APR 4, 2020 10 MINUTES
From CQ India it seems a Scribh magazine?
I am not sure who the author is and not sure what CQ is, I found this article on Scribd
"First of all Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das Baul created Baul fusion in the early 1970's if not before, he is the first and the most accomplished creative Baul composer, producer in the history of modern Baul..
Babu Kishan's music library is large
https://indiafolkheritageofbengal.weebly.com
He is the first Baul Decades ahead of anybody who coined and produced 'Baul Fusion' with Western Rock Bands and Bollywood famed playback singers."
It is wrongly stated in this article that Paban Das Baul is the First Baul to create Baul Fusion, Wrong by almost 2 decades. His brother is also, saying he is the fist to do Baul Fusion (wrong).
Babu Kishan created Baul Fusion others copied him! NO Nobody can be Babu Kishan aka Krishnedu Das Baul? Yet, many are using his poetry, tune and lyrics singing Baul songs that he recorded decades ago??
https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2022/08/babu-kishan-aka-krishnendu-das-baul.html
- Critical, Critique - a detailed analysis and assessment of something, especially a literary, philosophical, or political theory.
- Exegesis - a pulling a part and laying bare, exposition, explanation.
- Review, Setting the record straight on a crooked Baul road.
https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2022/12/critical-review-of-paper-wrong.html
Let us get the story straight, this has gone on far too long by many Baul followers, I call them Cherry pickers, including within Babu Kishan's own family.
It was only Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das Baul who created Baul Fusion 2 decades before Paban Das Baul did his Baul fusion albums? Babu Kishan is the eldest Grandson of his Gurus Nabani Das Khepa Baul and Brajabala Dasi, he grew up and was raised by them both it is a very long story.
He is the eldest son of Purna Das Baul. Born into the lap of Nabani Das Baul and Brajabala Dasi authentic Baul and the last of the original Bauls, taught oral Sanskrit from birth.
Babu designed the patch dress (Guduri) that other Bauls wear, because all Bauls follow Nabani, Purna and Krishnendu Das Baul (aka Babu Kishan). The Bauls songs, style of dress colourful patch dress (Guduri) and the Etara Baya Nupoor and dance that is only Nabani's style. But they never say, they use and create new lineages? Seriously it is mind boggling and then writers write, copy and paste false writings, copying from books and articles that are wrong. Talking to Baul singers who have crafted their stories to promote themselves as Bauls???
The Fake it til you make it Bauls? is not Baul and Babu Kishan tried to help all but he never ever hung out with them because to him it is not Baul. Baul is different.
Babu Kishan created 'Baul fusion' and all copied him, followed him, and tried to be him. Seriously? It was only Babu Kishan who introduced you to Baul Fusion, he created it and other followed almost 2 decades later?
https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2022/08/babu-kishan-aka-krishnendu-das-baul.html
Babu Kishan introduced Baul Fusion to the world and Baul music 'in a big way' to the world, he create the template and all Bauls followed, his brothers had no interest and it was Babu Kishan who brought them to Europe in 1988, yet Babpi his brother is saying he introduced Baul to Europe even though Babu was there all over Europe in the 1970's through 1980's, where were they have fun hanging out on the corner in Calcutta enjoying life.
After the initial meeting of Purna Das Baul and Laxshman Das Baul in 1967 and the recording at the Big Pink and the Big Pink album, The Bauls at the Big Pink the place in Woodstock where Bob Dylan and The Band hung out.
Of course his Legendary 40 years or more in Indian Cinema no one can or ever will come close, yet they brag and brag. Babu Kishan has always stayed far from all these, what he calls user Bauls as he has helped all and they just erase him and he does not care.
Babu Kishan created ‘#BaulFusion’ from the 1970’s, his father met Bob Dylan in 1967 but completely lost contact until Babu Kishan reconnected in the early 1980's, Purna Das Baul never kept in touch nor did he reconnect except through Babu Kishan his eldest son.
Babu organized all through All Aronowitz the God father of Rock journalism who worked for NY Times, Washington Post, Village Voice, and Billboard and of course Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan and Sally Grossman in New York for decades?
Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das Baul visited them every years since the 1970's until Ginsberg passed in 1997 and Aronowitz passed in the 2000. Babu had a many decades friendship and met Ginsberg first as a baby sitting on Nabani's lap in 1962,
Ginsberg saw Nabani in Babu whom he called Baboooo. Ginsberg loved Nabani and when Babu saw him in New York he would always say, he felt Nabani was right in front of him. Ginsberg told Babu, he always thought Nabani as his Baul Guru. Babu Kishan is the only Baul who Ginsberg web site to this day. Yet, all we hear is Ginsberg associated with random generic Baul, Ginsberg was associated with Bau, NO he was not, he was associated with Babu Kishan.
