Manju Das Baul aka Manju Dasi was a Classically trained Indian singer and musician.
She passed away in 2010 she was also, a popular folk singer and Baul singer.
Manju was Babu Kishan's mother (Ma) and Purna Das Baul's wife.
Manju sang on the stage for the first Rock Concert fundraiser in London in the early 1970's fundraisers for Bangladesh organized by the Beatles, Rolling Stones.
She has been to Mick Jagger’s house in Nice France and performed with Bob Dylan.
Manju has performed for Presidents and Prime Ministers of India, including Indira Gandhi who was a great friend of Manju's.
Brajabala Dasi - Nabani Das Khyapa Baul's wife and very important Sadhaka in this tradition, she was an Oral Sanskritist and came from the Narottam Das who was considered a Vaishnava Saints lineage family.
Brajabala knew everything about her husband Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and was probably the last of the authentic real Bauls of Bengal.
After her and her daughter Radharani Dasi, Baul history changed and Manju Das is the last of Baul Women taking Baul outside of Bengal to India and to the world.
All Baul Women followed Manju and came after her and this part of her-story was complete long ago, decades ago.
Today anybody can hop on a airplane and travel the world and with the internet many stories are made that are in fact not true.
Manju is the first and last of modern Baul Women, she is the pioneer, she is the first Women Baul to take Baul to the world.
There is no other Baul Women who is authentic that has done this. Yes, there are many saying I did this and I did that, but those Women only follow Baul and their teachings are watered down and inaccurate.
The few real Authentic Baul Women are still in Birbhum and have never left, there is no acting or drama in their nature.
Radharani Dasi - The movie Tagori was made for Radharani Dasi
She is the only Baul women to take Baul everywhere and to the highest levels and that history is complete, there is no comparison.
Radharani Dasi was a pioneer, today anybody can do anything, in those days it was almost impossible.
Manju passed away in 2010. Baul is extinct, it has been extinct decades ago and Manju was one of people who helped Babu Kishan (her son) Archive Baul and Preserved Baul.
She completed 'Women's Baul history' and her-story' she is the daughter in law of the very last authentic Women's Baul Guru 'Brajabaal Dasi' and sister in law to 'Radharani Dasi'.
In the movie Tagori, Babu Kishan designed the dress for the character who was depicting Radharani Dasi, this style was copied by a recent Baul women, but no mention ever of where she got her style of dress, no mention of Manju Das or any of the people in this lineage but yet she is dancing Nabani Das Khyapa Baul style of dance, Nupoor, Baya, Ektara, that only belonged to Nabani?
This is not just a fan photo - they were close.
They were very close to Indira Gandhi and long time associated as State of Bengali Singers traveling all over India and singing before Indira Gandhi did her speeches.
Nabani Das Khyapa Baul sang before Nehru did his speeches in the 1940's, Bauls are the pied pipers who through their magical mystical singing draw the crowd in.
This family including Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das Baul did this for Indira Gandhi, Sanjay and Rajiv Gandhi.
Babu Kishan said, Indira Gandhi was like a Grandmother and he remembers being on the stage sitting at her feet just days before she was assassinated. he was up front at her funeral, many stories to tell.
Manju had joined the most popular and mystic folk festivals around the world and she was the first recorded Women Baul with top music labels and in Bengali Cinema.
She had a great voice, I know I recorded her many times and I know the music labels were the top. In those days the proof of the talent was alway in the Music label.
Manju dedicated her life and time and did huge amount of work preserving and Archiving Baul, she opened the door for future Female Bauls to even have a chance, all credit goes to her, she is the only Baul pioneering women, she worked so hard and loved her husband Purna Das Baul so much, she was a LEGEND.
NOT to mention her name or the ancestors of this lineage Baul before is a disgrace to the history and her-story of Baul, why because people are singing the songs of this lineage, they are dressing as this lineage does and they are cheating making up stories, taking their names off the story and putting their names in the place.
This is blatant cultural appropriation or misappropriation. You are following this lineage by wearing Ektara, Baya and wearing the Nagpur which comes 100% from Nabani Das Baul then Purna Das Baul. Any Baul wearing the patchwork dress (Guduri) this was designed by Babu Kishan.
Babu Kishan designed the patch work colourful dress for his father when they did big World Stage Baul Performances so that he stood out and represented all the cultures of the world, all as one, all Bauls follow Purna Das Baul.
All Bauls started to where Babu's design, it was not an ancient dress as many scholar write? Scholars do not know anything about Baul.
Here is another example of making assumptions?
Das Baul or Dasi that only came from this lineage, many Bangladeshis copied this name, again changing the narrative saying Baul is from Bangladesh.
No it is not and Das and Dasi Baul is only this lineage.
So if you so called Lineage Guru used this name they follow this lineage, if your Guru wore the patchwork quilt dress they follow this lineage.
If you Guru danced and sang with Ektara, Baya and Nupoor sorry they do not have a lineage or Sampradaya, they follow this lineage and not to mention that is Cultural Appropriation.
I say first and last because Baul is extinct, in the day when she arranged and traveled with her husband and son Krishnendu Das Baul aka Babu Kishan there was no internet, it was very difficult.
Today everybody and anybody travels and only follows this lineage of Baul.
Today anybody can travel anywhere very easily, today we have the internet? #fakefamous
All Baul women were disciples of Brajabala Dasi, I will provide a list in the new Book.
Nobody ever said any of the above or most of things in this blog, this has left the door open to cultural appropriation of this lineage.
Manju was a multi-instrumentalist playing more than just Baul instruments she was the first Women Baul to Master and play the harmonium and use it in Baul Music. Manju Dasi was a highly educated women.
Manju had joined the most popular and mystic folk festivals around the world and she was the first recorded Women Baul with top music labels and in Bengali Cinema.
She had a great voice, I know I recorded her many times and I know the music labels were the top.
In those days the proof of the talent was alway in the Music label, today God only knows what people are doing, I think perhaps people do not know real authentic Indian Music or Baul music and just believe anything because someone looks exotic.
Manju dedicated her life and time and did huge amount of work preserving and Archiving Baul, she opened the door for future Female Bauls to even have a chance.
All credit goes to her, she is the only Baul pioneering women because Baul was extinct decades ago the only thing any Baul Women can do is copy her.
Her-story is archived, it is done, it is complete, Baul and Women Baul is extinct. Her-story was complete decades ago and it will be released in Babu Kishan's new book on Baul, his 4th book, the other books are out of print, the last book was published in 1985.
