to correct many of the University level PHD Scholars who did their thesis on Baul and wrote books, these same scholars do not want to hear about this, they have already written their books and they are the ones that know. These scholars have been outright dismissive, an attitude of (we know better than you, our white privilege makes us smarter than you because you are just an illiterate Baul.")
No one ever thought that the real Baul's were literate, now that the world knows more about Sanskrit, if you can speak 'oral Sanskrit' then perhaps a real 'Lineage Baul' can allow you into the conversation, Bauls were not illiterate they were Sanskrit speakers in an oral tradition. Bauls are the greatest of philosophers and Guru's. They are Oral Sanskritist's and born on the soil in the soul of Birbhum India. Sanskrit from birth gives one a genius memory, more literate and advanced than any English literature speaking person, this was not understood until recent times by outsiders.
Baul does NOT originate from Buddhism! This is the latest pass around the internet by an outsider who wants to be famous by looking exotic, what right do they have to pass around this and yet the exotic looks and spinning create a great watering down of this tradition.
Baul is Genius not a beggar or cigarette seller, snack seller, refugee or dread locked exotic whirling Baul who steals Baul songs and makes up a lineage. An authentic Baul is a genuis Baul Guru and should produce something great, poetry, music, a Baul is an intellectual genius not a regular speaker."
Baul does not originate from Islam!
Baul is a highest level spiritual messenger (Guru) they used to go village to village to give past, present and future, entering the village with their wake up call the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. They were given Dakshina, they never begged, wandering minstrel (Guru's) but they had their own land and cows. They speak the whole the Bhagavad Gita through a song, they did this so that the oral tradition was down to earth singing in Bengali to the villagers in the language they could understand, taught so that people could remember these ancient teachings, they did not or should not sing to impress anyone."
The real crime of 'identity theft' starts much earlier for the Vaishnava Bauls, it comes from the New Age Vaishnava who appropriated the Vaishnava Baul tradition back in the late 1800's. They had a good intention perhaps but the languaging they used to describe the Bauls and other sects was not at all the language a born or inborn Vaishnava Baul would use. These were Bengali's who were British educated and learned Sanskrit later in their life and learned about Vaishnava later in life. It started as trying to preserve and probably because the Christian English were there they tried to compete or do the same with Vaishnavism turning it into an intolerant circle. Then when it came to with West well that is another story for perpetuated Cultural appropriation. The intention perhaps was not for this to happen but this is what happens when another Culture reinterprets an ancient tradition. It changes the original.
"Baul was never and is not a beggar."
If Baul (was) a beggar why would all the top Scholars and Intellectuals including Rabindranath Tagore, Allen Ginsberg, Gopinath Kaviraj, Satyajit Ray, Kavi Nazrul, Nehru, Indira Gandhi all the top Musicians, Spiritual Gurus, Politicians of India and the world, why would they be associated with and hold them up high for their genius brain and creativity. The so called New Bauls singers are not Baul.
Nabani Das Khyapa Baul is the only Baul that had anything to do with Tagore. It was Nabani who intimated Tagore into Baul giving him the name Ravi (Robi) Baul. Tagore appointed Nabani as the only Baul Professor at his University in Shantiniketan and took famed photo's of Nabani, they were best friends. Tagore even had Ram Kinkar Baj sculpt a statue of Nabani that still stand there today. The famed photo of Nabani is on the front page of this web site take by Tagore. This family performed at all Tagore Societies around the world.
People used the Bauls genuis and creativity and then degraded them and now people are posing as Baul and begging. People took from Baul and then because they took what did not belong to them and called them degraded. This is cultural Appropriation taking the names Das and Dasi and giving you names and you their Kirtan, taking the names off and elevating yourself but putting down the roots of Baul. The only roots of Baul are in Birbhum, they are the indigenous peoples of the land of Rarh even before Sri Chaitanya and this families ancestor Sri (Nitai) Nityananda they were Baul for thousands of years based on Sanatan Dharma Radha and Krishna, Kali and Shiva.
"Baul should be a genius, Baul is not illiterate." they were Sanskrit Scholars and Guru's, the final stop on the path.
Even Ramakrishna Paramahamsa said, he wanted to be born a Baul in his next life.
The real authentic Baul is gone they were mystical and never do what is happening today,
you will see many tourist attraction Bauls in Birbhums villages but they are not real Bauls, they are tourist attractions. Nobody even knows where they came from?
Please know that what truths I say about Baul has come from Babu Kishan. I am his speaker, he speaks a multitude of languages including Oral Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi and English, I write what he speaks to me. Babu Kishan is the pioneer of Baul what people know about Baul they know about Baul from him and his family. Babu Kishan never did for him he did for Bauls to try to make them on track, to give them a track.
