Who is Lalon Fakir (Shah) - he was a poet, a great poet but he was not a Baul and did no Baul Sadhana, nobody in Bengal even knew Lalon Fakir songs until Babu Kishan took the poetry and put music to it in the 1970's, he brought all these singers from Bangladesh and recorded them. Lalon Fakir never had a Baul Guru (a necessary element of Baul) he did not follow Baul way of life and he did not do Baul Sadhana.
There is no such thing as a Fakir Baul, Fakir is Fakir Muslim, Baul is Baul (Sanatan Dharma Hindu) to completely different groups of people. Baul is a oral Sanskrit Lineage, based on 2 Sanskrit words? But hey you can get 9 million dollars from the UN to preserve Muslim Baul by making a story the Baul is from Persia? This is the lineage of Das Baul and Dasi, there is not another, Babu KIshan designed the colourful patchwork dress called Guduri and Nabani Das Khyapa Baul created his own style of dance, copied by others who are now saying they have a lineage, they are not from a lineage, they take Nabani's style and his songs putting other poets names on or worse they say, Baul does not care who wrote the poetry?
Which is a lie, why does Babu Kishan know all the Baul poets?
Ektara, Baya drum around the waist, and Nupoor ankle bells was only Nabani and this lineages style? Yet, some are saying they have a lineage, promoting a lineage, collecting donations to preserve Baul, that is bold faced cultural appropriate, be aware!
They are name dropping Babu Kishan's stories acting like they know about Bob Dylan, using his tories name dropping?
Some are even saying they created Baul Fusion?
You are 2 decades too late?
The song Kicchu Din Mone Mone has been culturally appropriated by Parvathy Baul, she lists a random poet as the writer and composer of the music for this song. The song was written by Babu Kishan's Grandfather and Guru, Nabani Das Khyapa Baul, it was recorded long ago by Hindustan Records, it is in Babu's preservation records.
This is blatant theft of a song, it does matter, it matters alot and absolutely a Baul is always taught who wrote the poetry, Baul cares who wrote the poetry,
Baul and thisONE and ONLY lineage, the songs you sing and take credit for, belong to this family. It is not random and a cultural appropriation a disrespect to all the work Babu Kishan has done since the 1960's. Bauls come from family and of course through initiation but only by a real Baul Guru, not a person who follows Baul, dances Nabani Style dress, who wore Babu Kishan style Gurduri, and sings their songs? Of course you would say Baul does not care who wrote the poetry and follow this lineage around the world, visiting all their friends?
My husband is the only Baul ever - linked personally that had decades long personal relationships with Bob Dylan and the Band, George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, Allen Ginsberg.
Babu Kishan created Baul Fusion in the early 1970's 2 decades before a fake it til you make Baul is claiming he did?
However, Mary Young in her book on Baul will try to fool people making a linkage with Sanatana Das Baul by putting a huge picture of Sanatana Das Baul right across the page where you writes, "Baul is associated with Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, George Harrison"? NO Baul is not, Sanatana Das Baul is NOT associated with these people, never ever. They are Babu Kishan's many decade friends, they are only associated with him. To distort and use Babu Kishan's story is a crime. George Harrison was Babu Kishan's dear friend, to use his story of a dear friend and try to mislead people that any other Baul was associated is nasty. Bob Dylan and The Band are Babu Kishan's friends. You have culturally appropriated Babu Kishan's story and made a lie and randomly at the end of your book mention Purna Das Baul names as if he is a drop.
My dear all Bauls follow Nabani Das Baul, Purna Das Baul and Babukishan, all Bauls dress as they do, they dance as they do, they sing their songs and follow them around the world, they use their stories but take their names off, this is cultural appropriation and each and every point will come out in this new book, it is has to you are watering down, stealing stories and writing about his lineage of Nitai but cutting names off, making up associations and stories.
This is a false wrong and random linkage to these association who are only friends of Babu Kishan. Purna Das Baul met Bob Dylan in 1967 however, it was Lakshman Das Baul his younger brother who Bob Dylan always asked Babu Kishan about?
