Baul accepts all, they do not become all, they have their distinct practices and way of life, now watered down and reduced to fake or a tourist attraction?
Their way of life is like any other indigenous peoples who should have the right to their tradition and the preservation of their tradition without all the outside saviour fundraisers trying to be famous on the backs of this lineage? This is cultural appropriation at every step!
What does random Baul mean, Bauls who take credit for this lineage, where they go, take credit for their songs, not listing the poets, not knowing the poets, name dropping stories that are not theirs to tell, stories they have no connection to the person who is trying to ride on the coatails of this lineage, but make a random association, Baul 'singers actors" who water down and reduce Baul, writers who make wrong connections and create false narratives. who group Bauls together with groups or sub sets that are NOT Baul?
Example: Baul received a Padma Shri, any association in writing regarding Bob Dylan , Allen Ginsberg, or any names only this lineage is associated with or saying they are a Music composer or affiliated with Indian Cinema, or teaching at Universities because they are not qualified and are using BAUL teaching wrong teachings, this we know and have proof of? Of course they copy Babu Kishan. 100% have copied Babu Kishan and Purna Das Baul if you travel the world, if you or your so called Baul Guru used 'Das Baul' this lineage is the only Das Baul lineage, if you have appropriated Ektara Baya Nupoor you or your Guru has appropriated Nabani Das Khyapa Baul with no shame, making up fake Baul Gurus and fake lineages?? Seriously I could not not make this up? No one could make this up?
They describe Baul wrongly, they say afflicted by the wind, they say mad? What, that was copied from a book and then repeat, repeat, just like gossip, the original meaning of what Baul means is so screwed up, no wonder they are extinct.
ie) Bauls met Bob Dylan, Bauls associated with Allen Ginsberg, Bauls associated with Rabindranath Tagore, Baul receive a Padma Shree, on and on, kind of like the new Woke inclusive, we have to include everybody, even if in FACT they had nothing to do with or any association? There are specific stories that are not told that do not belong to anybody but the person who tells the story. Name dropping is never a good story.
Baul is NOT a random name, or umbrella name for any random groups of people. Many people follow Baul but that does not mean they are Baul, they follow this lineages style, songs and dress but not the practices because it is not easy to be a Baul although they make it look easy. They follow only for gain and fame.
Baul is not Fakir, Sai, Dervish, Shah, or a sub set of any of these, Baul is not Aul or Karatbija - Aul Chand was the creator of Karatabija and they are not Baul, they may appear to the uninitiated as a sub sect but they are not. That came from Bhaktivinode Thakur and Babu Kishan planted it as a seed to see if people would repeat it. OMG they did including his father and brothers in Purna Das Bauls book, because the whole book was based on Babu Kishan's notes, as usual no credit given. Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das Baul is the only person to preserve this lineage from the 1960's, it has already been preserved.
The narratives and associations created by outsiders to this lineage to me look like ignorance, but sometime I think they are blatant because nobody speaks out, they think they can say and do whatever they want with no repercussions as to the watering down, reductionism of an indigenous group of people?
I laugh at this one, Baul received a Padma Shree, that Baul has a name (Purna Das Baul) that Baul is not you?
The same with absurd and comically saying, Bauls do not care who the poets are? Knowing who the Baul poets are, is the first thing a Baul learns?
This is not how history works, those Bauls actually have names, only a few Bauls associated with the names had many decades relationships with the names they use in a randomized way.
Other Bauls "fake it til you make it Baul' New Baul singers making up stories, are not even Bauls. Baul is not simple or easy, that is a misnomer created by scholars who merely speculated but in fact had no clue, they will say Bauls are low caste, they are illiterate, beggers.
So basically, the scholars are saying they themselves have mastered oral Sanskrit and can converse with a real Baul? Most have not mastered Birbhum Bengali or Sanskrit letters?
