There is no such thing as Baul Fakir! Baul is not an umbrella name !

BabuKishan.org

No poaching, name dropping, or copying anything on this page or blog. Copyright all rights reserved by Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das. please talk to Babukishanproductions@gmail.com

Indigenous Baul Fraud, Indigenous identity theft!

https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2025/02/indigenous-identity-theft-indigenous.html

https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2025/04/fake-pretendian-hawker-baul-critique.html

Baul is not a free for all, it is a indigenous lineage, that is extinct and was preserved by Babu Kishan since the 1960's, his research, songs, lineage should only be self-determined by a indigenous Baul. Not by western scholars, not by fake Bauls who use Baul, not by outsiders.

The True Voice of Baul: Reclaiming Indigenous Self-Determination

Wikipedia and all scholarly definitions of Baul are fundamentally flawed. They represent a "white-washed" narrative, created by academics who have "copied and pasted" misinformation from one book to another, perpetuating inaccurate descriptions of who the Bauls truly are. Scholars are, in effect, co-opting the self-determination of an indigenous, ancient ancestry. Only a Baul from an authentic, indigenous lineage possesses the right to define what Baul is. They are the rightful owners of this tradition, having preserved it for thousands of years.

The notion that "Baul is an umbrella term" is a colonial construct, not an authentic Baul concept. Baul, as a distinct category, requires protection from outsiders who fabricate stories about it. Scholars are never the ultimate authority on any indigenous people; they take from a culture and then presume to define it.

Only someone who has actively preserved the entirety of Baul for six decades has the right to speak about their indigenous tradition. This certainly does not include "fake Bauls" or their social media marketers who "cherry-pick and steal information" from our lineage Baul blog and websites. We are aware of who accesses our material. Stop using our intellectual property, name-dropping as if you have legitimate knowledge. Cease fabricating stories, such as the claim that "20,000 Bauls" remain; Baul is extinct, and its essence has been diluted enough. Do not name-drop or recount our stories, or use our written content without explicit permission. Everything has been copyrighted. This has been an ongoing issue since BabuKishan.com, the very first Baul website, was launched in the 1990s, with content consistently "poached, copied, with no credit given, names taken off, and stories reworked as if they were the originals."

Consider how you, as a scholar, would feel if a Baul presumed to define your identity and future. We intend to do just that, without offense, as we are simply exercising self-determination regarding your academic future. Bauls are not "monkeys in your zoo to be scientifically examined." They are a marginalized people, and you should not exploit them or the name "Baul." We will openly address the damage and karmic repercussions of your "scientific false narratives" through our forthcoming book, echoing the stance on lineagebaul.blogspot.com.

The authentic voice of Baul must originate solely from Bauls themselves, not from outsiders who base their research on ethnographic experimentation.

---

Redefining Baul: No "Umbrella Term" for Fakir or Muslim Traditions

The self-determining indigenous people of Baul unequivocally state: Fakir, Sai, Dervish, or Muslims are 100% NOT BAUL. To continue using this association or term is to propagate a "fake, false narrative."

As highlighted by Trevor Reed's work on cultural appropriation: "Something is common to all forms of cultural appropriation: all involve outsiders taking something from a culture other than their own... The differences between types of appropriation are, however, crucial in determining whether and how an instance of appropriation is objectionable." Copyright law, though imperfect, offers some protection against the appropriation of indigenous culture, including "copyrightable songs, dances, oral histories, and other forms of Indigenous cultural creativity."

This raises the critical question of how Baul can protect its millennia-old preservation. It is unacceptable for individuals to use Nabani Das Khyapa Baul's poetry, brazenly copying from Babu Kishan's YouTube videos, and then re-recording the songs as if they were the originators. Such actions may warrant legal qualification in court. If you are unaware of a poet's identity, do not assume there is no poet simply because you are "using Baul." Being a scholar does not grant you the right to appropriate Baul. The time for such practices has passed. Laws are needed in India to halt intellectual property theft. Bangladesh, in particular, is noted for its "masters at the intellectual property theft of Baul."

Baul is never an "umbrella name" for Fakir or anyone else!

Bauls originate exclusively in Birbhum, West Bengal, and are Vaishnava Tantric Sahajiya Vaishnava Bauls. They follow the path of the Avadhut, Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, and Shakti Sadhana.

Baul and Fakir are two completely different sects.

• Baul can never be Fakir, and Fakir can never be Baul.

Do not attempt to "self-determine" our identity; you, as a scholar, have no right to do so. Making false associations simply because some Fakirs claimed to be Baul is unacceptable. Concrete proof is required, not anecdotal accounts or personal notes. You are not the authority on Baul, and Baul does not require further "social engineering." Bangladeshis have exploited Baul for an extended period, and this must cease. The last authentic Baul is believed to have left this earth in 1969.

It is a known strategy: being a Fakir attracts little attention or funding, but adding "Baul" garners significant interest due to its enduring popularity. Bengalis held an emotional connection to Bauls as a national image, which has been appropriated by Bangladeshis for fundraising. While Fakirs receive minimal attention, associating with Baul often leads to substantial funding. Anyone who has genuinely studied Baul over time would discern this fact, rendering notes from individuals like Carol Solomon insubstantial compared to the words of an indigenous Baul. You are simply mistaken.

Baul is extinct. Do not dilute or reduce it further. Fakir is a living tradition, and you should study Fakir, but do not place them under a "fake Baul umbrella." Those propagating such claims have no genuine relationship with Baul.

Your descriptions of Baul are inaccurate, watered-down "copy and paste" jobs. What gives you the right to comment on any indigenous culture? How would you like me to define a scholar? As "a synergistic group, a mixture of English, European cultural twisters and appropriators who create careers off of copy and paste of what other scholars have written, as if it is the truth, defining and repeating over and over what does not belong to them." This is merely a starting point.

You are never the authority on other indigenous peoples' ancestry, and you should not speak of Bauls as if they are random, generic individuals. This is "social engineering," as people uncritically adopt your written words as truth. In North America, particularly Canada, such external representation of indigenous peoples would be shut down. The continued allowance of this in India is baffling, reflecting extensive cultural appropriation of yoga and tantra. Textbooks predominantly authored by Europeans and Muslims still omit genuine Hindu narratives.

Which Fakirs were interviewed by you? Are they using "Fakir Baul," or is this a construct inherited and promoted by you from Carol Solomon? What are these Fakirs' qualifications regarding Baul? A fabricated story is not proof. They may be legitimate Fakirs, but if you are making this connection to Baul, it originates from Carol Solomon, and she is wrong.

You seek to make "Baul an umbrella name"; it is not. Stop using this term; it reduces and degrades who Baul is.Perhaps you use "Baul" because "Fakir" alone lacks popularity, and using the name Baul garners more attention.

