Information AboutBaul |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BAUL | |
| bengali music | |
| bangladeshi music | |
| masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity | |
|
Bauls ( Minstrel s from Bengal , which comprises Bangladesh and the India n state of West Bengal . Bauls constitute both a Syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition used as a vehicle to express Baul thought. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many different streams to the sect. They can be often identified by their distinctive clothes and musical instruments, like the Ektara . Though Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO . The origin of the word is ''Baul'' is debated. It has been suggested that it comes either from Sanskrit ''batul'', meaning ''divinely inspired insanity'' or ''byakul'', meaning ''fervently eager''. HISTORY The origin of Bauls is not known to any great degree of accuracy, but the word Baul has appeared in Bengali texts as old as the 15th century. Some scholars, however, maintain that it is not clear when the word took its sectarian significance, as opposed to a synonym for the word ''mad''. The beginning of the Baul movement was attributed to Birbhadra, the son of Vaishnavite saint Nityananda , or alternatively to the 8th century Persian minstrels called Ba'al. Bauls are a part of the culture of rural Bengal . Whatever their origin, Baul thought has mixed elements of Tantra , Sufi Islam , Vaishnavism and Buddhism . They are thought to have been influenced by the Hindu tantric sect of the Kartabhaja s as well as Tantric Buddhist schools like the ''Sahajia''. Some scholars find traces of these thoughts in the ancient practices of Yoga as well as the Charyapada s, which are Buddhist hymns that are the first known example of written Bengali. The Bauls themselves attribute the lack of historical records of themselves to their reluctance of leaving a trace behind. The baul were recorded as a major sect as early as mid 18th century. CONCEPTS AND PRACTICES , Mar 2004]] Baul music celebrates celestial love, but does this in very earthy terms, as in declarations of love by the Baul for his boshTomi or lifemate. With such a liberal interpretation of love, it is only natural that Baul devotional music transcends religion and some of the most famous baul composers, such as Lalon Fakir , have been of muslim faith. The famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore was greatly influenced and inspired by Bauls. Here is a famous Rabindrasangeet (Tagore song), heavily influenced by Baul theme:
Their religion is based on an expression of the body, which they call deho-shadhona and an expression of the mind, which they call mana-shadhona. Some of their rituals are kept mostly hidden from the mainstream, as they are thought to be repulsive by many, and hedonistic by others. They concentrate much of their mystic energies on the chaar-chand (bengali for four-moons), i.e. the four body fluids, on the nine-doors or naba-dwar, i.e. the openings of the body, prakriti which implies both the woman and the nature, and a control of breathing, known as domo-shadhona. BAUL MUSIC The music of the Bauls, ''bAul saMgeet'', refers to a particular type of folk song of sung by Bauls. It carries influences of Hindu Bhakti movements as well as the ''shuphi'', a form of Sufi song mediated by many thousand miles of cultural intermixing, exemplified by the songs of Kabir , for instance. Their music represents a long heritage of preaching mysticism through songs in Bengal, like Shahebdhoni or Bolahadi sects. Bauls use a number of musical instruments to embellish their compositions. The "ektara" is a one-stringed drone instrument, and by far the most common instrument used by a Baul singer. It is the carved from the epicarp of a gourd, and made of bamboo and goatskin. Other commonly used musical instruments include the dotara, a multi-stringed instrument made of the wood; the dugi, a small hand-held earthen drum; percussion instruments like dhol and khol; small cymbals called "kartal" and "mandira" and the bamboo flute. RABINDRANATH TAGORE AND THE BAULS The songs of the Bauls and their lifestyle influenced a large swath of Bengali culture, but nowhere did it leave its imprint more powerfully than in the work of Rabindranath Tagore , who talked of Bauls in a number of speeches in Europe in the 1940s and an essay based on these was compiled into his English book ''Religion of Man'':
The above is a translation of the famous Baul song by Gagan Harkara: Ami kothAy pAbo tAré, AmAr maner mAnush Jé ré. The following extract is a translation of another song:
A large tradition in medieval devotional poetry from Rajasthan and other parts of India also bear the same message of unity in celestial and romantic love and that divine love can be fulfilled only through its human beloved. Tagore's own compositions were powerfully influenced by Baul ideology. His music also bears the stamp of many Baul tunes. Other Bengali poets, such as Kazi Nazrul Islam , have also been influenced by Baul music and its message of non-sectarian devotion through love. PRESENT STATUS Bauls are to be found in the India n state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh . The Baul movement was at its peak in the 19th and early 20th centuries but, even today one comes across the occasional Baul with his EktArA (one-stringed musical instrument) and begging bowl, singing across the farflung villages of rural Bengal. Travelling in local trains and attending village fairs are a good way to encounter Bauls. One of the biggest festivals for this cult of wandering minstrels is held in the month of January at Kenduli in the Birbhum district, a four-day fest organised in memory of the poet Jaydeb. There are also the Western Bauls in America and Europe under the spiritual direction of Lee Lozowick . Their music is quite different (rock /gospel/ blues) but the essence of the spiritual practices of the East is well maintained. REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|