New Baul singers are usually random people who follow Baul or follow everything this family does?, They follow their songs, their dress, and where they go. Babu Kishan is the first Baul to teach Baul at Universities around the world because he is qualified, he has put in the time to attain academic degree's, why copy him and teach wrong and false teachings, it make no sense.
These people who 'follow Baul' and make up lineages? In fact they lie and make random associations because you just might think it was them, it was not.
Baul has a name to use random "Baul did this and that" is just trying to include yourself in the fakery, watering down and reductionism of this lineage! Baul poets have names, yet a random Baul and many random people who call themselves Baul include themselves in the stories of this lineage, even though there is NO Contact and Babu Kishan does not want to be associated with them. He used to help promote and support all Bauls but what is going on today, who ever would have thought?.
They say Bauls does not care who the poet is, Yes they do care, why does Babu Kishan know all the poets?
You don't care because you have stolen Nabani Das Khyapa Baul poetry and put another poets name on? Baul believes in the law of Karma, how is that for a random?
This randomization is really cultural theft.
Bauls have always been called Baul Guru's that is the ones who have spent a lifetime and have the tendency to preserve all of Baul through oral Sanskrit, not random Bauls. There is no such thing as a Baul Master, this is another name used to randomize and include yourself in this lineage, while in fact making up a lineage that never existed. All can be proven, these are not just random statements or complaints, this is fact.
When Babu Kishan was younger, he traveled all over India with a mentor of his a Jyotishi and 'Supreme Court Judge of the Calcutta and Bombay High court', they would question all Guru's to see if they were legitimate, it was really interesting, they had a method and Babu has used this method on seeing who knows what about Baul, he learned early on who was fake and who was not.
Baul is extinct, it was extinct back in the 1970's.
Nobody even cared about Baul and then this pioneering family made Baul famous and random people who had nothing clinging on, singing Purna Das Baul songs, they followed everything, except Sadhana (Baul spiritual practice), they never learned what is real Baul. They dressed as this lineage, they sang their songs, they followed them all around the world, so many stories to be told.
Nabani was the first Baul ever to sing on the stage, all Bauls copied him and most do not even know it? They go around claiming what can not be claimed, making up stories, new fake lineages, where anybody who knows anything knows the so called fake lineages Guru's only copied Nabani, Purna Das Baul or Babu Kishan.
Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das Baul already had spent years, decades with his Baul Guru's, he had spent 12 years in the Ramakrishna Mission and had a BA in Indian Philosophy and a Masters Degree in Indian Music, he was working in Indian Cinema and composing Music for all the Indian Guru's of the 1970's and 1980's. For fun they would question Guru's to see what they knew.
Babu Kishan already started preserving his lineage of Baul in the 1960's and it is complete, so he knows who is who, he can tell if you are sincere or using Baul. He knows who is talented and who can sing, he knows who is singing his lineages songs and who the poets are beyond any other person on the planet.
What were you doing at age 22, he already at age 12 was awarded the Youngest Music Composer of Bengal.
ONLY Babu Kishan was the only Baul who was friends with George Harrison and Allen Ginsberg. Writers and random Bauls do not use Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das Bail's name, however, they sing his poetry, use all of his stories.
This is insane, they hae hash-tagged him for years and when you google Babu Kishan you get random Bauls same with Purna Das Baul, they all ride on the coat tails of this lineage, check to see whose picture appears when you google Babu or his father?
It has gone on for decades. Stop it!
You have to know that Babu Kishan was a consultant in Bombay's Indian Cinema and he had already categorized all the Folk, Classical ect. where is came from, what language and what is Folk and what is Baul is his expertise. So believe me he knows.?
Truly, it is insane and it is constant, Baul is associated with Bollywood? Some random Bauls have sang in a Bollywood song or two, big deal, and some are still trying, the only association with Indian Cinema (Bollywood) is Babu Kishan aka Indian Cinema for 4 decades?