It was Babu Kishan who contacted and maintained a personal relationship not Purna Das Baul and no other Bauls were associated. How can people do this, how can Mary Young write such garbage and make these associations? Cheating and riding on the coat tails of Babu Kishan's life and story.
Picture by Rabindranath Tagore in the 1920's
If you are going to tell history do not do this, make false assumption and a lie, these are Babu Kishan's stories to tell, they are not random and no other Bauls or lineage is associated so why use Babu Kishan's stories and cut his name off.
Why does M Young use Nityananda of Ekchakra, when he is the ancestors of this family, everybody who writes about Baul knows that. Nitai was not a Nath only someone outside of Baul would make that assumption. Nitai was a Vaishnava Baul Avadhuta. I can not believe the inaccuracies and the cherry picking to make yourself and group look like you know.
How would you feel if someone stole your families story, cut your names off and added names that are not from your lineage, a case of pure Cultural Appropriation.
No other Baul ever used 'Lineage ever' except Babu Kishan now all these new lineages pop up?? In a way I am afraid to release Babu Kishan's book because all the vultures take the names of the story off will copy and paste and claim the story as their own.
Sanatan Das Baul never met or was associated with any the above mentioned people, why mislead people posting a picture of him beside Babu Kishan's story, it is Babu Kishan's story to tell NOT yours to make false linkages?
Mary Young writes about all the things I have written about, cherry picking and tries to link it to Parvathy Baul, and Sanatan Das Baul to this lineage without even knowing or doing research. I read her first book it did not include these, all changed on line?
The real stories will be told and they are not always enlightened because of speculations because of unqualified speculations and lack of a historical background by writers and scholars and hey what do you have to loose, it is just a job, it is not your family?
The story of Baul is the same as any indigenous peoples of the planet, colonization, refugee's who followed this lineage and admitted to riding on the coat tails. The story has to be told, as to why the Baul are now extinct and the preservation accurately needs to happen.
Baul is not Muslim and not from Bangladesh or that area of Bengal when it was Bengal India, Baul is from Birbhum, Babu Kishan can prove this, he archived Baul decades ago, he recorded the songs, long ago.
The new Baul singers like to say Baul was not recorded, they did not record only because it is their way of faking their way to fundraise. It is a way of qualifying themselves by default, because they can not explain the songs or who the poets were, so lets just tell people, these songs do not belong to anybody, they were not recorded. That is a bold faced lie, the poetry has been recorded, it is just that it does not belong to you, it is not your family history but a great way to fame and fundraising. Baul has been recorded, and preserved, when ever you see or read any Baul singer say, Baul did not record their song, they did not keep records, it is an oral tradition, Baul did not care, they are lying, complete distortion and lie. If someone asked Babu Kishan that he would say, yes I have recorded most of our songs, I have written them down. We have manuscripts stored away. He would also, say our oral tradition is a Oral Sanskrit tradition.
Let me say this clearly, Baul cares, only someone who is faking Baul would say Baul does not care and never recorded their songs?
Babu Kishan has categorized all the folk music of India for all the top music companies of India, he has a Masters degree in the folk music and music of India, he is a Oral and Classically trained Sanskritist from birth.
Babu Kishan recorded Baul poems and songs long ago, his ancestors recorded them through the oral tradition and manuscripts going way back. Stop making people stupid.
When the new book on historical Baul is released, when all is exposed, including Babu Kishan's old friend the late Carol Solomon who really did wrong in linking Lalon Fakir to Baul.
Carol Solomon was a good friend of Babu's he helped her endlessly with her Bengali language and her study of Baul, even signing and giving information for a grant application. We both saw her at her home in Seattle for dinner in 2008, it is very sad it was the last time.
She cut him out and to get the grant because so many scholars have already written about Baul, turned the project towards linking Baul to Bangladesh through Lalon Fakir, what do these people care, it is just a job, it is not their family or their ancient lineage? This is just a drop, the truth must be told.
You need to know it was Rabindranath Tagore who first talked about Lalon Fakir, but the only Baul associated with Tagore was Nabani Das Khyapa Baul, I have written about this long time association in other writings, many have tried to make this association too and it is not true. Same with Allen Ginsberg he wrote a song called Lalon and everybody makes a linkage but if you read the poetry it has nothing to do with Lalon.