Babu Kishan contacted Bob Dylan and The Band through Allen Ginsberg and Al Aronowitz in the 1970's ? 1980's and reintroduced his father, but other than through Babu his father had no relationships.
Babu became close friends with Levon Helm and Garth Hudson and still talks to Garth Hudson. He was supposed to go to NY to record with his friend Garth Hudson in the 2000's, but was too busy working in Indian Cinema that he sent his Dad and his younger brother tagged along only for taking pictures of himself with everybody and then like he is the one, a major fool.
Babu will speak more about his younger brother later and the story of Bob Dylan being at his wedding is a complete lie, bringing in NDTV to record the lie. Bob Dylan has never been to India. Bob Dylan was in Argentina at that time.
https://bhavaproject.weebly.com/news-blog/archives/10-2018
Babu was taken out of the Ramakrishna Mission by his father just before he was to become complete Sanaysi after 12 years and put to work as Purna Das Bauls manager, Babu arranged all, composed and recorded all the music.and paid for all. He knew how to focus, drenched in the Shakti or Baul essence given to him by initiation by Nabani Das Khyapa Baul. He worked like a slave to be accepted as part of this family, he gave them all his money, this continued through emotional blackmail for decades even when he had his own family.
Remember they got him when he was 8 when Nabani passed away and put him a Ramakrishna orphanage, he was raised differently from his 2 brothers and never fit in.
Babu aka Krishnendu Baul's brothers to this day had no interest other than for themselves, they had no idea the work or all the Indian Cinema recording he had done. He posted one the other day and his brother omg I didn't know you recorded that??
Every time Bob Dylan met Babu he asked, how is Laxshman, Babu Kishan's late uncle, the one and only Laxshman Das Baul, also, on the cover of John Westley Harding in 1967 but very rarely mentioned.
I will quote and then explain:
1. "The man’s name is Dindayal and he is a Baul – a member of a group of minstrels from West Bengal and Bangladesh. Like the Bhakti and Sufi traditions that they draw inspiration from – alongside Tantra, Buddhism and Vaishnavite Hinduism – the Bauls are mystical anarchists who reject all forms of authority and hierarchy. Their only dogma is universal love; their only temple, the human body."
Baul Kirtan is legendary, the problem is Baul singers do not know the kirtans, many sing folk songs of Bangladesh, those are not Baul songs! Babu Kishan is an expert on Baul music and the Folk Music of Birbhum, Bengal and India both by education with a Masters Degree in Indian Music specializing in India Folk Music and he knows who is singing what? Babu worked for all the biggest Music companies in India and categorized all the Folk Music of India, if any would know, he would know. He has composed Indian music in many Indian languages and raised as an oral Sanskritist he has an ear that can distinguish different dialects of Bengali.
Do you not know Baul Kirtan, Vaishnava Bauls of Birbhum are the only lineage, the 'Das Baul and Dasi' lineage, do you not know oral Sanskrit or the Upanishads, All of India's philosophical systems? Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharat, Vaishnava Agama's. Many Baul singers used the name Das Baul and Dasi and do not have a clue anything really about Baul, they are not even singing Baul songs and never mention Baul Kirtan? All they mentions is related to Tantric Sex because that was what drew people to Birbhum at that time.
2. Baul is Vaishnava Tantra not like Tantra or alongside of it based on Vaishnava Agama's and manuscripts which this lineage Das Baul and Dasi had many, thus an oral Sanskrit tradition, vernacular Birbhum Bengali, not Bangladeshi dialect.
4. "No caste no creed only means they do not get pedantic and stuck, they appreciate all and accept all. Bauls are not illiterate, they are oral Sanskritist witha photographic memory and Nabani only smoked Ganga because he was an adept a Baul Avadhut not a regular Baul follower or just a Baul singer?"
Basically no dogma as in orthodox, however, there is a line and a well defined lineage that follows, well defined Vaishnava path with well defined techniques in a Vaishnava Sahaja way, not a Buddhist or random Sahaja way, most don't even know this?