---

The Fabricated "Baul Fakir" Narrative and Its Roots

Babu Kishan was aware of scholars' trips over four decades ago, having known and tested many of them, most of whom failed. Now, there's another "reworking" for someone's career. Only an authentic Baul can "self-determine" who is an authentic Baul. You will likely find limited engagement from genuine Bauls due to the historical damage inflicted by scholars, sensationalized media, and "fake famed social media Bauls." Baul is extinct and does not need further fabricated "Fakir Baul tags."

There is no such thing as "Baul Fakir" or "Fakir Baul." The rationale behind this will be extensively explained in the forthcoming book.

Some Baul singers attempt to legitimize themselves by displaying pictures of a "fake Baul Guru," claiming brief associations that conveniently lengthen over time. We meticulously document these discrepancies, as the first tenet of Baul is truthfulness. The "tricks" of social media personalities are extensive.

Keith Cantu's attempts to "sway Baul culture" by writing about "Baul Fakirs" will unfortunately be welcomed by Bangladeshis, who have long sought to appropriate Baul and this lineage's stories, even using images of Nabani for fundraising.

The term "'Baul Fakir' was promoted by Carol Solomon," a construct allegedly "engineered for funding." Without Babu Kishan, Carol and others would have had no knowledge of Baul. He instructed her, and she allegedly "twisted Baul to obtain grants," as grants were harder to secure for subjects already extensively covered by Western scholars like Edward Dimock, Charles Capwell, and Glen Hayes, who had previously written on this lineage. Cantu's claim of introducing a "new perspective" is dismissed.

Baul is an ancient lineage; it does not require a "new perspective" or further rearrangement with "false narratives." It demands accurate preservation by someone capable of discerning the distinctions between Bengalis and Bangladeshis, and between Baul and Fakir.

Cantu writes: "I introduce a new perspective on ethnography for the study of Bengali Fakirs (male) and Fakirānis (female) with regard to Yoga and Tantra, as well as their participation in the broader umbrella of the Bauls of Bengal." This "umbrella term" is degrading and reduces Baul, stripping it of its indigenous self-determination.

Babu Kishan has been teaching Ethnomusicology across India since the 1970s. Ethnomusicology, "the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it," is a field where many contemporary practitioners were taught by Babu Kishan. He also categorized "all the Folk music of India" for major Indian music companies at a young age. As a linguist with an astute ear, he can distinguish Baul from other traditions by vernacular dialect, song origins, and authenticity. He is the expert, and he unequivocally states there is NO UMBRELLA, and Fakir is not Baul.

How can one study Baul or Fakir without understanding the languages and music? Any research must be validated by a true expert. The reliability of newspaper articles is questionable, and personal notes are insufficient. You seek to define Baul based on your word alone.

You must qualify yourself. You are attempting to usurp the self-determination rights of indigenous Baul, which are protected by the United Nations.

Lalon Fakir was a great poet but not a Baul; he did not practice Baul sadhana. Fakirs do not practice Baul sadhana. While they may engage in some yoga or tantra, that does not make them Baul. One must truly understand who and what Baul is, rather than selectively interpreting and self-determining its identity. Baul sadhana is highly specific to Baul.

Baul is not merely Birbhum vernacular Bengali; it encompasses oral Sanskrit and Sandhya Bhasa. Do these Fakirs speak these languages? Are you proficient in them?

---

The "Bauls of Bengal" and The Problem of Funding

The name "Bauls of Bengal" emerged because Purna Das Baul and Laxshman Das Baul came to America in 1967 and were featured on Bob Dylan’s album, John Wesley Harding. Purna Das Baul officially registered "The Bauls of Bengal" as his singing group's name in India in the 1960s; no one used this name before this lineage. The first official Baul album worldwide, also titled The Bauls of Bengal, was released by Elektra New York in 1968. Therefore, when you refer to "the Bauls of Bengal," you are referring to this specific, sole lineage, and we unequivocally reject the term "Fakir Baul," as we know they are not Baul.

A "new perspective" on Baul is unnecessary; scholars have already caused sufficient harm through false speculation. Baul is not an "umbrella name" for Fakir, Aul, Sai, Dervish, or Shah; it is not an umbrella term for any group of wandering people. While Bauls accepted Fakirs as they did all people, Baul did not become Fakir. This persistent need to correct false narratives is tiresome. Mixing Baul with Fakir is a propaganda gimmick for money collection and fundraising, a practice rampant in Bangladesh since the 1972 War.

The fundraisers organized by The Beatles and Rolling Stones for Bangladesh after 1972 (attended by Babu Kishan, part of the Indian contingent with Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, and Purna Das Baul) demonstrate how many attached themselves to fundraising efforts in Bangladesh, becoming "masters of fundraising."

While individuals like Nusratrani Fakrini or Alam Fakir were largely unknown, Purna Das Baul was a superstar in Bangladesh from the 1970s to 2000. Many capitalized on Baul's popularity during this time to fabricate the "Baul Fakir" identity. Understanding this history is crucial to grasping how this false narrative originated.

In Bangladesh, associating with Baul is common due to its funding potential. If they identify as Fakir, they receive no funding; if a Fakir associates with Yoga or Tantra, funding remains scarce. However, associating with Baul significantly increases funding opportunities—a "jackpot" for many. It's important to remember that Baul was largely unknown in Bangladesh before Purna Das Baul, and in the 1970s, "Muslim Baul" or Lalon Fakir (whom Rabindranath Tagore recognized only as a poet, not a Baul) were unheard of. It was Nabani Das Khyapa Baul, Babu Kishan's grandfather, who initiated Tagore into Baul.

When Bengalis heard Babu Kishan's Lalon Fakir music on the radio, Lalon Fakir gained popularity, even in Bangladesh, inspiring other music composers to set his poetry to music. Baul poetry naturally has an inherent tune. Babu Kishan was among the first to compose music for Lalon poetry. In the late 1970s, he brought renowned Bangladeshi singers to Calcutta, producing and recording an album of Lalon Fakir poetry, sung by his father, Purna Das Baul. This is the origin of "Baul Fakir." Just because a Baul sings other songs or the songs of other poets does not transform that poet into a Baul. Other poets, like Monohar Kepa and Baba Pagla, approached Babu Kishan to produce music for their poetry, associating with his family to raise their profiles. They were Baul enthusiasts and great poets, but not Bauls themselves.

Lalon Fakir's poetry had no inherent tune or music because he was not a Baul; he was solely a poet. If Lalon Fakir were a Baul, his poetry would have possessed a Baul tune and music. A Bengali film depicting Lalon Fakir as a Baul illustrates how false narratives perpetuate.

This was the first music ever composed for Lalon Fakir poetry, done by Babu Kishan. As an inborn music composer, he was awarded "youngest Indian composer" at age 11. It is not his fault that others exploited this to construct false narratives, which continue into 2023.

---

A Call to Action for Scholars and Protecting Indigenous Rights

Seriously, stop fabricating these narratives. When you suggest "more research is needed to focus only on Fakir Baul," remove "Baul." Tell your story with Fakirs, but do not use Baul as an umbrella. Research Fakir, by all means, but leave Baul alone; it has endured lifetimes of false narratives.