Allen Ginsberg first met Nabani Das Khyapa Baul in 1962 when Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das Baul was a baby on Nabani's lap.
It was only Babu Kishan who had a many decades long friendship with Allen Ginsberg but you will see random Bauls and journalists link Ginsberg to random Baul? No Ginsberg was not linked to any random Bauls, this is only Babu Kishan's story to tell as he is the only Baul to associate and have a friendship with Ginsberg who took Nabani as his Baul Guru and always told Babu over decades you remind me of Nabani?
Ginsberg was not linked with any other Baul (period), Purna Das Baul met him but was not a friend, Ginsberg was only interested in talking about Nabani and other poets with Babu Kishan because Babu and Ginsberg are both poets. The only Baul song Allen Ginsberg wrote ever, was written as gift to Babu Kishan in honour of Nabani Das Khyapa Baul. How people twist and culturally appropriate Babu Kishan's story.
So why would anybody ever link Allen Ginsberg's name with Baul without using Babu Kishan's name? How can you write about Rabindranath Tagore and Baul without using Nabani Das khyapa Baul's name, he is the Baul Guru who initiated Tagore into Baul giving him the name Ravi Baul.
Same thing, when journalists and writers write about Baul and when Baul followers name drop they write Tagore was associated with Baul or Ginsberg was associated with Baul, or even worse they say Lalon Fakir who is not even a Baul but a poet? Then they repeat over and over. Ginsberg wrote a piece of poetry using the name Lalon and the poetry had nothing to do with Lalon but they write, Lalon was the Baul Ginsberg was associated with and make false connections?.
It was NOT Lee Lozowick who brought Baul to the west, trash writing on academia, it was first Purna Das Baul and the group called the 'Bauls of Bengal' it was Allen Ginsberg and the Grossman's.
Then Babu kishan did all the work there after and made all the associations, meeting making friends, it was a lot of work, writing letters, making contact, arranging programs, lecturing at Universities around the world. Lee Lozowick was not a Baul, his Guru was not a Baul, he self titled himself Khepa Baul?
Nabani was the only Khepa Baul a name given by Tagore, a Khepa (Khyapa) Baul is a adept, an avadhut and it is not self titled without even saying where the name came from, people just use and every regular person now calls themself Khepa Baul or Khepa Baba?? When they are not even Baul? Baul is not a self titled name, it is not a name for a random group of people?
Babu Kishan created a template for all Bauls to follow and they do, they follow him around the world making up false stories, teaching wrong teaching, fundraising only for their selfish reason acting like they are the saviour of Baul.
Do not take credit away from the indigenous peoples, stop all this name dropping as if you know?
All Bauls follow this lineage, they follow how they dress, they sing their songs, they even follow them around the world and go and meet their friends. They are tourist Bauls, Babu Kishan calls them circus performers.
I wish they would stop all their lying copy and pasting and cheating and making up new lineages and stories that belong to Babu Kishan's biography, randomly mentioning his stories but taking his name off his story, like as if it were you, you were the one who had met these people.
They have always followed Babu Kishan including trying for his Bollywood connections? Saying they are composers, do you know what a composer is and how hard it is to be a composer, you have to have a body of successful work, tested, and certified by well known composers, again (see BabuKishan.org to find out what it took to be a Music Composer)??
I have seen a Baul write, Baul now has a Padma Sri, what the heck, Baul does not, use the name of the Baul, 'Purna Das Bau'l has a Padma Shree, no other random generic Baul, it is an insult not to use names. His awards are not random, they are not for you to include yourself in, you have a name that you are making up stories about, how about using the Bauls name, who wrote the poetry, who designed the Baul dress, and who created the style, stop name dropping or making false narratives and associations.
I have seen someone advertise teaching 'Baul Tantra' using the chapters and subjects listed right out Purna Das Baul's 500 page book on Baul?
Then stating she has never heard of another Baul book except for Mary Young's book on Baul which is a complete mess and stating nobody else has written a book, huge lie, huge cultural appropriation, false narratives, false associations?
Cultural Appropriation of an Indigenous peoples, riding on the coat tails of this lineage without giving credit.
