The Unsung Success of Babu Kishan's "Hanuman Chalisa"
Babu Kishan Music has an astounding 3 billion listens on YouTube with
T-Series for his iconic "Hanuman Chalisa." This entire Hanuman album
was not only produced by Babu Kishan, he also composed the music for it,
wrote the lyrics for the other Hanuman Bhajans on the album, and
personally funded its recording. This is the first ever Hanuman Chalisa
commercialy recorded and it is played in all temples of India. Music
Composed, arranged, paid for and concieve by KD Babu Kishan in the early
1980s.
Tragically, Babu Kishan's master
recording of the "Hanuman Chalisa" was stolen from his Juhu studio. This
theft has a significant history, leading to millions in profits for
record companies, none of which ever reached KD Babu Kishan.
This groundbreaking "Hanuman Chalisa," recorded in the 1980s, was the first ever recorded version and became a staple in temples across India. It features the powerful vocals of the late Hari Om Sharan. Beyond the T-Series numbers, it has accumulated 15 million listens with another company, 20 million on a different site, and millions more across various other platforms, with all these rights sold to different music companies in Bombay.
Babu Kishan's "Hanuman Chalisa" is, in fact, the most listened-to devotional song in Indian history, sung by his dear late friend, Hari Om Sharan. It stands as the first-ever Hanuman Chalisa recording, produced, and music-composed entirely by Babu Kishan. Billions of people have listened to Babu Kishan's music without ever knowing it's his life's work. Even today, 80% of the recorded Baul music attributed to his father, Purna Das Baul, was produced and composed by KDBabu Kishan, also known as Krishnendu Das.
Shadow Footprinting:The
systematic physical retracing of a primary source's historical
footprint to absorb its institutional prestige and obscure the original
creator 'first and Lasts' of indigenous Baul."Shadow Footprinting"
Shadow Footprinting & Identity Cannibalization:
The
systematic ingestion of a primary lineage holder’s lived experiences,
personal relationships, academic breakthroughs, and oral body-science
tattva ("that-ness," "truth," "reality," or the "essential nature" of
things that are Baul), songs, tune, lyrics Baul Kirtan the 108 tattvas
only categorized by KD Babu Kishan.
Shadow Footprinting (the method) with Spectral Theft or Archival Squatting (the act)
creates an immediate, undeniable diagnosis of Indigenous Cultural and
Intellectual Property (ICIP) fraud that cuts straight through marketing
spin of 'erasing indigenous Baul by those who are systemically replacing
us as cosplyer Baul Artists and self-title Baul Masters'. The
indigenous intellectual shadow footprinting of this one and only
pioneering indigenous Baul, the shadow footprinting of all their 'firsts and lasts' of historical
Baul roots, their songs, dress, style, instruments, where they went,
who they met and what they have created as a modern template for the indigenous Bauls to survive the modern world.
Babu
Kishan has recorded, preserved the entire lineage there is no new
things to preserve no new "firsts and lasts" especially as claimed by
the cosplayer fake Bauls who are busy shadow printing and exagerating
their who fake lineage. Babu Kishan has written about Baul since the
1970's and is the author 3 previous books, the last one sponsored by
George Harrison who had a book release party for Krishnendu Das "Babu
Kishan' in LA California in 1985 or 1986 it is written her in this blog,
however, after decades I can't remember the exact date.
The
lived lives of (Purna Das Baul, Nabani Das Khyapa Baul, Manju Das,
Brajabala Dasi, Radharani Dasi and Krishnendu Das Baul (Babu Kishan's)
have been copied and 'shadow footprinted' a remaking, of their actual identity, their 'lived lives' have
been retraced, tracked and re-acted out in a 'replacing them by erasing
them'. They either were stupid or thought they were clever and nobody
would every know, let alone say a word? I have all the reciepts.
They
have been shadow footprined and turned into a 'commercial Baul brand'
that feeds off the original creator or lineage of indigenous Baul, while
attempting to erase their existence, and now represented as a social
media influencer, cosplayer Baul.
For
decades this has been going on, the cosplayer's have made a career of
pretending to be Baul, by stripping the roots of this lineage, purposely
erasing us by replacing us, through shadow footprinting this one and
only lineage? Now they say they are the replacement for Purna Das Baul a
new Purna Das Baul so that they can steal his huge irreplaceable
legacy. Impossible and now that we have caught on we will not tolerate
this kind of intellectual indigenous fraud.
Shadow Footprinting & Archival Squatting:
The
hostile strategy of occupying the exact institutional coordinates,
university archives, sacred ashrams, and international performance
venues where the true lineage made history—effectively "squatting" on
established cultural authority to deceive audiences into mistaking a
modern re-enactment for legitimate heritage.