This lineage that all follows is the path of love (prem) to the highest levels, that does not mean they do not have boundaries, a Vaishnava Baul is distinct in that one should be sattvic! To be a yogi or tantric adept such as Nabani Das Khyapa Baul, you have strong boundaries and very sharp intellect, it is not free love with everybody and you must be mystical and advanced in Prana and Pranayama aka Vayu Dharma among other Yogic Tantric Techniques including Ayurveda. There are roughly 215 Vaishnava Agamas, 108 Upanishads.
One must be learned in all Indian Philosophy and Rasa Tattva which leads to all of Baul Philosophy. Bauls are both Dvaita Dualistic and Aavaita Non-Dual, not to speak born Sanskrit scholars?
Ganja is legal in Canada and probably many countries in the world now. Anybody can smoke ganja, it makes you dumb and dull, why do Baul singers aka Baul followers think that it is cool to sit around smoking ganja.
Ganja smokes them because they are not deep sadhaka's just what we call in the west, good time Charlies the cool crowd? Regular Baul follower smoking ganja big deal, they use this now in documentaries and they people are not even Bauls. Everybody knows that most are fake these days. Just regular people nothing extraordinary, it is insane to associate Baul constantly with this low minded Baul followers. To be a Baul you must be extraordinary and produce something extraordinary. Yet, today we have people trying to look like they are adepts.
These are Baul followers trying to be Baul, Baul is different, can they meditate under water for 12 hours?
More watering down and reducing Baul so that they can be included, constant dumbing down, making people stupid?
Monar Manush means the Atma the inner bird, the soul there has to be a deep mystical soul connection, the inner person, sat chit ananda.
The body is the temple of course this is one thing people always love to say, however, that does not mean Baul's do not go to Joy Dev Temple or other temples. Bauls accept all this is why they go to the mosque, church, but that does not mean they become Muslim or Christian.
Baul accepts all that does not mean they become all. Bauls are not temple builders, they learn in families in Akhara's, this does not exist today, it has not existed for decades. Baul is not just about singing Baul songs sitting around smoking ganja or recording Baul music?
Today, many are fundraising to build Baul ashrams which they called Ashrams until recently they scoured my website and blogs and then changed the name to Akhara and reading my article now name dropping? I know they have been scouring it day and night, I can see everybody who visits my web site and blogs?
3) 'The man’s name is Dindayal and he is a Baul – a member of a group of minstrels from West Bengal and Bangladesh.'
Babu Kishan has never ever heard of Dindayal? He 'follows Baul' there is a difference between an authentic Baul and a follower of Baul or Baul singer. There is nothing wrong with following Baul the whole generation since the 1970's are Baul followers, many are refugee's from Bangladesh and speak with a Bangladeshi Bengali accent?
However, there is no such thing as Bauls from Bangladesh, there is no such think as Muslim Bauls and Fakir Sai Aul Shah Dervish are Muslim Sufi they are not Baul?
I have explained this in great lengths on my blogs.
Whoever, wrote the article is just using what has been written about in the past and copy and pasting. I do not have any issue with this group of Baul followers, they did not write this article as far as I can see, although it seems Mimlu Sen gives input.
4. " It’s these ecstatic, shamanic performances that likely earned them the name “Baul”, derived from the Sanskrit word v ā tula meaning “enlightened, lashed by the wind to the point of losing one’s sanity”.
Cherry picking, this explanation is incomplete and wrong, it is watered down as usual reductionism, what the name means and not even close. This explanation ha haha ha I don't think I laughed so hard
The only accurate part is it comes from Sanskrit, the rest is a perfect example of why Baul needs to preserved accurately. It does not mean enlightened, lashed by the wind to the point of insanity? What? Absolutely wrong.
Perfect example of the insanity going on, shear speculation and wrong teaching, how writers, write garbage and reduce an indigenous tradition? Baul is indigenous to Birbhum, it is not low caste, being poor does not mean you are low caste, they are Gosai, they are not illiterate? Unless, you call oral Sanskrit illiterate and reading Vaishnava Agama in manuscript form illiterate?
5. "Recognising neither caste nor faith-based distinctions, their egalitarian credo drew a large number of followers from lower-caste Hindu and Muslim communities."
Bauls were the peace keepers, they helped all people, feed all people. It is a well known fact that in the villages of Birbhum Bengal when the famines hit them hard it was Nabani who used his Mahasiddha Baul techniques along with his invisible helpers to manifest food and feed the villagers. There are many stories but, Nabani went silently, he did not show his deep Baul Tantric techniques. This family was known to live to at least 120 year before the degradation of modern life.