No more research is needed on Baul. All necessary research has been conducted by Babu Kishan through his lived experience, his extensive research, the recording and translation of thousands of Baul songs, and his 60 years of preserving Baul.

While we acknowledge Carol Solomon's notes, who was a dear friend of Babu Kishan's for decades, the truth must be spoken. Babu Kishan constantly corrected Carol's Bengali and provided her with immense assistance and information on Baul. He even signed for her funding, believing she would focus on authentic Baul. Many in Bangladesh then created the new narrative of identifying as Baul due to Purna Das Baul's popularity, followed by Lalon Fakir being labeled the "most famous Baul," leading to their opportunistic attachment to the Baul name. Carol Solomon's knowledge of Baul songs stemmed directly from this lineage; her Lalon Fakir songs are not Baul songs, as will be explained later in the book.

Your reliance on newspaper articles is flawed, as they are often inaccurate. Keith Cantu, you are not indigenous to Bengal, nor was Carol Solomon. While her notes are appreciated, your claims are wild. You are studying Fakir, not Baul, and your assertion of being "immersed in Baul Fakir" demonstrates a profound misunderstanding of immersion in true Baul.

Fakirs from Bangladesh use Baul and attach themselves to it because this family popularized Baul. Baul became a lucrative fundraising tool in Bangladesh, with one Bangladeshi official allegedly absconding with $9 million meant to "preserve Baul as being from Persia." Bangladeshis are adept at creating false narratives. They seek the "jackpot" of United Nations funding by blurring the lines between Fakir and Baul, creating absolute lies like "Baul is from Persia." Observing these patterns over time reveals their true nature.

How can you distinguish a Baul song from a Fakir song, a Bangladeshi Folk song, or a water song? How do you know what Baul is versus a folk song, based on an "11-year phone call," a newspaper article, or a performance? How do we know they, or you, are telling the truth? You must qualify yourself. You are attempting to strip Indigenous Baul of their self-determining rights as recognized by the United Nations.

Lalon Fakir was a great poet, but he was not a Baul; he did not practice Baul sadhana. Fakirs do not practice Baul sadhana. While they might practice some yoga or tantra, that doesn't make them Baul. You must first truly understand who and what Baul is; you cannot simply "cherry-pick and self-determine" who is Baul. Baul sadhana is very specific to Baul.

Did you know that Baul is not solely Birbhum vernacular Bengali? That Bangladeshi Bengali is different? That Baul is oral Sanskrit and Sandhya Bhasa? What language and vernacular Bengali do these Fakirs speak? Are they oral Sanskrit? Are you?

As per the United Nations, "Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination, in the exercise of their rights, in particular that based on their indigenous origin or identity. Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination."

The Fabricated "Baul Fakir" Narrative: A Challenge to Authenticity

The promotion of "'Baul Fakir' was orchestrated by Carol Solomon primarily for funding. It's imperative to understand that no one, not even Carol Solomon, would have known about Baul without Babu Kishan. He was her teacher on Baul, and she allegedly distorted its essence to secure grants. Western scholars like Edward Dimock, Charles Capwell, and Glen Hayes had already extensively documented aspects of this lineage, making it difficult to obtain new funding for the same subject.

When Cantu states he is "introducing a new perspective" on Baul, it fundamentally misunderstands Baul. Baul is an ancient lineage; it does not require a new perspective or rearrangement with more false narratives. Its sole need is accurate preservation by someone who can discern the intricate differences between Bengalis and Bangladeshis, and crucially, between Baul and Fakir.

Cantu's assertion that he introduces "a new perspective on ethnography for the study of Bengali Fakirs (male) and Fakirānis (female) with regard to Yoga and Tantra, as well as their participation in the broader umbrella of the Bauls of Bengal" is a misrepresentation. There is no "umbrella." This "umbrella term" is degrading, waters down Baul's unique identity, and strips Bauls of their indigenous right to self-determination.

Babu Kishan has been teaching Ethnomusicology throughout India since the 1970s. As defined, "Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it." Many contemporary ethnomusicologists were, at some point, taught by Babu Kishan in Baul and Indian Philosophy. He categorized all the folk music of India for major music companies at a young age. As a linguist with a discerning ear, he can precisely identify who is Baul and who is not, based on vernacular dialect, song origins, and authenticity. He is the undisputed expert, and he unequivocally states: there is NO UMBRELLA, and Fakir is NOT Baul. Fakirs are Fakirs, and there is nothing inherently wrong with that identity.

How can one conduct any study of Baul or Fakir without a profound understanding of the languages and the music? All research must be qualified by someone with true knowledge. The reliability of anecdotal accounts, newspaper articles, or personal notes is questionable. For outsiders to claim to determine who Baul is, relying solely on their word, is unacceptable.

Do you, as a scholar, genuinely know the difference between authentic Baul music and folk music? Do you possess the necessary linguistic proficiency? To use "ethnography"—the "scientific description of the customs of individual peoples and cultures"—and place Baul "under a microscope" by an outsider who does not truly know Baul, then categorize it under an "umbrella term," is ridiculous.

Baul does not need to be compared to Fakir or have Fakir attached to its name. If a Fakir copies Baul, it bears no relation to the genuine Baul tradition. They are distinct subjects, with different attire, customs, and foundational philosophies: one is rooted in Islam, the other in Sanatan Dharma. A genuine study of individual peoples and cultures would prevent the creation of such "social engineering projects," new speculations, or the repetition of previously erroneous descriptions perpetuated by scholars, journalists, and Bangladeshis.

---

The Genesis of "The Bauls of Bengal" and The Funding Agenda

The name "‘Bauls of Bengal’ originated solely when Purna Das Baul and Laxshman Das Baul came to America in 1967 and were featured on Bob Dylan’s album, John Wesley Harding. Purna Das Baul officially registered "The Bauls of Bengal" as their group name in India. No one used this name before this lineage began in the 1960s. The first official Baul album worldwide, also titled ‘The Bauls of Bengal’, was released by Electra in New York in 1968. Therefore, any discussion of "the Bauls of Bengal" refers specifically to this one and only lineage, which emphatically disagrees with the term "Fakir Baul" because this lineage knows who is genuinely Baul and who is not.

Seriously, a "new perspective" is not what Baul needs. Scholars have inflicted enough damage on this indigenous tradition through false speculation. Baul is not an umbrella name for Fakir, Aul, Sai, Dervish, or Shah; it is not an umbrella term for any individual or group of wandering people.

While Bauls accepted Fakirs, as they did all people, Baul did not become Fakir. This constant need to rectify false narratives is exhausting. Mixing the name "Baul" with "Fakir" is a calculated propaganda gimmick for soliciting money and fundraising, a practice rampant in Bangladesh for decades, especially since the 1972 War which created Bangladesh.