Shadow Footprinting & Spectral Theft:
"The
deliberate copying of the historical roots, physical locations, and
ancestral legacy of a primary source, alongside the philosophical and
colonial impact of this deception—rebranding, remaking, tracking all of
this lineage, "firsts and lasts" in Baul History, and replacing the
authentic roots of Baul with performative cosplay acting.
Shadow Footprinting & Chronological Hijacking:
The
exploitation of public memory loss and modern search engine algorithms
by flooding the digital landscape with recent, high-volume youtube media
that co-opts original terminology (Historical Baul, Roots of Baul)—overwriting older historical records to make the synthetic copy appear as the sole surviving authority.
Claiming you are the next Purna Das Baul or Baul Ambassador both
indigenous one and only in Baul history. Claiming you are Baul, your
Guru was Baul and that you actually are a lineage Baul when 100% it can
be proven you are not. The indigenous intellectual property theft can be
proven.
The
modern template of Baul that Babu Kishan created was only for
indigenous Bauls, his ancestors who were poor and marginalized, however
the tricker random middle class raised people out of the blue started
pretending, cosplaying they were Baul while looting, poaching this
lineage songs, dress, style, dance, insturments, shadow footprinting
exactly where they went and then making claims they were the legendary
Baul? These were not villagers of Birbhum, they were from someone other
place in India and outside of India naming themselves Western Bauls?
Reclaiming the Historical Roots of Mystic Baul: A Declaration Against Cultural Fraud
For
over two decades, we have documented a systematic pattern of cultural
theft and historical revisionism directed against the hereditary lineage
of Purna Das Baul. External performers with no legitimate initiation (diksha)
have copied this family’s music, attire, instrumentation, dance, and
lived biographies—shadowing their footprints to fabricate false lineages
and profit from the "Guru business."
The True Lineage (Parampara)
13 Generations of Preservation:
This lineage represents over thirteen generations of unbroken
hereditary transmission, preserving Baul tradition through periods of
war, famine, and religious persecution by orthodox authorities who
burned their sacred texts and decried their Tantric roots.
The Root in Birbhum:
Authentic Baul is rooted in the soil of Birbhum, West Bengal.
Historically, there were no "Bauls" in Bangladesh, nor was the tradition
historically synonymous with regional Fakir or Sufi sects until Purna
Das Baul popularized the art form globally in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Legacy of Nabani Das Khyapa Baul:
Displaced refugees who arrived in West Bengal during Partition and the
1971 war frequently imitated the style, instruments, and presence of
Nabani Das Khyapa Baul—the sole Baul practitioner initiated by Bamakhepa
at the Tarapith cremation grounds.
Indigenous Rights and the Mechanics of Misappropriation
There is a fundamental difference between cultural appreciation and cultural misappropriation.
According to United Nations standards on indigenous rights, the
systematic poaching, falsification, and commercial exploitation of an
indigenous group's heritage constitutes indigenous fraud and erodes the
right to self-determination.
The core teachings of this lineage were historically protected through Sandhya Bhasha—an
esoteric twilight language blending oral Sanskrit, Braja Bhasha, and
Birbhum Bengali. Commercialization and academic reductionism have
severely distorted these teachings, misinterpreting concepts like Vayu Tula and incorrectly labeling Baul as an illiterate, Buddhist Sahajiya, or purely syncretic movement.
Baul is fundamentally Atma Tattva (knowledge of the Self) and Atma Lila
(the divine expression of the Soul). The upcoming three-volume trilogy
stands as a formal reclamation of the authentic, pioneering, and
singular historical roots of Mystic Baul.
A True Pioneer of World Music and Cultural Diplomacy
Early Global Footprint:
Babu Kishan was representing Indian culture across the US and Europe as
far back as 1971, long before the modern diaspora arrived abroad.
Pioneering Fusion: He created the first authentic Indian Fusion and Baul Fusion music. He toured the US playing 40 concerts with Bob Dylan & the Band, jamming with The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, George Harrison, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, and Miles Davis and many others.
Bollywood Legend: He served as an assistant to his Bollywood Music Guru, R.D. Burman,
for 13 years. He helped establish major record labels in Mumbai,
categorized India's vast folk music catalog for industry producers, and
was among the original architects who helped coin and shape "Bollywood."
He
is not a self-titled Baul he is the Roots of Historical Baul and he is
not a self-titled music composer, he is educated in Indian Music since
birth and has been qualified both academically and through the highest
Music Composers in Indian History who all signed for him and let him
compose Music for them, RD Burman, Ravindra Jain, Naushad Ali, Laxmikant Pyrelal and Bapi Lahari. In Babu Kishans music compositions he has employed the top of Indian's talent as musicians.
