Sri Nabani Das Khyappa Baul, Babukishan's Grandfather was a Lineage Vaishnava Baul of Bengal. Nabani Das Baul was an Avadhuta, he walked in the footpath of his ancestors. The lineage is that of the Great Vaishnava Saint, Nityananda Mahaprabu. Nityanada from Ekchakra West Bengal was a Baul.. These Bauls are from an oral living lineage thousands of years old.
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Nityananda Baul Avadut,
Jai Nitai
Jai Guru Nityananda was a Baul!
The Narrative of who this lineages Ancestors are has been stolen by the orthodox. |
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| Sri Nabani Das Khyappa Baul |
Before Baul Guru Sri Nabani Das Kyappa Baul, sent his 2 sons oversea’s in 1967 for several months this varies from according you talk to form anywhere to 2 and half months to 7 months. At that time there were not many people outside of India who had ever met a Baul from Bengal. Purna Das had previously traveled outside of India to Russia in the 1950's, and this was the first time Bauls had ever gone overseas. They created history and inspired a whole new generation of Bauls to cross the ocean.
Babu has been preserving his oral living lineage for 60 years, he has written 3 books on Baul the last one being published by Ravi Shankar and George Harrison in 1985 now out of print but to be re-released soon.
As an authority by sadhana and scholarship Babu is a living lineage holder, he finds it absurd when he reads writer, writing and spreading all sorts of mis- information on Baul.
Bauls have been distorted, used and maligned for centuries.
There are many well meaning people trying to preserve Baul but unfortunetly they are talking to all the wrong Bauls, the Bauls who are not versed in the lineage, the Bauls who do not even know the Baul songs, they are singing folk songs or some even Bollywood songs?? This is the way with all indigenous people and it leads to extinction.
Babu Kishan has preserved Baul since the 1960's, Baul is preserved, those who are asking for donations now are cheaters. They are using Baul to become a Baba or Maa, such a terrible shame.
Sri Nabani Das was very sick and on his death bed, and he never wanted to leave the soil of Bengal, he was one of the last of real authentic Bauls and there was no way that he would ever leave India even if it were not for the fact that he was so sick.
Nabani instead sent his two sons, Purna Das Baul who was Nabani's eldest son and who was the first Indian volcalist to travel orverseas, Purna Das very famous Baul singer in India, millions of people had already listened to him sing across India, along with his came his younger brother Laxshman Das Baul a light hearted, magical mystical singer, you could call him the Bob Marley of Baul, also Hare Krishna Das Baul, Sudhananda Purna Das's his relative, and Jiban Das.
Ashok Fakir the tricky translator who was named as Purna Das Baul's secretary brought his wife and young daughter, telling Purna Das Baul that he could not bring his wife Manju Das.
To A Baul it is important that their wife goes everywhere with them, this is part of their Sadhana. Those months that Purna Das and his group spent in Woodstock created a real hardship for Purna's wife and family and the other Bauls families.
Purna's wife Manju Das had 3 little sons, and their servant Madan Das. They did not have any money, they did not know when Purna would come back home.
The servant Madan Das arranged to help them. This was a very real and damaging time for Purna Das's family they never had a ruppee and were suffering in Kolkata.
Purna das and group were recording record after record with the hope of at least making some money to bring back home. To this day they have never recieved a ruppee from any of the recordings or royalties. and you wonder why the Indian people are upset about the intellectual aritist musical liquidation of their culture. Think about it??
There is a whole set of stories of how they suffered in America also, the cultual differences, the food, the cold, lack of understanding.
None of these Baul could speak english putting them at the mercy of Ashok Sakar (Fakir) he was a clerk in kolkata not a journalist and he had other plans. He told everyody he too was a Baul and a Fakir a Tantric, he mislead and decieved everybody. This is nothing new the Bauls have always been used by many people using Bauls to become famous, it is the story for many indigenous cultures.
Interestingly enough Ashok Sarkar ended up living in Vancouver, B.C. Canada, and passed away in April 2009. Ashok saw Babu at the local Hare Krishna temple and wanted to talk to Babu but for some reason Babu did not talk to him.
Babu only realized it was him when he read the local Georgia Straight article about Ashoke Fakirs death in April of 2009 only to realize Ashok had passed away only weeks after they first made eye contact... Ashok became a very colourful person in Vancouver and had also raised a family here. Babu has since been in conversation with his son in Santa Barbara.
Nabani was a very intense Baul Tantric Sadhaka, and to the eye he may have appeared like a wild, mad man, he was not mad in the regular sense, he was God/dess intoxicated mad.
He was a mystical avadhuta with a magical smile, he was wild and ecstatic with love, mad for God, he was a true Baul, and a great Poet, he knew everything in the oral tradition, all the stories, all the songs.
Most of the Bauls today are singing Nabani Das Baul songs, they do not even know who wrote the songs and should give some credit to this very rare Baul who is was the last of the great Bauls.