Many still recall the fundraisers organized in London by The Beatles and Rolling Stones for Bangladesh. Babu Kishan himself attended four of them since 1972 at Hyde Park; this lineage was part of the Indian contingent, alongside Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, and Purna Das Baul. This is how many attached themselves to fundraising efforts in Bangladesh; they are masters at leveraging causes for financial gain.

Individuals like Nusratrani Fakrini or Alam Fakir were unheard of. However, Purna Das Baul was a superstar in Bangladesh from the 1970s through 2000. Many people capitalized on Baul's popularity during this period and invented the "Baul Fakir" identity. Understanding this history is crucial to dismantling the fabricated narrative.

It is common in Bangladesh for individuals to associate with Baul because it is a source of funding. If they identify as Fakir, they receive minimal funding. Even if a Fakir associates with Yoga or Tantra, it rarely attracts significant funds. However, associating with Baul makes it far easier to obtain funding; this is an undeniable fact and has been a "jackpot" for many.

It is crucial to acknowledge that no one in Bangladesh knew about Baul before Purna Das Baul, and in the 1970s, "Muslim Baul" or Lalon Fakir (whom Rabindranath Tagore recognized solely as a poet, never a Baul) were virtually unknown. It was Nabani Das Khyapa Baul, Babu Kishan's grandfather, who initiated Tagore into Baul.

Babu Kishan, who deeply admired Lalon Fakir (Shah)'s poetry, recognized its "Baul-like" quality, but affirmed it was not Baul. When Bengalis heard Babu Kishan's Lalon Fakir music on the radio, Lalon Fakir gained widespread popularity, including in Bangladesh, inspiring other music composers to set his poetry to music. Authentic Baul poetry inherently carries its own tune.

It was Babu Kishan who was among the first to compose music for Lalon poetry. In the late 1970s, he brought a group of renowned Bangladeshi singers to Calcutta, producing and recording an album of Lalon Fakir poetry, which his father, Purna Das Baul, sang. This is the origin of "Baul Fakir." The mere act of a Baul singing other songs or the works of other poets does not transform that poet into a Baul. Other poets, such as Monohar Kepa and Baba Pagla, sought out Babu Kishan to produce music for their poetry and associated with his family to elevate their public profile. They were passionate admirers of Baul and exceptional poets, but they were not Baul.

Lalon Fakir's poetry, recorded, produced, and set to music by Babu Kishan out of his own pocket, became a tremendous hit. It introduced Lalon Fakir's poetry to West Bengal on a massive scale because Purna Das Baul sang the songs composed by Babu Kishan. No one had recorded Lalon Fakir's poetry to music before this. Lalon did not have a tune or music for his poetry because he was not a Baul; he was solely a poet. If Lalon Fakir were a Baul, his poetry would have possessed a Baul tune and music. The existence of a Bengali movie portraying Lalon Fakir as a Baul exemplifies how "fake narratives just go on and on," which is precisely the point: a few individuals can destroy an indigenous tradition by creating and perpetuating false narratives.

This was the first music ever used for Lalon Fakir poetry, created by Babu Kishan. As an inborn music composer, he was recognized at 11 as the youngest Indian composer. It is not his fault that others exploited his work to construct false narratives, a practice that continues into 2025.

The Misguided Pursuit of "Fakir Baul": A Call to Cease Fabrication

Seriously, stop fabricating narratives. When you claim more research is needed on "Fakir Baul," remove "Baul" entirely. Tell your story with Fakirs, using two Fakirs if you must, but do not use Baul as an umbrella term. More research on Fakir is indeed welcome, but leave Baul alone; it has suffered lifetimes of false narratives.

No more research is needed on Baul. All necessary research has been thoroughly conducted by Babu Kishan through his lived experience, his extensive scholarly work, the recording and translating of thousands of Baul songs, and his six decades of dedicated preservation. Baul has been preserved since the 1960s by Babu Kishan.

We acknowledge that you inherited the notes of Carol Solomon. Carol was Babu Kishan's dear friend for decades, both in Bengal and in America. Babu Kishan was a constant resource for her from the very beginning of her travels to Bengal and Bangladesh. Yet, did she ever mention his name in her work? No, this is precisely what scholars do. We shared a dinner at Carol's home in Seattle, Washington, in 2008, a year before her passing. Within months of Babu Kishan arriving in Canada, he was incredibly saddened to learn of her death. She was a cherished friend of Babu Kishan's, and we intend no disrespect. However, the truth must be told.

Babu Kishan consistently corrected Carol's Bengali, taught her extensively, and provided endless assistance. She lacked genuine knowledge of Baul beyond her interactions with the new "fake Baul singers" in Bengal, whom Babu actively discouraged her from associating with. He tirelessly worked to ensure her safety in Bengal and Bangladesh, protecting her and her friend on numerous occasions when they encountered difficult situations. She stayed at their home in Calcutta, and he traveled with her to Shantiniketan to introduce her to his Baul family there. Babu Kishan provided an immense amount of information on Baul to Carol over many years.

Babu Kishan 2008 at Carol Solomons home in Seattle Washington. I took the picture, she made super for us.

Exposing the Fabricated Narratives: The Exploitation of Baul for Funding

Despite Babu Kishan's extensive support, Carol Solomon often acquired information and then disappeared. Obtaining funding for Baul research was inherently challenging, as it had already been extensively covered by scholars like Edward Dimock and his students. (It's possible Edward Dimock was Carol's teacher at some point, though this detail is not definitive.)

Carol Solomon then took a "u-turn" for funding purposes and constructed Lalon Fakir as a Baul. Lalon Fakir, however, was not a Baul; he was a poet. She even had Babu Kishan sign for her funding, presumably to legitimize her proposal as focusing on authentic Baul. He genuinely believed she intended to work on authentic Baul.

Meanwhile, many individuals in Bangladesh began crafting this new narrative, claiming to be Baul solely due to the immense popularity of Purna Das Baul's songs. Then came the notion of Lalon Fakir as "the most famous Baul." This is precisely when they opportunistically latched onto the Baul identity.

You can lavish all the accolades you wish upon Carol Solomon, but Babu Kishan knew her far better than you do. If Carol possessed any Baul songs, they originated from this lineage. However, Lalon Fakir's songs are not Baul songs, and this will be comprehensively explained later in our book.

Keith Cantu, you claim to have relied on: "physical attendance, my inheritance of many handwritten papers and manuscripts of Carol Salomon (a prominent scholar of Bengali literature and Bāul songs, who translated over a hundred songs by Lālan Fakir based on her sustained engagement with communities in both Bangladesh and West Bengal), my correspondence and meetings with other scholars who also were immersed in the world of Bāul Fakirs, recorded phone calls, and published newspaper articles, as well as records of participation in multiple events and lectures, ritual festivals, and other events of relevance to Bāul Fakirs.”