Do your research, No, Babu Kishan is the only Baul associated with Bollywood for 40 years? Babu is the only Baul who created Baul Fusion 2 decades before others are saying they did. Give me a break. Enough is enough!
Some will say they created Baul fusion? That is not true because Babu Kishan created Baul fusion 2 decades before you in the early 1970's?
Babu Kishan see's random Bauls sing his own lyrics (poetry) no credit given to him ! No credit given to his family or to his Guru Nabani Das Khyapa Baul, no credit given to his ancestors!
Yet these same Bauls crawl around, saying they are from a lineage there is no way they are, we know it was created to fake people out.
They have these long stories but are singing the songs of this lineage giving credit to someone else, some long story of their hard luck.
The narrative regarding Baul is changing daily, for decades?
I can not even believe what some Fake Bauls say, it is bizarre and even stranger people listen to and believe these people?
The over using, making simplistic conclusions on what and who Baul is, creating new narratives like it is a fad, always acting like it is a circus show, lacking substance, just random nonsense drawing false conclusions? Baul is associated with (whatever this lineage has done) NO YOU ARE NOT but yet this pioneering lineage is used all the time!
These wild twisted circus assumptions and collective narratives have created a Cultural Genocide, confusing just about everybody with head spinning speed.
Who to believe, like most traditions the authority lies in the lineage, not with outsiders, but then when you see others saying lineage.
I will tell you what Babu Kishan knows who all the old followers of Baul are and he can tell knows who is from lineage or not.
You won't like what he says, but he tells the truth and why would he spend 60 years preserving his lineage if there wasn't one? All the Baul singers are way younger than he is and he has been there, done that. He will honestly tell you who is a good singer and who is not and he always appreciates talent.
The authority of the lineage lies in the lineage, not a fake made up lineage. This is the only lineage of Das Baul and Dasi that should give you a clue, you can be sure any other made up lineage with a Guru called Das Baul is fake lineage, they have copied all from this lineage.
Note: Nabani style is Ektara Baya and Nupoor, if you see someone copying this style but they say their Baul Guru follows someone who is actually a poet and not a Baul, they are fake and culturally appropriating from this lineage
Note: if you see someone with Das Baul or Dasi and they are saying they come from another lineage, wrong, they are lying.
Note: it is really difficult to know who is singing what songs, unless you know vernacular Birbhum Bengali, unless you know, that is why it is so easy to put on a show, to act Baul but not have a clue even if they are singing a Baul song, it takes an expert, thus the fake can fool you.
They can wear dread locks (jata) especially a female and everybody thinks wow they must be real, they are not.
It just gets boring after a while, it has all been used and all Baul is extinct. With that in mind, now is not the time for stupidity, it is the time to protect Baul and just get it straight.
Baul does not need performers or bad actors anymore, no saviours, fundraisers! What Baul needs is accurate recorded true history.
Baul needs to know who the poets were, who were the real Bauls not Baul followers or random people.
Baul needs respect as all Indigenous peoples do, Baul does not need any Baba's or Maa's to use it anymore, or to collect donations to say they are preserving Baul, because Babu Kishan has preserved Baul decades ago, since the 1960's.
Baul does not need people running around duping people saying they are legendary, Baul history and her story was complete decades ago.
They may present themselves sitting around the dumi smoking ganja and you may say oh wow cool, they are Not. Ganja is smoking them and today even Grandma all over the world smokes ganja. LOL really it is not that cool anymore., or they talk about Tantric sex and Baul, these people are fake and not cool.
The authority of any Lineage, tradition in Sanatan Dharma aka Hinduism, Indian Philosophy, Yoga, Tantra, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita has been inside the lineage, not outside the lineage.
I have read over and over Baul is illiterate, maybe you are, maybe random people who use Baul are, maybe who the scholars pay a few rupee's to are illiterate. Baul is far from illiterate, they are Gosai Gosain, far from illiterate, if you can speak oral Sanskrit how could you be illiterate, many some did not read or write, the key word some, but this lineage could read Manuscripts in Sanskrit, Nabani had many.