These are Babu Kishan's stories, his Knowledge and Wisdom. If it were not for Babu Kishan nobody of todays would know about Baul (period). Before many of you were born, before we had internet and telephone he was busy writing letters and it wasn't easy in those days to take Baul to the world. He and his family opened the door for new Baul singers to even enter the door of Baul. There is no other lineage of Baul, this is a complete lie made up by some new Baul singer, this is a complete cultural appropriation which Babu Kishan will speak about in upcoming months.
All the Baul songs that the new Bauls are singing today are because Babu Kishan recorded them, because his father and family recorded them on India's first record company Hindustan Records.
You can ask Babu Kishan any question and he can qualify anything you ask about Indian Music or Baul. It is his tradition, it is his Sampradya, please email any question or sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of the pages.
Babu Kishan is the first authentic Baul to lecture and teach authentic Baul tradition he has been traveling and teaching since 1971 around the world.
He also, lectures on Sanskrit, Indian Philosophy &
Indian Music, Folk, Classical, Baul and Indian Cinema.
BA Indian Philosophy Calcutta University
MA Indian Music Calcutta University
Was a monk in the Ramakrishna Mission for 12 years
Born into the one and only Baul Lineage into the lap of Nabani Das Khyapa Baul
In the 1980's he represented Calcutta University
around India, regarding Indian Philosophy,
Sanskrit and Baul.
@ Universities around the world.
UCLA,
Columbia,
Chicago University
Boston University
Pennsylvania Music College
Baltimore Music College,
Philadelphia Arts and Music College
Kansas University Music
St Louis University
Washington and Lee
University of Washington
University of Toronto
University of British Columbia
SFU (Simon Fraser University)
Harvard
Mumbai University
Whistling Woods Film Institute in Mumbai
San Francisco College of Arts
Berkeley University Music School
Red Wood University
San Diego University
University of Victoria
Cambridge and Oxford in UK
Berlin Music College
Stuttgart University
Bremen University Germany
Hamburg University
Cologne University
University Germany
Zurich University
Geneva University
Brussels University
Rome University of Fine Arts
University of Honk Kong
University of Bangkok
University of Singapore
Delhi University
University of Mauritius
University of Johannesburg South Africa
Calcutta University
Vishva Bharati in Shantiniketan Birbhum
... to name only a few.
He also, lectures on Sanskrit, Indian Philosophy &
Indian Music, Folk, Classical, Baul and Indian Cinema.
BA Indian Philosophy Calcutta University
MA Indian Music Calcutta University
Was a monk in the Ramakrishna Mission for 12 years
Born into the one and only Baul Lineage into the lap of Nabani Das Khyapa Baul
In the 1980's he represented Calcutta University
around India, regarding Indian Philosophy,
Sanskrit and Baul.
@ Universities around the world.
UCLA,
Columbia,
Chicago University
Boston University
Pennsylvania Music College
Baltimore Music College,
Philadelphia Arts and Music College
Kansas University Music
St Louis University
Washington and Lee
University of Washington
University of Toronto
University of British Columbia
SFU (Simon Fraser University)
Harvard
Mumbai University
Whistling Woods Film Institute in Mumbai
San Francisco College of Arts
Berkeley University Music School
Red Wood University
San Diego University
University of Victoria
Cambridge and Oxford in UK
Berlin Music College
Stuttgart University
Bremen University Germany
Hamburg University
Cologne University
University Germany
Zurich University
Geneva University
Brussels University
Rome University of Fine Arts
University of Honk Kong
University of Bangkok
University of Singapore
Delhi University
University of Mauritius
University of Johannesburg South Africa
Calcutta University
Vishva Bharati in Shantiniketan Birbhum
... to name only a few.
Babu Kishan is the first and only authentic Baul educated at the University level to lecture and teach the History of Baul at Universities around the world starting back in the 1970's and to connect Baul to travel through ICCR.
He is the first Baul to take Baul Music from Hindustan Records to the World famous music label EMI and HMV and other record companies.
Babu Kishan is a complete University regarding Baul, Indian Culture, Indian Music & Film & Indian Spirituality.
Activist who has fundraised for many temples, Guru's, Organizations including his father Purna Das Baul, Ramakrishna Mission, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Natural Disasters ect...
(Ektara Foundation)
Life long Fundraiser for various organizations and causes
He is the first Baul to take Baul Music from Hindustan Records to the World famous music label EMI and HMV and other record companies.
Babu Kishan is a complete University regarding Baul, Indian Culture, Indian Music & Film & Indian Spirituality.
Activist who has fundraised for many temples, Guru's, Organizations including his father Purna Das Baul, Ramakrishna Mission, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Natural Disasters ect...
(Ektara Foundation)
Life long Fundraiser for various organizations and causes