From our direct experience, newspaper articles on Baul are consistently inaccurate. Your list of sources is incredibly weak.

Keith Cantu, you are not indigenous to Bengal, nor was Carol Solomon. While we acknowledge your inheritance of Carol Solomon's notes, you are making wild, unsubstantiated claims. You are studying Fakir, not Baul, and your assertion of being "immersed in Baul Fakir" reveals a profound lack of understanding of what genuine immersion in Baul truly entails. What you have constructed is entirely untrue.

Fakirs from Bangladesh exploit the popularity of Baul and attach themselves to it because this family—Babu Kishan's lineage—made Baul famous. Baul became a lucrative fundraising avenue in Bangladesh, evidenced by one Bangladeshi official reportedly receiving 9 million [currency not specified, but likely USD given the UN context] to "preserve Baul as being from Persia," only to abscond with the funds. Bangladeshis are experts at fabricating false narratives.

They likely believe they, too, can secure a "jackpot" from the United Nations, perhaps another 9 million for deliberately blurring the lines between Fakir and Baul. These new narratives are absolute lies, such as the baseless claim that "Baul is from Persia." If one observes long enough, these deceptive patterns become unmistakably clear.

How can you distinguish an authentic Baul song from a Fakir song, a Bangladeshi Folk song, or even a water song? How do you truly know what Baul is and what constitutes a folk song, based on an "11-year phone call," a newspaper or magazine article, or mere performances where everyone claims to be a poet and composer? More critically, how do we know they are telling the truth, and how do we know you are telling the truth?

You must qualify yourself. You are attempting to usurp the self-determining rights of Indigenous Baul, rights explicitly recognized by the United Nations.

Lalon Fakir was undeniably a great poet, but he was not a Baul. He did not practice Baul sadhana. Fakirs do not practice Baul sadhana. While they might engage in some yoga or tantra, that does not transform them into Baul. One must first genuinely know who and what Baul truly is; you cannot simply "cherry-pick and self-determine" who is Baul. Baul sadhana is profoundly specific to Baul.

Furthermore, did you know that Baul is not solely Birbhum vernacular Bengali? Did you know that Bangladeshi Bengali is distinct? And that Baul involves oral Sanskrit and Sandhya Bhasa?

What language and what vernacular Bengali do these Fakirs you interview speak? Are they fluent in oral Sanskrit? Are you?

As enshrined by the United Nations: “Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination, in the exercise of their rights, in particular that based on their indigenous origin or identity. Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination.”

Lila Roy was Rabindranath Tagores translator Bengali to English, she was also, the editor of Babu Kishan's 3 rd Book released and sponsored by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar. in this picture Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das Baul was only 22.

#Baul #Fakir 

#lineagebaul

#baultantra

#baullineage

#baulofbengal

#babukishan

#baulwomen

#baulavadhuta

#baulsaint

#legendarybaul

#nabanidasbaul

#mirrorofthesky

#rabindranathtagore

#osho

#vaishnavabaul 

#vaishnavaaghori

#baul 

#baulmusic

 #tantra 

#babukishan

 #baulgaan

 #nabanidasbaul

 #purnadasbaul 

#bengal

 #india 

#indianmusic

 #shantiniketan

 #baullineage

#bengalibaul 

#baularchive

 #archivedbaul

#Baulhistory

#BaulofBengal 

#BaulofBirbhum

#dasbaul

#Kolkata

 #Bauldocumentary 

#baulkirtan 

#Baulsadhana 

#ektara 

#EkachakraBirbhum 

#gopiyantra  

#baultantra 

#NabonidasKhyapabaul 

#bauldocumentary 

#baulsangeet  

#RabindranathTagore 

#BaulTagore 

#shantiniketanbirbum 

#jainitai 

#jaiguru

 #NityanandaofEkachakra

 #BaulAvadhut

 #Birbhum 

#Tarapith 

#Kolkata 

#IncredibleIndia 

#India

 #VaishnavaBaul 

#TantricBaul  

#sangeetnatakakademi 

#ICCR

How to become a fake Baba or Maa aka Cult leader (lol)

Saturday, May 27, 2023

https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2025/02/indigenous-identity-theft-indigenous.html

BabuKishan.org

https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2025/04/fake-pretendian-hawker-baul-critique.html

How to become a fake Baba or Maa or Cult leader. LOL

"Below are the requirements for becoming Baba or Maa for the fakes who want to collect people, who want to make people stupid in their drama, this is what they do? Be aware!

Funny but in some way not so funny because people everyday get caught by fakes.

Do your homework, study first so that you know what questions to ask, ask the questions, document the answers then talk to some other people and see if the answers were correct or inline with what the tradition is saying.

Develop your intuition, develop good judgement, and discernment. Do not believe anything you are told. Qualify everything, ask someone else, research on the internet, trust yourself, ask others the same questions. Do not trust anybody but yourself.

How to become a Guru or an authority on Indigenous wisdom?

This is the world today and it is a joke but not really.

How to be a cult leader:

1) one should be expert in lying.

2) expert in art of manipulation.

3) should be expert in story telling.

4) should be an expert in dressing, with lots of stones, beads etc etc. Know how to copy a dress and act in the style of some other Guru's, know how to be a copycat.

5) should b expert in sugar coated words, acting over sweet and speaking with a hypnotic voice to hypnotize the crowd to love you, to follow you.

6) should have lots of gold medals, degrees, mostly made up and copied, try for awards because someone in the past had them?

7) little bit knowledge of jyotish, scriptures, and acting like they know what they are talking about, acting like an expert so that they can collect people.

after completion of baba giri one would get certificate of "facebook certified Baba ". Fake fb fame.

9) expert in cheating and money laundering is must or collecting donations for their emotions cause, they are going to feed and educate children when they have none of their own and never have had children?

10 ) you must Grow a long Beard or have long jata (dread locks) that will make you look exotic and authentic? What ever grabs peoples attention they will do.

11) long hairs is must.

12) typical saffron or white baba attire is must or Maa attire acting like they are authentic through acting by wearing a Baba or Maa dress.

13) Put some chandan tilak (some saffron powder)on forehead. When they didn't wear it previously but all of sudden they realized Baul is Vaishnava, so now lets play that to the hilt?

14) Wear some malas Vaishnava and Shiva, and other signs you are a very spiritual person.

15) Wear a pair of khadau ( typically a footwear) or copy someone else and what they wear, how they dress, copying the others style?

16) Learn some mantras, you can easily chant! Also, display yourself doing asana postures just so people know you can do that too.

17) Buy a woven handmade bag ,put some spiritual book in them!

Tribute to Mary Johnson: who created the 1st Baul website ever Babukishan.com

https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2025/02/indigenous-identity-theft-indigenous.html  Indigenous Fraud, Indigenous Identity Theft!