Nabani Das Khyapa Baul took Gosai off their name, he didn't like anybody touching his feet, he felt touch your own feet, now you have fake Bauls creating videos showing them selves as entering the village and people running up touching their feet. No that is not Baul that is someone who wants to be a Baba or Ma trying to show how holy they are?
The authority comes from the living lineage, the people who lived it and preserved it. In this case Baul is an oral Sanskrit tradition, they had manuscripts and agamas. Their poetry was shared in Akhara's, their wisdom was shared in families, where after years they actually would be called a Baul. Being called a Baul is not for RANDOM people, Baul is not an UMBRELLA name for any group of random people.
Do not show Nabani Das Khyapa Bauls or Purna Das Bauls picture with Bava (Baba) Pagla and then say, Baul followed him. Baul has never followed anyone, authentic Baul has a very long lineage of well defined practices and Baul song, Kirtan. And you can stop using Nabani's photo as a random Baul, shame on you! #SingaporeUniversity
You are 100% wrong Baba Pagla followed Baul and he even told Babu Kishan that he was not a Baul, he followed Baul, who composed a lot Music for Baba Pagla's poetry.
They are different, if you follow Baba Pagla great, he was a great poet but he never said he was a Baul, he followed this lineage, he came and staying at their house in Calcutta all the time, he used to stay with Babu and his brothers when Purna Das Baul and Manju went out. Long association!
It is insane what scholars are doing and I can just image who is advising them, thinks they are a know it all Baul too, saying fakir is Baul? Baba Pagla was an admirer of Baul of Purna Das Baul and Babu Kishan who freely composed music for him.
They may be great on their own but they are NOT BAUL!
They make it up because they are not Baul they are actors, some good folk singers, some are absolutely atrocious. How would you know, most are not from Birbhum, most do not even understand the language, they just see the exotic and think innocently, this must be real. But to someone who knows music it is really bad, so bad it makes a trained Indian Musical ear sick.
They make it up to receive funding from governments or undeserved awards that anybody can get today.
It was not so easy in the past.
You are not preserving Baul you are destroying Baul! Making up stories watering down and reducing, false narratives, and name dropping, but you do not know who the poets are. Reading what I write and poaching, skimming and rewording to include yourself.
Making false associations that never existed. False watered down, dumbed down narratives, name dropping?
This lineage made Baul popular, through Nabani Das Khyapa Baul, Purna Das Baul and Babu Kishan. The Baul followers learned that they could use everything, cut their names off and pretend they were the ones. Baul way of life it extinct now.
Babu Kishan has preserved Baul decades ago, it has been done, Baul is preserved. How else could you have Baul songs and Baul poetry to steal, how else could you copy everything, what they sing, where they go, how they dress, and Nabani Style?
We have to speak out, who would have thought, all this fakery and name dropping, taking their accomplishments, taking their names off and just saying, Baul was associated with Bob Dylan, Baul was involved in Bollywood, Baul was associated with Allen Ginsberg, stealing their already recorded songs and poetry, saying Baul does not care who wrote the poetry. You do not care because you do not understand the repercussions of being a thief, the reductionism and watering down, if something does not belong to you, why would you care?
They write and speak generalizing Books and stories but use all the stories from this lineage and then post pictures of random Bauls making associations as if they are the ones, when they had nothing to do with the story.
This is a viral cultural appropriation on steroids.
Let me give you some examples and explain why it actually matters.
1. Baul is extinct, Baul was preserved since the 1960's this has been his life mission as requested by Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and Brajabala Dasi the last living authentic Bauls.
2. There are fake Bauls collecting donations to preserve Baul, this has lead to reductionism and the watering down of Baul. Baul is already recorded and preserved by Babu Kishan and we know 100% that they are not lineage Baul yet copying everything making generalizations and randomizing Baul to fit their narrative. More on this later. Taking this lineages songs, style and following them but deleting their names.