Linguistic & Classical Mastery:
A high-level oral and classical Sanskritist, he speaks and has recorded
in an extraordinary range of Indian languages. He was the first artist
to record the Hanuman Chalisa for modern commercial releases.
Official State Representation: For over 40 years, he served as an official Cultural Representative of India globally under the Sangeet Natak Akademi (Indian National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama) and the ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations).
The Composer Behind the Legend
Beyond
his work as an independent artist, (Babu Kishan tknown
professionally in Bombay) and Krishnendu Das in Calcutta film and Music Industry )composed over 80% of the music for his
father, Baul Samrat Purna Das Baul.
Those recordings became the most critically and commercially successful
albums of Purna Das Baul's career and they were copied and re-recorded
with no credit by pretenian, cosplayers, called the fake it til you make
it Bauls that arrived as refugees from Bangladesh. This is part of the
reclamation of Baul, correcting these wrongs that haved done with the
looting, poaching of Baul and who really is Baul.
You
cannot replace a lifetime of primary achievement by creating a fake
IMDb profile, posing as an academic, or teaching distorted fabrications
about a sacred indigenous science. The historical record is permanent,
verifiable, and absolute.
Archival Summary & Credentials
Titles & Honors: Pandit, Master of Indian Music, Award-Winning Music Composer & Producer.
Early Recognition: Awarded "Youngest Music and Film Director in Bengal" at age 11 (1978); widely decorated across Bengal through the 1980s; received the Bollywood Buddy Lifetime Achievement Award (2007) for his contributions to Indian Cinema.
Instrumental & Vocal Mastery:
Multi-instrumentalist playing over 15 traditional and modern
instruments; Master of Indian Classical, Baul, Bhajan, Kirtan,
Baul-Kirtan, and East-West Fusion.
Discography & Filmography: Released over 1,000 albums, produced over 60 albums, and composed more than 150 film scores for Indian Cinema.
Saying you are the next 'Purna Das Baul' is Shadow foot printing
and indigenous theft. Baul Samrat Pandit (Padma Shree) Purna Chandra
Das Baul is one of the most highly awarded Singers of India he is a Baul
pioneer, nobody in this world would know about Baul without Nabani Das
Khyapa Baul, Purna Das Baul and their eldest Krishnendu Das Baul (Babu
Kishan) this one and only indigenous pioneering with all the 'first and
last' regarding Baul can not be claimed or replaced, Baul was complete
decades ago.
Purna
Das Baul was awarded a Padma Shree and many other awards historically
winning awards from a list of Presidents and PM, Minister over a
lifetime. He is the first and last only Legendary Baul along with Nabani
Das Khyapa Baul, and regarding Baul women only Braja Dasi, Radharani
Dasi, and Manju Das- the wife of Purna Das Baul who is he ONLY Baul
women ever to travel the world since the late 1960s to 2010 when she
passed away.
Making,
stealing these women's place in Baul History is 'shadow FOOT-printing'
this lineage, using Legendary Women is a gross injustice and lie to this
indigenous roots of Baul. Purna Das Baul is 93 years old a historical
figure on all levels within India. His ancestors the ones who preserved,
held, giving up their lives life and life to do seva, social work,
teaching, feeding, healin the villagers of Birbhum West Bengal the birth
place soil and soul of Baul (The Vaishnava Sahajiya (Gosia Chandra) Das
Baul and Dasi. will be rolling in the soil if we do not tell the truth.
Truth is the first tenant of Baul.
Self-titling that you are now the Baul Ambassador, when this title is a first and last only known and copied from Babu Kishan's writings by stalking all the wording that belong only to this singular Baul pioneering parampara is Shadow Footprinting & Identity Cannibalization along with Archival Squatting. A
title given only to Purna Das Baul, Manju Das and KD Babu Kishan who
were the only Baul representatives of India through the ICCR. Babu
Kishan had all the contacts for decades. This may not mean anything to
anybody, however, it is a serious insideous shadow printing & Archival Squatting
It should be know that the song (poetry) & tune for #KichhuDinMoneMone is a song from this lineage, it is the Poetry of Nabani Das Khyapa Baul. It was recorded first by Purna Das Baul at one of India's first record companies Hindustan Records under Pankaj Mallick and Rai Chand Boral. It
was copied right off of Babu Kishan's youtube channel and re-recored
without permission by a female cosplaying Baul who created a fake
lineage and fake Baul Guru. I won't use any names until the books are
released, however, these people are shadow footprinting this lineage
from day one in every way. They will be exposed, you in the west think
they are authentic Baul Artists and a Baul Master, they are self-titled
Baul Masters who have poached the life out of Lineage Baul. We are
exploring legal action.
RabindraNath Tagore started the first Baul archive all based on Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and Babu Kishan is the only Baul to 'Preserve and ARCHIVE' Baul in a big way and that was done decades ago.
