This is a picture of Nuzul Islam at Kolkata’s PG Hospital
Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das is Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and Brajabala's eldest grandchild. He still remembers when he brought his Grandmother Brajabala Dasi to the hospital to see o Poet Nazrul Islam on his death bed.
Both my Grandmother Brajabala and Grandfather Guru Nabani Das Khyapa Baul were close friends.
In 1974 I remember Nuzul Islam was a well wisher of my Grandfather Nabani who passed away in 1969. I had brought Nuzul once to my Grandfather’s Death anniversary, a Baul Mela (festival) that I arranged every year. I was the only one attached to Nabani (Boro Baba) to me in my family. Nabani was my Guru from my first breath and is my Guru til my last breath in this life, he will be with me after this life.
Nazul Islam wrote ‘Ami Bhai Khyapa Baul Amaar Deul’ about my Grandfather my (Boro Baba) aka Naboni Das Khepa Baul.
My father Purna Das Baul recorded "‘Ami Bhai Khyapa Baul Amaar Deul’ at Hindustan Records' in the early 1970’s with my Grandfather’s composition and tune.
At a very young age I was already an award winning 'Music Composer' and arranged the music for this song, as Krishnendu Das. the eldest Son of Purna Das Baul, however, I was raised by my grandparents until age 8 and they are my Guru's I had a forever, deep bond with them both, they are the ones who kept me alive, who supported me and initiated and taught me.
You will find hundreds of others singing this poetry now, still using Nabani Das Khyapa Bauls tune, but never giving credit as they never do, they sing our songs or poetry and qualify themselves by shamefully saying Baul doe not care who wrote the poetry? Yes, Baul cares for the sake of preservation because you fake Bauls have looted Baul for your own personal sake.
Either they are not Baul and most do not have a clue? The new Bauls are only Baul performers (singers acting like Baul), they never give credit, they take credit and make up stories and fake lineages.
The ones who are actors and say Bauls do not care who the poets are, those are the fake ones, they change and make up narratives to fit their level of using Baul. They are the cheaters, who want to collect people, Baul never collects people?
My father Purna Das Baul was the first person to sing this song after Nabani and it was made famous by Purna Das Baul.
RabindranathTagore wrote ‘Amar e Paraye Paraye Khepiye Baraye Kon Khyapa se’ about Nabani Das Khyapa Baul whom he named. 'Mirror of the Sky’ and ‘Khepa Baul'.
My Grand Father (Nabani) initiated Tagore into Baul and named him Robi Baul (Ravi Baul) he gave Tagore a dress which so popular those days, even RabindranathTagore restarted Shantiniketan poet festivals to todays Poush Mela in honor of Nabani Das Khyapa Baul.
It is funny to me that everyone is now taking the title “Khyapa (Khepa) Baul and Khyepa Baba'' to be in the marketplace. I have noticed many calling themselves Baul Pioneer, Legend, Saint and Khyapa today which does not make any sense, it is shameless?
Das Baul and Dasi are our lineage.
There is only one West Bengal Baul pioneer legend khyapa that was my Grandfather Baul Saint Nabani Das Khyapa Baul.
I was listening and watching someone send me a question from Europe, "BabuDa what is your comment about today’s Bauls?
I said, no comments, why? because there is nothing to comment, it is actually an insult.
For this I gave my life to preserve the original Bauls. It is all acting today, drama, I use Lineage, they make up lineages, I use Akhara they change to Akhara? I notice if I write something, they change what they have and rewrite what I wrote.
OMG, I guess they are trying, at least they are trying to be a Baul Singer if and becoming a Tourist Attractions but Baul NO, just collecting people with great marketing skills??
Acting like they are something to become Baul is not an easy job dear? No there is no Baul Sadhna or Baul Sadhak nor Sadhika or the public can not handle real Baul!
What is flashy, looks exotic seems to impress people these days and how would you know, how would any non-Birbhum Bengali speaking person know what is real and what is not real.