Yes, because Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and Purna Das Baul were famous and they too could, sing like them and become famous, I doubt it had very little to do with actual sadhana other than attracting and following whatever this lineage could do?
This is a big twist, the actual Vaishnava Bauls were Gosai, they were different from regular Gosia, Nabani's father's name was Ananta Gosai, Uncles name was Rasaraj Gosai.
Nabani took Gosai off because he did not want people to touch his feet, his philosophy was touch your own feet.
He was born in Ekachakra Birbhum as was Purna Das Baul who is multi awarded, multi accomplished, you can not even compare him with Paban Das Baul in the same line?
Babu Kishan says, Paban is a good folk singer, most of the songs he sings are not Baul songs, more about this later in the critique. He knows his story.
Bauls are not illiterate, and they are indigenous peoples not random and Baul is not an umbrella name for random groups of people. There is a long story about all this.
6. "Lalon Shah, the iconic Baul balladeer said to have lived for 116 years, was a major influence on Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam, the two great renaissance men of West Bengal and Bangladesh.
7. The Nobel laureate was so taken by Shah’s music and philosophy that he became a dedicated champion of the Bauls, even publishing the first collection of Lalon Shah’s songs."
Ok, here we go! This is a long discourse and very twisted here, just name dropping with no deep knowledge of the truth. Lalon Fakir was a poet, Rabindranath Tagore may have been taken by his poetry but he is not a Baul he did not do Baul Sadhana, he was a poet. There was no music or tune to his poetry until Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das Baul brought a group of famed Bangladeshi singers to Calcutta in the 1970, he recorded Lalon Poetry to his music compositions, they became famous.
The only Baul Tagore was associated with was Nabani Das Khyapa Baul as he is the Baul who initiated Tagore into Baul, I will post links to articles from the blog.
Kazi Nazrul Islam, was a deep friend of Nabani's link below:
https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2019/04/nabani-das-khyapa-baul-and-his-friend.html
The Pous Mela in Shantiniketan was created in honour of Nabani Das Khyapa (Khepa) Baul, Tagore gave Nabani the name 'Mirror of the Sky" and Khepa Baul.
https://bhavaproject.weebly.com/news-blog/some-poets-and-new-baul-singers
Today every Bangladeshi refugee from the 1970's uses and follows this lineage.
I see Paban Das Baul, oh ghee Das Baul is only from this lineage wearing Babu Kishan's designed patch work dress called Guduri? Where does he think this style came from, Babu Kishan designed it for his father, multi-talented designer, film designer, Music Composer and Film maker and Baul Guru, Babu has all the techniques and all the songs.
https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2022/01/baul-dress-designed-by-babu-kishan.html
8. “Around that time, the famous Purna Das Baul’s record ‘Golemale Golemale Pirit Koro Na’ had come out, and it affected me,” he says. “So I made myself a khamakwith a coconut shell, and started performing the song. But I was just being mischievous then, I had no understanding of the song’s inner meaning.”
Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das Baul the eldest son of Purna Das Baul is the Music Composer, Producer and he released and promoted, Golemale Golemale Pirit Koro Na" and all of Purna Das's music. Golemale was Nabani Das Khyapa Baul poetry.
9. "Paban is understandably proud to have been one of the pioneers of Baul fusion – alongside 1960s icons Purna and Laxman Das Baul. But the mention of Zaman – who passed away in 2015 – brings on some bittersweet memories."
Ok wait a minute Babu Kishan was the pioneer of Baul fusion since 1975. Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das Baul by decades is the first to do Baul fusion with Bob Dylan, The Band, George Harrison. He is the first to have Indian Cinema famous playback singers to sing Baul songs and Baul fusion, he is the first to promote and record others such as Monahar Khepa and Pagla Baba, Goshta Gopal and a huge list of Bengali folk singers.
Yes, I suppose it would bring on bittersweet memories when you actually were not the first and then there is Bapi Das Baul, Babu's middle brother also, living in Paris who created Baul fusion in the 1990's. We have many stories to tell.
Purna Das Baul did not create any Baul fusion, he may have sung something Babu Kishan produced and wrote, it was only Babu Kishan who created Baul fusion and he is the first.
I really don't know about Laxshman Das Baul he is Babu Kishan's dear uncle, Babu grew up with him in the village and kept in touch via telephone until he passed away, Laxshman would cry when he talked to Babu on the phone.
Honestly, how can you put yourself 'along side of Purna Das Baul'? Baul Samarat the highly awarded and Padma Shri, Wow, almost shocking!