Documenting Indigenous Theft: The Systemic Erasure of the Baul Samrat Lineage
1. Institutional Recognition & Historical Firsts
State Honors: Purna Das Baul was conferred the title Baul Samrat by the President of India and honored with the title Nada Brahma.
Cultural Ambassadors: Purna Das Baul, Manju Das, and KD Babu Kishan were named official Baul Ambassadors by the ICCR in the 1970s—a historic "first and last" designation.
National Heritage:
Nabani Das Khyapa Baul, the last Baul Avadhut, served as the sole Baul
Guru to Rabindranath Tagore and performed across India during the
Independence Movement at the invitation of Jawaharlal Nehru.
2. Mechanics of "Shadow-Footprinting" and Intellectual Fraud
Over the past thirty years, digital platforms, university lecture
circuits, and social media have enabled the systematic copying of this
single family’s heritage:
Digital Scraping: Content, terminology, and oral histories first published on BabuKishan.com (1990s–2006) were plagiarized to build fraudulent social media followings and commercial workshops.
Music & Composition Piracy:
KD Babu Kishan composed over 80% of the arrangements and tunes made
famous by his father, Purna Das Baul. These compositions continue to be
re-recorded and distributed without credit or permission.
Historical Revisionism:
The groundbreaking achievements of Manju Das (the first traditional
Baul woman to tour internationally), KD Babu Kishan’s 12-year monastic
service with the Ramakrishna Mission, and the family's historical ties
to the Gaudiya Math are now routinely co-opted by uninitiated
performers.
3. Preserving the True Roots
Commercial opportunists have watered down the tradition, co-opting terms
and claiming ownership of sacred history—even attempting to appropriate
the title of our upcoming trilogy, Historical Baul and the Roots of Baul.
Authentic
Baul is not a commercial brand or an exotic costume. It is a sacred,
indigenous heritage preserved through the lived sacrifices of Krishnendu Das Baul (KD Babu Kishan), the eldest lineage holder of Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and Purna Das Baul.
Key Revisions & Terminology Standardized
Nada Brahma: Standardized spelling for the Sanskrit concept of "Divine Sound / Sound as God."
Baul Samrat: Corrected spelling for the title "Emperor of Bauls."
ICCR: Maintained as the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
Charyapada:
Standardized spelling for the ancient 8th–12th century
Vajrayana/Sahajiya mystical songs often debated in Bengali literary
history.
Shadow-Footprinting:
Preserved as your key defined term for the systematic tracking,
copying, and appropriating of a family's lived history and intellectual
property.
Title:Reclaiming the Historical Roots of Mystic Baul: A Statement on Indigenous Intellectual Property & Heritage Preservation
Documentation Archive: 20+ Years (2006–2026)
Primary Lineage:
Lineage of Nabani Das Khyapa Baul, Baul Samrat Padma Shri Pandit Purna
Chandra Das Baul, Manju Das, and Krishnendu Das Baul (KD Babu Kishan)
Baul and Ramakrishna is only associated with KD Babu Kishan as he is the only Baul to be a monk in the Ramakrishna Mission for 12 years, this is a first and last in Baul.
Baul and Tantra is only associated with Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and KD Babu Kishan, Baul and Tarapith is only associated with them both too. Those others are not Baul as Baul Artist of an non-indigenous Baul is not a Baul but a users, poser, actor trying to remake the already lived lives of this parampara, do you speak the language, do you know what they are singing or who is the owner of the songs, or even if the songs are Baul songs, no you do not, so don't make emotional promotional comments when you do not even understand. You are cheering for a fake Baul and have no clue.
The practice of "Baul Kirtan-anga" Copyright, all songs will be reclaimed that belong to this lineages.
(only this lineage, parampara, no one used Baul kirtan until they read it on this blog, this is downright appropriation and false advertising by fake opportunistic self-titled so-called Bauls for marketing purposes, they have appropriated this lineages intellectual property, it can be proven and must be brought to the attention of the public because they are asking for donations and fundraising for jackpots, awards, grants and are not Baul, their Guru is a fake Baul Guru.
The "Rasa Lila Mystics" this is the only lineage parampara that is Vaishnava and Vaishnava Sahajiya Gosia Chandra Das Baul and Dasi, there is not another, never was. #BaultheRasaLilaMystics
"Baul Tantra Mantra Gopi Yantra". Copyright, no poaching
"The path of the Avadhuta". Copyright there are no other Baul Avadhuta's and that title only belongs to this lineage or singular parampara, there is not another. They make Baul a no name generic Baul while claiming the intellectual property and the already lived firsts and lasts of this lineage. I have documented thousands of misuse of Baul for over 20 years, if you would like to see my research contact KD Babu Kishan, his website is listed throughout this blog and website