BabuKishan.org

This started as a tribute to Mary Johnson and became a blog post about the 'intellectual property theft' of Baul by Fake (pretendian) Baul artists, singers, tantrics. Whatever Babu Kishan wrote, they copied it from Babukishan.com, this is intellectual property theft. This cultural appropriation of this lineages Baul songs and now Baul Kirtan's which no one has ever talked about has eccelerated and still happening to this day by 'fake social media famed' based on false narratives and copy and paste. These 'riders on the coattails' of this one and only Baul lineage is only based on long line of ancestry of powerful sadhaka's, not a few generations based merely on a poet or a random made up Baul Guru. Google the word lineage it is an English word and it is based on ancestry. 

The Vaishnava Tantric Bauls of Birbhum are a Sanskrit tradition this is the one and only (Guru Shisya Parampara Sampradya) of Baul, there is not another regarding Baul, it is called 'The Vaishnava (Gosia Chand Das Baul and Dasi) Sahajiya Tantric Baul'.

Anyone who has the name Das Baul, has copied it from this lineage. This is 'Das Baul and Dasi' Gosai Chand lineage. Fake Bauls who use indigenous Baul, saying their Guru is a 'Baul Guru' have copied Nabani or Purna Das Baul style and Nabani songs from this lineage. Seriously, nobody thinks or knows how to put the pieces together anymore, it is one fake statement (lie) after another to collect people, travel the world and collect funding and donations taking away opportunities from the indigenous Bauls? This is intellectual property theft from this linegenous lineage. 

These stories will be in Babu's 4th book which is almost complete to be released this year 2024. However, it will be up to reader to do the research and make the connections on who is fake and who is real. We can only present what we know and it is 'not' our goal to destroy anybody, it is Babu Kishan's goal to have the truth of Baul come out and for others to stop using Baul as for 'financial jackpots' and the collection of people. To stop the lying and false narratives that have spread over the past 40 years. Baul is presented wrongly for many reasons, this must all be pulled apart and examined.

 It has taken me 18 years of documenting, researching and listening to Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das. It has taken Babu Kishan 60 years of preserving, living, researching, recording and writing about Baul as this is his 4th book.

Babu Kishan has given his life of more than 60 years of research, recording and pioneering Baul around the world, no one in this world would have heard about Baul without Babu Kishan, so stop lying, faking it you were not in the Ramakrishna Mission. It will be revealed who stole the intellectual property of this lineage made up fake lineages, who took the names of this lineage off and replaced the names of this lineage with fake Das Baul Guru. It will be revealed who copied Nabani Das Khyapa Baul style 'Ektara Baya (duggi) and his style of ankle bells called Nupoor, who wore Babu Kishan's designed Guduri (dress) the colourful patch work dress, and it will be revealed who absolutely was jealous of Purna Das Baul, again you can not make this up. This needs to be articulated and will be, time is up for the pretendian Bauls.

Babu Kishan worked and tried hard to help this fake Baul Guru only to be used, all the while they copied everything, even where they traveled, all the while singing the songs from this lineage. I don't want to use names right now, however, people are so pathetically ignorant when it comes to Baul?

It will take many books and years to transcribe all the research Babu Kishan has collected with his oral wisdom including the manuscripts from his lineage. An expert on Bengali language is needed to assist and disseminate over 60 years of the preservation of Baul that Babu Kishan has completed. 

Tribute to the late 'Mary Johnson' Seattle Washington 

She was a preserver of Baul, who created the 1st Baul Website BabuKishan.com which was copied by millions of people worldwide from 1990's to 2006. No one knew anything about Baul but learned about Baul on this very first ever Website that belonged to Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das the Baul from the only Bauls who pioneered and introduced all of India and the whole world to the Bauls of Bengal. Others copied and followed riding on the coattails of this lineage. This one and only lineage historically introduced pioneered and create a template that other people who were not Baul but followed Baul. Someone has labeled the people who followed this lineage but took their name off, the fake it til you make it fake Bauls, Baul actors.

A tribute to Mary Johnson has been a long time coming. 

Mary Johnson was an American friend, student, webmaster, event planner of Babu Kishan's since the 1990's. Mary first met Babu back in the 1990's to create his website. She was a talented web master who had an interest in Baul and American rock and roll. Mary created his first Baul website. 

Babu Kishan had so many contacts within the Western Rock and Roll that really enthralled Mary.

www.BabuKishan.org 

Mary was an amazing 'Web master a techie' who created BabuKishan.com which was active with millions of views until 2006. Yes, the web site copied by all and Mary could see who the copiers were. The first website of Baul period. This is where people and fake Bauls who could get someone to translate English for them first learned about Baul.

Anybody today who is talking expressing anything about Baul learned it first from 'BabuKishan.com' created by the one and only Mary Johnson. 

Mary was a defender of Babu Kishan's when she saw someone copying from his website she would alert Babu Kishan. She was so annoyed that his 2 brothers copied everything directly without even editing what they stole from the website? 

They even copied Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das resume, saying they were music composers and copied direct conversations that Babu had with Allen Ginsberg, even though they never met Allen Ginsberg? All Babu's life they have copied him and pretended to be him? They had no talent of their own so they impersonated their elder brother, they still do? They can not ever be their elder brother? 

Mary worked with a dogged determination to create and listen to all that Babu Kishan had to say, she was Babu Kishan's student. 

Mary was never in a 'relationship' with Babu Kishan, they were business associates, Mary was 2 decades older than Babu? 

All scholars regarding Baul copied information from this website, at least they were smart enough to rework what they had copied and Babu Kishan knew all the scholars back then. 

Mary could see everybody who copied, she was especially upset that Babu's brothers were copying everything? At one point Mary thought of getting the FBI involved, because the whole web site was copied so many times over. Copied by many but especially by a few individuals inside his family and from outside, mostly the fake it til you make it Bauls? Then Mary would see what she wrote posted by others on the net and in articles without giving credit? This is the way today more than ever, so many fake Baul singers who do not know anything about Baul but poach our websites and blogs, telling Babu Kishan's stories that have never been told other than by Babu Kishan. How does that happen and those that do that are 100 percent not Baul. The first tenant of Baul is do not lie.

Many who copied, copied wrong teachings because Mary was a student and somethings she wrote on Babu's behalf false narratives that have been copied and were in fact not accurate, Babu Kishan was busy in Bombays Bollywood did not have the time to correct everything. One example is that Mary wrote, Baul is Aul Sai Dervish and Muslim, copied what other wrote that is 100% not true but has been repeated over and over. There is not such thing as a Muslim Baul or Fakir Baul.

Still today these false things are repeated over and over and copied by fake Bauls (people who use Baul watering down and reducing Baul to a drop of what it is, some copy everything including all their songs and self title themselves (they are fakes), example: 

- a social media fake famous Baul Women posted online a  a workshop at 'Berkeley University' in California told audience (it was on archive.org for years). She told the audience there are 4 types of Baul, Fakir Aul Sai Dervish, (NOT TRUE) but copied from either BabuKishan.com or someone who already copied it? Did anyone catch this or did you just go oww and ahh, did you even do your research before you made the decision that what you see if real when in fact it is not?