George Harrison (Beatles), and Allen Ginsberg (The American Beat Poet), were some of the first famous foreigners to arrive in Santinekitan, they started to learn about the Vaishnava Bauls. Both becoming great friends, and supporters of this lineage.
Allen Ginsberg went back to America, and told Albert B Grossman about Nabani Das Baul and his ecstatic, blissful, magical, mystical song, and dance from Bengal. Albert B Grossman, (Bob Dylan’s manager at the time) was searching for different kinds ethnic musicians, as The Woodstock Committee had appointed him in charge of the ledgendary first Woodstock's ethnic department. Babu learned all this from the legendary father of Rock Journalism
Al Aronowitz... (Rolling Stones, Village Voice, Washington Post and New York Times.)
Al Aronowitz was the man who introduced Bob Dylan to the Beattles and Allen Ginsberg...
When Alen Ginsberg shared his recording of Nabani Das Baul aslo showing his pictures to Albert Grossman, Grossman was impressed, and intrigued, he said it would be great to present have Nabani Das at Woodstock.
Ravi Shankar, was slected as Indian’s first insturmentalist to come, and Nabani Das Baul was selected a Indian vocalist. Albert B Grossman with his wife came to Kolkata in 1967 this is when they met the Bauls and Nabani Das Baul the Baul who Allen Ginsberg had been talking about for years.
This is how the Bauls arrived in America through Albert and his wife because of Allen Ginsbergs talking about Nabani Das Baul.. The Bauls arrived first in San Francisco then after some concerts went on to Woodstock staying for months jamming with Bod Dylan and The Band. This was a shock to Purna Das Baul and contingent because it was cold and food was not what they were used to.. They were in the wilderness of Woodstock and did not speak english.
Bob Dylan had never heard of Baul before, for him this was a new kind of music.
Purna Das Baul, and Laxman Das Baul jammed with Bob Dylan and The Band, jamming for some months in Woodstock New York.
Dylan respected Purna Das, but was more friendly with the younger fun loving Laxman Das Baul (Bob Marley of Baul), perhaps because they were closer in age, and Purna Das being the older more serious one.
Years later in 1985 Babukishan would travel and perform with Bob Dylan on his cross the country US tour, and became really good friends, and exchanging music. No other Bauls ever met Bob Dylan or any or the Band members. It is only Babu Kishan who had a long many decades relationship with them, after the 1967 first initial meeting with Babu's father, it was Babu who kept the relationship going. I don't know why people (journalists) and writers on Baul just say 'Baul even knew Bob Dylan', that is a complete generic watering down and appropriation of Babu Kishan's life and story?
No other Bauls ever had any association, so they can stop using Babu Kishan's story.
Years later in the early 80's after Babu was sending letters back and forth to Al Aronowitz the father of rock journalism, Babukishan the ever dutifull son made his way to New York by himself to meet with Al Aronowitz at the Rockerfeller Centre.
Al told Babu to meet him at the Rockerfeller Centre they hit it off and became close friends...Al set up meeting with Allen Ginsberg, this is when Babu also became good friends with Allen Ginsberg, all arranged everything.
Then on November 14th in New York Babu brought his parents all the way from Indian as he had arranged a surprise meeting for his father to reconnect with Bob Dylan.
Babu brought him all the way to the USA and met with Garth Hudson to also re-record a new recording of the Bauls and The Band fusion music, in which Babu composed all the music for 8 songs.
Babu organised the recording with "The Band" the Baul of Bengal fusion album, it was Babu's composition, he arranged the album but the album disappeared....hmm, ..
Babu remembers he also brought 3 guys from New York to Wookstock for this recording a local New York Indian Tabla player named Badal Roy, Badal was the local Raga restaurant Tabla player, and he brought 2 other guys from the Brooklyn Iskcon Temple, Lakshmi Das and Vaiyasaki Das they worked in the Hare Krishna kitchen department..
Babu brought them to particapate in the album and they really wanted to meet, "The Band." Vaiyasaki played the kartals as did Lakshmi Das. Al Aronowitz said to Babu, "oh Babu why did you bring those Hare Krishna guys?' Al Aronowitz thought they were just too much, he wasn't into their trip.
A year later Babu got a letter from Garth saying he was releasing an album called "Sea to the North" Babu was so surprised his compositions from the year earlier recording in Woodstock with Garth had Babukishan listed as a percussionist, he was surprised that he was not listed as a composer of the track. To this very day 2022 Babu talks to Garth Hudson who is not in good health, they have remained friends and he talked to Levon Helm until his passing too.
It was not easy to bring his parents and himself to USA and again with no value for their music Sea to the North is not Babu's composition but what he is saying they used Babu's composition on the album without giving him proper credit or letting Babu know that they are using his tracks Garth Hudson knows the truth, Babu had brought this to his attention.