10. “So many techniques are lost now, because all the great Baul singers of my generation have died,” he says. “I’m all alone now.”
Paban
Key word, Baul singers are not Bauls they are people who followed Baul, but I give you this one, 'the fake it til you make it' Bauls.
Oh do not worry Paban, Babu Kishan has preserved all the techniques, he is a deep Baul Tantric sadhak doing his practices everyday for 60 years, given to Nabani at birth and raised in the Tantric burning ground at Tarapith, introduced to all Saints, Guru's Tantrics of Bengal and throughout India as he composed music for them too, he spent 12 years inside the Ramakrishna Mission as a monk.
He has preserved all the songs and techniques since the 1960's that was the mission Nabani and Brajabala left him with. They knew no one else was interested each of their children had their own tendencies. Therefore, they trained Babu Kishan in oral Sanskrit and when Nabani passed Brajabala who was very attached to her first Grandson told Babu all the stories after Nabani was gone. Babu Kishan was lucky as when Babu who he named (Krishnendu) was born he completely stopped his wandering ways and was present for Babu his little Krishna with crooked limbs.
This song is the philosophy of life (Baul).Babu (krishnendu Das Baul) on Nabani's lap always, the eldest with hair and twisted feet. Brajabala in the back just behind Nabani's shoulder. In 1962 Nabani had returned to stay home and stay home.
No they are NOT all dead, what about 'Purna Das Baul @ age 90 but then he was not really a Tantric but he was a Baul and son of Nabani and he also, has learned more than your Baul singer friends, the fake it til you make it crowd.
Of course anybody could hang around Laxshman Das Baul but he was tricky and didn't give much out. Babu had long conversations with him and he would say come on Babu you know more than anybody, so don't worry you will preserve Baul and the truth will come out.
Babu Kishan has preserved all Baul techniques and songs since the 1960's as the eldest Grandson of his Guru's from birth Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and Brajabala Dasi.
Babu is not easy either, he has been duped so many time by scholars who wrote about Baul, to the scholars it is only about a job, about their books, about creating a narrative and having a job teaching?
Scholars are not helpful, nor are they the saviours of any tradition. To them Bauls are monkeys in a zoo to be taken from without giving anything back, They are to be used, take pictures of use the songs but leave all the names off, take their songs, or write about someone usually a random Baul follower, so they can pay a few rupee's to make new lineages and get their PHD job and represent a tradition and spread false teachings creating a cultural genocide.
Scholars work only for themselves, Not to be trusted as they are just copy and paste from other Academic books that already are wrong, thus reinforcing wrong teachings and creating a cultural genocide.
No they are NOT all dead, what about Purna Das Baul but then again he is not just a Baul singer and what about Babu Kishan has preserved all Baul techniques and songs since the 1960's as the eldest Grandson of Nabani Das Khyapa Baul and Brajabala Dasi.
They raised Babu aka Krishnendu Das Baul from birth, they are both his Baul Guru's.
Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das Baul is also, Purna Das Baul's eldest son who also, composed the music, produced and promoted most of his famous successful music, he is the first to create Baul fusion in a big way with many albums starting in 1975. A list is being compiled.
Well, you should know Babu Kishan has already since the 1960's preserved the whole lineage of Baul? When Nabani Das Khyapa Baul left in 1969and Brajabala Dasi left in late 1990's that is when Baul became extinct, other than that new Baul followers only followed Baul, the authentic Baul left the house long ago.
At Kenduli itself, the state government is constructing a Baul music academy.
“But, I think their concern would be, who would control it?” says Dr Jarrod Hyam, associate lecturer in philosophy and religious studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. “Would they try to copyright the music?
Obviously, you copyright to make a profit. And I think that’s what they’re scared of. We’ve been this anti-institutional, in some ways, rebellious force or movement for so long, and we don’t want to become institutionalised, and a part of the mainstream culture.”
No you copyright the songs to protect the Baul tradition from all the false writing and documentary film makers and all the Baul followers who make up stories and it is rampant. However, do not copyright the songs from this lineage, you have used this lineage enough.
Babu Kishan has preserved Baul and recorded the whole Baul lineage since the 1960's.
If you keep Baul out of the hands of Western Scholars, that would protect Baul, most have proved to be users and abusers who further water down, reduce and make Baul look like a bunch of jokers.
More to come, to be continued...
https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2022/07/cultural-mis-appropriation-indigenous.html
Babu Kishan and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys!
This is a song for our time, so much is fake in this world.
This song is the philosophy of life (Baul).