3. The use of the songs from this lineage, taking the poets name off and saying Bauls do not care who the poets are? All of the songs Babu Kishan has recorded and there are hundreds, much of it his own poetry, his tune, his music compositions have been used in random by random Bauls that never existed before. They use the music and never say where it came from, but yet they are promoting themselves using many hard luck stories, never giving the names of the poets or where the music came from ie) this is Purna Das Baul music, the poetry comes from Nabani or Babu Kishan, we follow them. No way they all have made up stories of other lineages and Guru's? It is blatant in many cases and viral.
3.Writing stories about this lineage, making claims about other Bauls while posting a random Bauls picture beside the story when they have no association, they look exotic but they are not part of this lineage and using their pictures is hurtful because they are users of this lineage and have made bold faced lies, take poets names off, they use everything and follow, teach wrong teachings. The say Bauls, do not care who the poets are, yes you do because you are using Baul and you do not care because you do not know.
4. Babu Kishan does not talk to scholars anymore, because they have made such a mess. They never write what you tell them, but recently a scholar needed some help and I said, I will talk to her, it was on Allen Ginsberg and Baul.
So I talked, she did a good job but then when she promoted Allen Ginsberg and Baul she posted picture of random Bauls a Women Baul who takes stunning pictures of herself twirling using Nabani style Ektara Baya and Nupoor which Nabani created, yet she has made up a fake lineage, teaching false teachings, we do not want to be associated and have no association with these people.
Then she posted another Baul one who is a Baul follower, saying he is the one who created Baul fusion when Babu Kishan created it 2 decades before and mainly sings Bangladeshi folk songs?
Yes, Babu Kishan is the only Baul to have a 2 decades association and friendship with Allen Ginsberg?
That is the biggest thing Babu Kishan does not want to be associated with any of these people, he says they are NOT Baul and he would know because he has watched all since the 1960's and preserved this whole lineage. To him it is a huge embarrassment even if they get 10 thousands likes of FB. He would say the biggest cheaters get lots of likes. Likes and followers does not make you real or legit.
We live in Kali Yuga what is real is seen as unreal and what is unreal is seen as real. Babu Kishan has composed music for more Guru's in India than nearly anybody else. He has seen it all and all the fakes, he tell in a second who you are. He does not want association with fakes.
I know it sounds petty, but it has gone on for years, and really it is insidious over time and it creates misconceptions and untruths over time it is repeated, Baul had association with Bollywood, but no mention of Babu Kishan who is the only Baul who actually worked in Bollywood and Indian Cinema when it was in Calcutta. They take some random Baul and make this association without any mention of actually who made Baul history?
Babu Kishan knows all the poets because he actually had an authentic Baul Guru Nabani Das Khyapa Baul? All Bauls are taught who wrote the poetry that is part of this lineage, it is part of Baul to know?
5. There are NOT 20,000 Bauls, that is a complete lie, Baul is extinct, you can't just be a Baul because you say you are. The name Baul is like Acharya, not everybody is an oral Sanskritist, not everybody knows all the Shastra, today very few if any know all this. Today anybody can do a Yoga pose, when I was in Delhi little kids were trained to beg by doing incredible yoga poses.
Stop making people stupid, get a job, get educated and if you want to understand Baul songs, learn who the poets are, it is hard to believe that anybody would make Baul so reduced to the point of dumb, dumbing Baul down.
CopyRight all rights reserved
1960 - 2040
NO poaching, No name dropping, taking names off!
Means do not use, taking names off and making Baul generic or random as in Baul did this and that, Baul has a name.
Baul did not get Padma Shree it was Purna Das Baul, stop using Baul and including random Baul.
Use correct Photos not random Baul photos on someone a Bauls story.
Do not post random Bauls with stories from this lineage.
