I was contemplating what a Pandit is because I see people call themselves a Pandit, especially many westerners.
I googled ‘Pandit’ I go this (Hindi; Devanagari: पण्डित; Bengali: পন্ডিত, Sanskrit: paṇḍita) is a scholar, a teacher, particularly one skilled in Sanskrit language, mastered Vedic scriptures in the four Vedas, Hindu rituals and Hindu law, religion, music or philosophy under a Guru in a Gurukul or tutored under the Vedic ancient Guru Shishya tradition of learning.”
I said to Babu Kishan, "you are a Pandit, why don't you call yourself a Pandit." He just laughed!
Then I saw that somebody call themselves Acharya, again I google and said, "why don't you call yourself Acharya’ and again he laughed. “
In Sanskrit institutions Acharya is a Post Graduate Degree, higher learning in India of an ancient subject.
“ Acharya is a preceptor or instructor in religious matters; leader of a sect; or a highly learned person or a title affixed to the names of advanced learning within a lineage or sect.
Then I said to Babu you have done all of this so you are an Acharya?
He said, "I am a Baul, to call one self a Baul, includes all of the above, Pandit, Acharya and much more including Sadhaka, Tantric Yogi, if one calls themselves a ‘Baul' that means you are accomplished in all area’s, of Vedic, Tantric Yogic, Sadhana, Ritual and Indian way of life including Ayurveda.
However, today every beggar, Baul singer, call themselves Baul, Baul is extinct and one can call it a cultural genocide by modern peoples who have appropriated Baul, taken the names off the stories and put there own names forward. Many are not even from Birbhum but they are using Babu Kishan’s life stories that he lived in their books, they copy everything and make his stories generic.
They dress his lineages dress, even the dress that Babu Kishan designed, they dance as Nabani Das Khyapa Baul but say they are from another lineage. They sing the songs of this lineage taking the names off, and taking credit where credit is appropriated. They even follow this lineage around the world, they call themselves Music Composers when they are not.
They ride constantly on the coat tails of this lineage. Even his own brothers steal from Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das, they steal his music, his property, forge his signature, call them selves music composers, but yet have they are not, they have not done any work. Therefore, it is not just outsider, it comes from within.
BabuKishan.org explains what it takes to be a Music Composer.
What people think is Baul and what is Baul is something different, most people who are calling themselves Baul in Bengal are not because Baul is extinct. Baul was an ocean!!
Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu and the Late Ravi Shankar, was an old family friend, many many stories to be told.
I have recently been told by some Scholars this is a Cultural Appropriation and a seeing the extinct nature (cultural loss) of the Bauls any made up fake stories or association that never existed is called Cultural Genocide.
Same with Scholars who write generalizations, taking Babu Kishan's stories. I have learned apparently there is a new way to report these story thefts and appropriations.
Really tired of it, if you do not know, don't steal another's stories and make false associations and just attribute it to Baul. I have seen Baul now has a Padma Sree or Baul is associated with Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, or George Harrison because no YOUR Baul was did not nor did they ever associate or meet.