This wrong statement, There are 4 or 5 types of Baul, is unfortunately is one of the things Mary wrote, that was not corrected before she passed away in 2006. 

This always was copied by Babu Kishan's family in Calcutta who used all Babu"s research and intellectual property for Purna Das Bauls book on Baul, but the writer reworked it. It is laughable.

This just as one example of how 'nakal (fake) Bauls' show who they are? 

Fake Bauls are trying to be a Baul as an acting career or singing career, even if their Guru was not a real Baul, it is a known fact that the fake Baul Guru has copied from this lineage, songs, dress, dance! 

Then the fake Bauls take the name of this lineages poets off, creating a new narratives saying, Bauls do not care who the poets off? This is because they want to be the one, they are greedy. Not all people who follow Baul, there are many sincere people in Bengali who follow Baul but they do not fundraise in the name of Baul, they do not cheat and water down, Baul they do not make false claims to attain social media fake fame.

Then replace this lineages names with their own, appropriating what does not belong to them and appropriating a indigenous lineage based on ancestry. They have no shame saying Baul is not from families when lineage means ancestry, yet they make up fake lineages? 

They only care when they write a song and they will chant over and over, I composed this, I composed this, yes ok but who composed the song you sang before you chanted I composed this, it is 100% a song from this lineage, you are not from this lineage, you made up a fake lineage and a fake Baul Guru based on a poet who is not a Baul who never said he was a Baul and a person who this lineage knows well? Seriously you can not make this up but people follow fake blindly, which only waters down and reduces this historical lineage.

 Now Baul has become the cult of personality. Baul is extinct, the history and her-story of Baul was complete decades ago, you can not reinvent Baul, Bauls were indigenous people of Birbhum, they were custodians and protectors of the land of red soil. 

You can not steal an indigenous tradition and make up fake lineages, the United Nations has rules about indigenous people. 

https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2021/05/cultural-mis-appropriation-indigenous.html

https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2019/02/fakir-aul-sai-dervish-and-shah-are-not_51.html.

Twisting watering down the songs, dressing in the patchwork Guduri that Babu Kishan designed for his fathers travels and then following what and where ever they went? 

It was Babu Kishan who first said 'Lineage Baul' he named this blog Lineage Baul? This blog started in 2009 no one used lineage back then. This is the only lineage which is based on ancestry, google it? This is the only Guru Shisya Parampara Sampradya of Baul, there is not another.

It is beyond bizarre and unless you know Bengali how would you know, you would not know? 

Are you falling for an actor, sorry to tell you, yes you are!

 The drum Nabani tied around his waist is a Baya, Baya is NOT a Dupki, it is a Baya. A dupki not even close to a baya they are 2 completely different drums?? 

Talk about Bizarre? The ignorance regarding Baul is outstanding. Babu Kishan is the Baul who introduced Dupki to Baul instruments. Nabani is the person who introduced Ektara Baya Nupur (his style of ankle bells that were only worn by Purna Das Baul. Babu Kishan designed the patchwork Gurduri (dress) copied by all Bauls. 

Yet not a word, instead take the names off of this lineage and put your own name, just take and use and make up lies false fake lineages and Gurus? You can not even make this up? Cultural appropriation of a indigenous people, only this lineage as indigenous people can self-determine who they are, according to the United Nations rules on indigenous rights to self-determination. Then collecting donations in the name of Baul, saying you are going to preserve Baul. 

Baul was preseverd decades ago since the 1960's by Babu Kishan aka Krishnendu Das? Liars and cheaters who copied our Ektara Foundation word for word??

Nabani style above his ankle bells are not showing. 

Nabani is the only Baul who used Ektara  Baya Nupoor , the drum around the waist is Baya, this style belongs to this Lineage and Nabani. 

Stop using this lineage and saying you are from another lineage, there is not other Baul lineage. Dupki is a small hand drum and it was Babu Kishan who introduced the Dupki to Baul. Long before others used the instrument? 

Another thing very strange is Nabani Das Khyapa Baul is the only Baul other than Babu Kishan who has had any real relationship with Tara Ma or Tarapith, other followed trying to be Nabani, however, they were not Baul. They used Khepa Baul a name RabindraNath Togore gave Nabani (khepa Baul) and a name back about  5 generations ago in this lineage that was a name of Vaishnava Sahajiya Tantric Baul only from this lineage.

 The fake Bauls (fake it til you make it Bauls) then hung out at Tarapith using slangs acting erratic and chasing tourists, even raping a white women who was there with a scholar from America. Gour Kepa was not a Baul he used Baul telling people they met Bob Dylan when 100% they did not. Then a women in Bengal is fundraising to make a documentary about him with Bob Dylan, who has never been to India ever and never met anybody who is Baul other than Laxshman Das Baul and Purna Das Baul and only Babu Kishan has a many decade friendship and working relationship with Bob Dylan as he worked for CBS India and released all of Bob Dylans music in India which no one in India would know about Bob Dylan or heard Bob Dylan without Babu Kishan's work releasing his ablums in India and all of Asia.

These people were not Bauls, they were using Baul.

Some other new 'Baul singers' now hang out at Tarapith with youtube videos singing Baul songs, one of his most popular Baul songs is Babu Kishan lyrics his poetry that he composed for his father. 

Babu Kishan is the first one to talk about tarapith and Baul now it is coming out of the woodwork with woodwork literally of Tarapith as if they are the ones, shameful really because as an indigenous tradition Baul has to be preserved correctly and not used as a self promotional tool. 

Babu Kishan is shocked now all are trying to make false associations regarding Tarapith, anybody can have an association with Tara Ma and Tarapith, however, regarding Baul it is very specific. If he writes anything, they steal and rework as if they are the ones, Ramakrishna, Tarapith, preserving Baul, Akhara, I write it they copy it.

Adopting elements of a minority culture for fame, gain,  using trickery, creating harmful stereotypes that dilute the truth of who the Bauls are, this destroys the Essence of Baul. Cultural Appropriation by fetishizing Baul Culture, making it about a bunch of fools singing and acting foolishly, making Baul an over sexualized community, a bunch of fake tantric teachers, this has reduced and watered down the true meaning of Baul.

Yes, people make mistakes it is not easy to learn something that does not belong to you. However, when you are presenting yourself as the legendary saviour of Baul when you get so many teachings wrong and spread false narratives continually making it up as you go this is cultural appropriation and intellectual property theft. 

A watering down reductionism of indigenous cultural significance of Baul. You are cheating and destroying an indigenous culture. Today Baul is extinct and they do not need actors, tourist Bauls to spread false narratives. Stop scouring my writings and cherry picking, name dropping?

The: there are 4 or 5 types of Baul was copied of BabuKishan.com types of Baul what a bunch of fools, it is a comedy, acting like they are the ones, acting is all it is and not very good acting either. 

