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Sri Sitaram Das Omkarnath seated, watching a Purna Das Baul concert in Calcutta.
Sitaram Das Omkarnath and Nabani Das Khyapa Baul were close, they were Guru Brothers and traveled many place through India.
Omkarnath was a Guru to Purna Das Baul there were many difficult times during the British induced famines in the 1940's, when Nabani was away it was Omkarnath that told Purna Das Paul to start to sing on the trains. He was the first Baul to do this. As the eldest he did this to support his mother and his brothers and sister.
There are not many people who understand how difficult it was for people in Bengal in the 1940's and how it shaped the personalities of the future generations.
Purna Das Baul is an extra ordinary singer. In his early days he was one of Indian's top vocalist to be the first who traveled outside of India. He has been awarded 3 President of India Awards, A prestigious one and only Nada Brahma Award, Padma Shri and many other awards. He has done more for Baul paving a road that never existed before.
This is the one and only Lineage of Vaishnava Baul, there are other Vaishnava but there is only one Lineage of Baul and all other Bauls follow this lineage, they dress as this lineage, they sing their songs and call themselves Das Baul and Dasi. This lineage is from Ekachakra Birbhum Bengal.
All Bauls now try to copy and follow, even making contacts with the people who Babu Kishan and Purna Das Baul had contact with.
Purna Das Baul is an extra ordinary singer. In his early days he was one of Indian's top vocalist to be the first who traveled outside of India. He has been awarded 3 President of India Awards, A prestigious one and only Nada Brahma Award, Padma Shri and many other awards. He has done more for Baul paving a road that never existed before.
This is the one and only Lineage of Vaishnava Baul, there are other Vaishnava but there is only one Lineage of Baul and all other Bauls follow this lineage, they dress as this lineage, they sing their songs and call themselves Das Baul and Dasi. This lineage is from Ekachakra Birbhum Bengal.
All Bauls now try to copy and follow, even making contacts with the people who Babu Kishan and Purna Das Baul had contact with.
Doing as Purna Das Baul does, dressing how he dresses but many also, criticize him for making money. I recently said, to someone... if you had attained success as a great vocalist such as the Beatles would you just give it away.
Calcutta is known for a saying, 'riding on the coat tail of others' and that is what many of the new Bauls that came to Calcutta in the 1970's did, they called it fake it til you make it. You can not fake Baul it is impossible but yet they follow where this family goes and what they do.
However, many have made up stories and lineages that never existed in Baul. They are now fundraising to preserve Baul, but Baul has been preserved by Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das decades ago, it has already been done. Stay tuned Babu Kishan will talk about all this.
Pave your own road on your own merit, do not complain, do not copy.
Sitaram Das Omkarnath with Purna Das Baul and his brother Lakshman Das Baul
Another thing most people do not know Sitaram Das Omkarnath was the person who brought Anadamayi Ma to the limelight, because in India in those days it was almost impossible for a women to come forward. There are many pictures of Sitaram Das Omkarnath and Anandamayi Ma together.
A young Purna Das, looking over SitaRam Das Omkarnath's shoulder.
One of the last photo's of SitaRam Das Omkarnath in Puri Orrisa (Odissa), Photo taken by Babu Kishan.
Babu Kishan spent a lot of time with Sri Omkarnath and traveled through India with him, he was traveling here with him on one of his last trips. He was like a Grandpa Guru, part of their family.