Babu took Purna Das inside Bob Dylans concert at Madison Square Gardens as a surprise to meet Bob Dylan after all those years with the help of Garth Hudson and Al Aronowitz and he was very thankful and all Bob Dylan said to Purna Das Baul was how was Laxshman Das Baul, everybody loved the carefree younger brother of Purna Das Baul. In 1985 Babukishan would travel and perform with Bob Dylan on his cross the country East West US Tour.
Babu is grateful to Al Aronowitz because he made it all happen. It had been almost 18 years since there was contact between the Bauls, and Bob Dylan The Band, or the Grossmans, and Ginsberg. Babu had listened to his parents for years talk about what they had lost out on that first trip because those people in America never paid any royalties or not a single ruppee to the Bauls music but they were selling records and when they would go to Europe they would hear their music being played, Babu thought if he could meet them they could re-record..
There were many people that Babu set up meetings and reconnections with the help of Al Aronowitz to reclaim some of there royalties but the music producers disappeared. Babu's Dad told him to contact Peter K Siegel and others Peter was the music producer for these albums, "Indian street Music" from Nonesuch..
"The Bauls of Bengal" from Electra, and "The Bauls at Big Pink" Buddha Records. None of them would meet with Babu they were selling music recorded by the Bauls and not just any Bauls but his family making money, they probably never thought a Baul would come to America educated and speaking english and wanting to know why his family is not profiting of any of these albums? People use the lyrics of the Bauls, the music of the Bauls but for some reason do not feel they owe them anything?
Babu contacted all the record companies as Babu at the time was Asia's (India's), CBS music label manager and consultant, he had been releasing all the top music of the world in India for Bob Dylan, Micheal Jackson ect... all these American artists were receiving royalties from oversea's so why not the Bauls of Bengal's, where were their royalties..
Babu found out the royalities were going to the individual Producers account. These people know, who they are, they know what they took from the Bauls and we will be writing about this in our book with more details, so stayed tuned to the Bauls unplugged. Who would have thought a Baul would ever figure it all out? Who would have thought India would rise again and want to reclaim their spiritual, intellectual, property that had been liquidated by foreigners?
Babu developed a very strong friendship with Al Aronowtiz until Al passed away in 2005 .It was Babu who reconnected to all these people and continued to make a trip every year to keep everybody inspired about the Bauls of Bengal.
Any meeting with any of these people in the 1980's and onward was all due to Babukishan and his effort to help his parents reconnect. Babu as a one man show has continued to keep Bauls in the limelight with much effort and time. He worked tirelessly spending his own money arranging and making a trip every year to America.
Baul songs are not Folk songs..many today are singing Bangladeshi and Bengali folk songs, or they are singing only the very simple songs, and shortening down the songs to make them simplier. Baul is more than dressing like one, holding an ektara in one hand, and singing folk songs. It certainly has nothing to do with smoking ganga in a regular sense, some Bauls smoked ganja for certain sadhana's, most Bauls did not and it certainly is not attracting people with all this talk of tantric sex.
Baul women never ever had jata or dread locks, this is something new. It all sounds like a paradox Sri Nabani Das Baul was an avadhuta Baul, these types of Bauls are rare, yes he did smoke ganja like any other wandering sadhu, or shiva baba's, the ganja did not smoke him.. He did constant sadhana... The regular villiage Bauls did not smoke ganja.
The lineage is not about ganja or tantric sex as stated by many writers in which many imposters, or Baul singers have aligned themselves with. Perhaps Neo Tantri Sex has been the quest of many people who have wanted to learn about Baul or who used to hang around with the Bauls, you can usually tell by what they write. The writers who mention Baul is about some sort of neo tantric sex you can be assured they do not know what they are talking about or they have been mislead by some Bauls who were trying to attract people??
Bauls keep their knowledge inside. They keep there sadhana inside. They are lovers of Hari, if there is no love... Hari is not there. They are the mystics, they lived in a different world than ordinary people.
This is the short real true story of how Baul is known in the modern world outside of India. It is this family, this lineage that has travelled all over the world since 1966 trying to preserve this ancient oral tradition of Vaishnava Baul…otherwise who would know what Baul is???
Actually Purna Das Baul went to Russia in the 1950's. He has been traveling for more than 70 years, and Babukishan has been traveling for more that 40 years, preserving, educating about the Baul of Bengal.
This is the beginning of the story of the first Bauls to travel to North America. Purna Das Baul had already been to Russia, and won a Gold medal in IPTI musical youth festival for his singing.
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| Bob Dylan, and Purna Das Baul |
George Harrison (Beatles), and Allen Ginsberg (The American Beat Poet), were some of the first famous foreigners to arrive in Santinekitan, they started to learn about the Vaishnava Bauls. Both becoming great friends, and supporters of this lineage.
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| Babukishan, his mother Manju Das, father Purna Das Baul and 2 brothers. |
Years later in 1985 Babukishan would travel and perform with Bob Dylan on his cross the country US tour, and became really good friends, and exchanging music.
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| Young Krishnendu Baul playing Sri Khol |
All rights reserved, copyright material by Babukishan & Trishula Das
