I am just a spokesperson for them.”Įben Graves, program manager at ISM, explained his decision to invite Baul to share her art. “I always say that you see my face, but there are hundreds and hundreds of women behind me. “Baul practice is never complete without the females,” Baul said.
During the pandemic, Baul provided financial support to 45 Baul families, or families that traditionally make this type of art, in Bengal and Bangladesh.Įven though the Baul tradition originally precluded women, Parvathy Baul’s worldwide success has helped break down gender barriers in the practice. She hopes to empower female performers to claim their space in the practice. She now teaches the tradition at an ashram in Bengal. In 2019, Baul received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award - the highest national honor given to performing artists - from the government of India. She came into contact with the Baul tradition while sketching Baul practitioners for a class assignment. In this segment, Baul explained the origins of the Baul tradition and its relationship with caste, gender, modernity and the divine.īaul was originally an art student. Academic and North Indian classical vocalist Purba Debnath moderated the section. English translations of the Bengali lyrics, touching on prayers about the moon, lotuses and the divine mother, were printed on the screen.Ī Q&A section followed the performance screening. In the next two songs, she danced before her tapestry, in front of lit candles. The tradition, involving poetry and performance, is a syncretic practice influenced by Sahajiya Buddhism, Turkish Sufism and Bengali Hinduism.īaul performed her first song - an original composition - seated in a simple brick room. The origins of Baul poetry can be traced back to the 8th-century. So, the Baul song is about the true sound in the human body … of the heart.”
“When you hear the song, you actually hear their voice, and the way they see the world. “The Baul songs are the echo of the masters, the mystics, from generations,” Baul said in her introductory remarks at the event. Baul performed three songs, played two instruments and danced in front of an original tapestry.
The event featured Baul’s pre-recorded performance and a Q&A section.
She wore a red and gold traditional dress.īaul performed in “Mystical Poetry of the Bauls: Presented by Parvathy Baul,” a virtual event organized by the Institute of Sacred Music and co-sponsored by the South Asian Studies Council. With one hand, she plucked a long one-stringed instrument called an ektara and with the other, kept rhythm on a drum called duggi. On Friday evening, renowned performer Parvathy Baul’s voice ranged from lively to sorrowful to passionate.
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