Babu Kishan's brothers passed this on in Purna Das Bauls book on 'Baul philosophy' they too just copied their elder brother directly taking his name off even his own bio data LOL, They just copy like everybody else and make up stories because they do not even know themselves, they were never interested in Baul, poetry or music? 

 'Baul Philosophy' the book by Purna Das Baul and Selina was taken from Babu Kishan's intellectual property and reworked. Purna Das Baul does not know English, nor can he read English. I am pretty certain at that time neither did Babu Kishan's brothers.,

This fake fame social media Baul women then had the gaul to offer Baul advertise and offer workshops using, the titles of each chapters from Purna Das Bauls book? I have proof.

LOL doesn't anybody know that they are being watched? 

I have collected all the evidence, I started to do this because I could not believe what was going on and Westerners lap this up and are easily swayed by a cult mentality. Not all but by the raving I have seen they exotic looking people, exotic and sex sell. The trick is to make yourself look exotic and people from outside of India perhaps inside of India today, think this is authentic, I mean look at all the fake Guru's today?

Mary was an adept on the internet, she was a researcher, she was shocked when she found the work she had done on Baul copied from Babu Kishan's website all over the internet without giving credit to her or Babu. They did not even give credit to the website she had spent so much time building. Today it is so easy, but there are so many liars, cheaters, thefts too many to even qualify when it comes to theft of this lineage? 

When Mary passed away in 2006 from lung cancer the whole web site went with her. 

Babu Kishan left the business of the website and the instrument making business with Mary in the USA. In 2007 we tried to recover the website but it was already sold to a web server who was asking thousands of USD for Babukishan.com it just was not worth it to recover it.

MARY was a great friend of Babu Kishan's and a friend of mine too, this is how I know the truth of the matter. 

She was so very helpful to Babu, when he came to the USA she arranged all of his Baul performances on the West Coast from Washington to California and in 2005 Babu Kishan came to Vancouver BC Canada.

Babu and Mary created a Baul instrument company named 'The Ektara Foundation'. The whole purpose was to sell instruments for the preservation of this one and only lineage. Babu would make the Ektaras and other Indian instruments, and as in Baul practice infusing them with mantra. Mary painted the instruments marketed them and created a separate website just for the selling of the instruments.

Before Mary passed away of lung cancer in 2006 when she was on her death bed she very ill and became possessively attached to Babu regarding him and their business. She called his Calcutta family making wild claims about Babu, that he belonged to her, where was he and he was with her. 

Unfortunately, Babu Kishan was out of touch while on his business travels as he worked in Bollywood in movie productions around the world and sometimes he was off the grid. The key word is Babu worked always giving money to his Calcutta family.

The first thing Babu's youngest brother did was to call Babu's daughters and his wife in BOMBAY, whom he was already estranged from, shaming her and making wild stories. 

The youngest brother had used Babu his whole life his call was to hurt Babu it was not kind, there was no compassion for the situation, he made wild claims twisting what Mary had said. He is a lying monster, trying to disturb Babu rather than helping him. Ask the neighbours in Calcutta who he, they all hate him.

Babu's younger brother has always been jealous of Babu and talked bad about him to Babu's own friends. The younger brother still wants to spread this story and emotionally blackmail Babu regarding Mary? He has done this to many other people.

It boggles the mind, he has already forged Babu's signature and created a fake 'power of attourney', which I believe is a criminal offence even in India? Stolen things of Babu's including his properties in Bengal and Mumbai.

Babu Kishan has worked his whole life, he is a creative Music Composer (for real), he has composed over 85% of his fathers music, he has worked since he was 8 years old, his youngest brother has not worked a day in life, only created drama with other people. As someone he once scammed, had said, he is the worst person he had ever met. He never ever took anything, not a rupee royalties for his music, nothing, he only gave to them and they. looted even more, behind his back.

www.babukishan.org

Babu Kishan only ever had a 'business relationship' with Mary, they were friends, Mary was 2 decades older than Babu.

 I as Babu Kishan's wife of over 18 years I know more than anybody, I knew Mary. I knew they were only friends.

I as Babu's wife understand Mary for God sake, she was in the last stages of lung cancer. Shame the criminal youngest  brother and his wife, you copied the whole website that Mary created, and now you want to make up fake stories about a deceased women? Your Karma is waiting for you. 

You even copied your brothers credentials? You are not your eldest brother, you have no work history in music, love having your picture taking so that you can make false associations.  Other than using your father your whole life. You are not a Music Composer or musician a disturbing banjo goof and you sing like a buffalo posting pictures as if you are a recording artist? 

You can not ever be your elder brother and you have tried over and over to ruin his name and taken you father to oblivion. I will not tolerate this 'emotional blackmail' from a toxic user and abuser, thief always forging Babu's signature and stealing his property, using black magic? 

https://lineagebaul.blogspot.com/2022/10/another-critique-article-on-baul-so.html

This is a sad note in Babu's life as Mary passed away not long after this incident in 2006, a very sad time in Babu Kishan's life.

Babu Kishan had was in the tsunami in Indonesia a the end of 2004 and his life was in turmoil, then this was added to his pain, with no consideration as to brotherly love. And to this day the younger brother still wants to harm his elder brother?

Even though Babu had been through so many tragic events, that other would consider trauma's, he was able to navigate whatever was put in front of him. Starting from his birth with crooked limbs being premature and not expected to survive. To his parents abandonment, then getting him back when he was 8 only to put him in an orphanage? 

Then the 1971 War between Indian and East Pakistan now Bangladesh, many terror attacks in Mumbai, and surviving the Tsunami on December 26, 2004 he kept on going. 

His grandfather Guru Nabani Das Khyapa Baul who was initiated by Bhama Kepa into Tarapith Burning Ground practice, initiated Babu Kishan at birth to Tara Ma, Kali Ma and Mahavidya sadhana (practices). 

However, mother nature (Prakriti Ma) on Dec 26, 2004 showed Babu the biggest burning ground in Indonesia, he saw before him hundreds of thousands of dead bodies and stayed behind to help? It is estimated that 167,540 died in just Indonesia.

Mary helped Babu Kishan as a friend through the 2004 tsunami event, when his whole family turned their backs on him. Deliberately not understanding and carrying on a long time character assassination? 

Mary was a great soul and helped Babu through such a difficult time.

Mary was a talented human elder friend of Babu Kishan's. A super creative, she worked hard all her life. Mary was an artist, a cartoonist, a tech person and video game developer in Sillicon Valley. She was a rare and supportive individual dedicated to the preservation of Baul who was always helpful to Babu Kishan.

Rest in Peace Mary, many thanks and blessing to you. You are loved, all your hard work is appreciated and thought of often! Thank you so much for all the hard work and devotion to Baul.

If anybody talks bad or thinks bad about you Mary Johnson, that bad vibration will return to them a thousand fold.