The new Baul have shown their ignorance, saying Baul is from Persia, Turkey or Baul is aul sai fakir and dervish? What is going on? They say Baul comes from Buddhism and they rant and rave about Buddhist Sahaja? Baul is not Buddhist Sahaja, we are Vaishnava it is Krishna Sahaja but I guess not one person who poses as a Baul even knows what that is? They just read books and papers that are already wrong, they are not initiated by a Baul Guru, their Baul Guru is not a Baul Guru. What a joke? "The fake it til you make it, or just fake, they will only destroy Baul because they are not from Baul and only using Baul. Shame.
Even today’s Baul Singers are not even close, 10,000 miles away from my Father and my tunes, compositions which everyone follows still and maybe lifetime forever.
They do not even know whose songs they are singing, who they are following, many are taking the songs of my ancestors and creating new lineages, they follow our dress, our songs and the way Nabani Das Khyapa Baul was with the Ektara, Drum and bells (nupoor) his feet, they follow how this lineage dances but yet make up stories. Even Khamak it was Nabani who gave it 2 strings and called it Ananda Lahari, they do not have a clue.
Generalization is the cultural genocide of Baul, using the term Baul Masters or saying Bauls do not care who wrote the poetry or fundraising to preserve Baul when I preserved it back in the 1970's to 2000. Now they are going to get donations to do what is already done, when they do not even know the Baul Sahaja does not come from Buddhism? Jokers and fakers is what they are?
I am the one who made Baul internationally famous through #Universities #Festivals #Top Music Labels #Cinema, #Media and it was hard work Dear.
At least tell the truth rather than pretending you are the one who did all the work, you follow and copy everything I have done, everywhere I have gone. Decades ago before the ones today were even born?
I made it so easy for anyone and I made a concrete platform for the next generation and for today’s Baul singers, however, they are completely misusing, that I never thought?
Rabindranath Tagore helped little bit from his books and he was initiated into Baul by my Grandfather Nabani Das Khyapa Baul. Nabani was closest to Tagore and when talking about Tagore and Baul, if you leave out Nabani Das Khyapa Bauls name, you are misappropriating Baul and making stories. I did all the legwork and the rest by my parents!
I know I said I would not comment but about today’s Baul: It’s too embarrassing how people calling themselves Baul and how everybody is seeing the #Fake, it is acting, it is #tourism, a lot of it is just plain stupidity!!
What are the Bengal Government and Indian Government doing ? Those people can not even protect their own Culture.
Only one Rabindranath Tagore gave the most valuable title Khyapa Baul to my Grandfather, another thing Rabindranath Tagore just heard about Lalon Fakir’s poetry from his brother. There was no music to Lalon's poetry, that can be later and he did not do sadhana. His poetry was Baul like but he was not a Baul.
Tagore only met a live Baul and became friends with my Grandfather #Birbhum pride #Bengal pride #Nabani Das Baul. Tagore tried to give Nabani whatever he wanted, he tried to keep him with him at all times but you can not capture a real Baul, a real Baul will disappear like the wind.
Baul is a wind catcher, you can not catch the wind. Baul is a combination of 2 Sanskrit words “Bayu (Vayu) and Tula” = Baul = to balance the vital airs.
This picture is valuable to me because Bongo Bandhu the father of the President of Bangladesh now, the last time he came to visit Poet Nuzul Islam in that gathering in India, he without saying anything, sat on floor and cried like a little child, and he told the Poet Nuzul Islam who was one of his Guru's that he never seen a reality as in how authentic he was.. now everything fake, I mean life is fake.
People love fake, and are blind, they can not even see the real original and reality, it is such bad timing for humanity, when they can not tell real from fake.
Anything with Baul like the word #International #World #Global #mystics are all due to me.
I am the one who did all first, and I never ever thought I would have to say this, it is not bragging, it is because the real history is being mis-appropriated by unfeeling, greedy people who are all about internet marketing and changing the history of Baul.
It leaves me sad just how Bongo Bandhu felt losing Nuzul Islam. Nuzul is from India and spent a good time with my Grandfather. This song is a tribute to my Grandfather and Nuzul. I do not care about India or Bangladesh, it is about the soul, perhaps the soul of these great men is gone.
The word Legendary is gone now, all is fake. The word pioneer is gone now, it was not easy back in the day before the internet.
