Life in South Asian countries can be hierarchical. People who live here have a set of priorities and work with them throughout their lives. City life here is busy and crowded, people are chasing their own ambitions and priorities all the time. The Bengal region of South Asia is no different. But as much as people here are all strictly attached to a social and traditional lifestyle, there have been groups of people for years who have rejected such social ties. Bauler is one of such groups of people, who are the roots of the Baul culture Bengal.
Who is Bauls?
The word Baul is derived from the Sanskrit term "Batul". The term traditionally means crazy and is used about someone who is obsessed or crazy after God.
There have been many opinions about who or what Bauls really is. Many scholars and researchers have given a different description of the Baul culture. Some believe that "Baulene are a religious and cultural group in India, best known for their songs and poems to the god who lives within." Others describe them as "a rowdy people sect". Some scholars have also claimed them to be "nonconformists", rejecting traditional social norms to form a distinct sect that maintains music as their religion. What most of them agree on is the fact that the Bauls are a group of wandering minstrels who mainly live in West Bengal and Bangladesh.
Bauls can be seen wearing distinctive clothes, making them easily recognizable. They usually wear saffron robes, with uncut and often curled hair and a necklace of pearls made from basil stalks. Women usually wear sarees.
The Origins of Bauls and Culture
Not much is known about when the sect originated or about the origins of Baul. A recent theory, however, suggests that Bauls are descendants of a branch of Sufism called "Ba'al". Supporters of this sect of Sufism were the local population of Iran, which dates back to the 8th and 9th centuries. By the 15th century, the Baul sect had emerged, as evidenced by the use of the term in Shah Muhammad Sagir's yusuf-zulekha, which gave little idea of the possible origins of the Baul culture in Bengal. Other than that, Baul can be found in Maladhar Basus srikrishnavijay, Bahram Khan's laily-majnu and Krishnadas Kavirajs Srichaitanyacharitamrita.
Baul culture in Bengal
Primarily, the Baul culture has mixed elements of Sufism and Vaishnavism. Bauler is a very heterogeneous group, with many sects, but their membership consists mainly of Vaishnava Hindus and Sufi Muslims.
There are three major communities or descendants of Baul. The first lineage, associated with the Birbhum district, is considered to be the source of the Baul tradition in West Bengal and shows many influences, including Tantric Buddhism and Shaktism. The other community, called Navadvipa sampradaya, is found primarily in the Nadia and Murshidabad districts and shows strong Bengali Vaishnava influence. The third group is called Fakir sampradaya, which are Muslim Baulers and are mainly found in Bangladesh.
Baul may belong to an unorthodox devotional tradition, influenced by Hinduism, Buddhism, Vasinavism, and Sufi Islam; it is still clearly different from them.
Baul-tro
Bauler does not identify with any organized religion, or with the caste system, special gods, temples, or holy places. They share only one belief, that God is hidden in the heart of man, and neither the priest nor the prophet, nor the ritual of any organized religion can help one to find God. According to the Baul belief, all people are a gift of divine power, and the body is a temple, music is the way to connect to divinity.
Over the years, the Baul faith has been derived from many sources. From the 5 th century AD, Tantric Buddhism was strong in Bengal, until the Muslim conquest in the early thirteenth century. Sufism or Islamic mysticism then arose in the area. It was mixed with the rising tide of devout Vaishnavism and its tantric offshoot, Sahajiya Vaishnavism. The Shakta religion, the worship of power as a goddess, grew from an esoteric meditative tradition to widespread devotional love. It also created a strong influence on the Baul tradition. As a result, Shaktism was incorporated into the Baul songs, both as worship of the physical woman and as images of Kundalini yoga.
The Baul faith began to reflect in its songs, dedicating songs to deities and calling them Bhagavan, Radha / Krishna, Shiva / Shakti, Allah, as well as the man of the heart, the unknown bird, the great bliss or the infinite light. Today, some Baul songs also include Christian elements, due to the popularity of Christianity among Western Indians.
Baul rituals and practices
Baulen has a system of religious theology and practice. It is characterized by the belief that God exists physically in the world, especially in the human body. According to Bauls, the body is pure because God is present there.
The Baul practice shows tantric influence on both, the importance of having a female partner and its acceptance of sexuality as a path to religious experience. There are sexual rituals, which are not only related to God, but it is believed that God can be perceived by the performers of the ritual.
There are two classes of Bauls.
Ascetic Bauls renounce family life and society, and survive on almsgiving. They have no permanent homes, as they continue to move from one place to another. Women committed to the service of ascetics are known as "Sevadasis". A male Baul may have one or more sevadases, which are associated with him in the act of devotion. An ascetic Baul alone can initiate a person in the group. In that scenario, the relationship between the initiator and the initiate is similar to that between a pier and his disciple. Once incorporated into the group, even non-ascetic Baulers are forbidden to have children, although some may do so with the guru's permission.
The second classification of Bauls lives with their families. They have their own families and children. Unlike ascetic Bauls, they have fewer strict rituals. To become Bauls, they recite some mysterious verses and observe certain rituals. In recent years, the number of Baulers who choose home life has been increasing.
Baulene have "ghars" or descent, or in other words, guru traditions. These gharas or gurudharaas cause small differences in devotional rituals and music. These ghars are named after the most important Baul gurus, whose names are Lalon Shahi, Panju Shahi, Delbar Shahi and Panchu Shahi. There is also a special part of Bauls, known as Kartabhaja, which follows Vaisnava traditions and is known as sati mayer ghar. In the Lalon Shahi tradition, there is a predominance of Sufi and Tantric beliefs with sahajiya rituals. In the Panju Shahi tradition, however, tantric beliefs and sahajiya practices are absent.
The musical aspect of Baul
Baul's religious beliefs and practices are expressed through songs, since there is no obvious text and no single founder. Over the years, there have been many songs that emphasize a different aspect of the Baul faith. Some songs emphasize "sahaja" or spontaneity, and states of religious ecstasy and creativity that come within, without any effort. Others describe the role of "sadhana" or disciplined religious practices, which seek to induce the state of ecstasy.
Usually Bauls crumples from their hearts and pours out their feelings and emotions in their songs. However, they never bother to write down their songs, as it is mainly an oral tradition.
The lyrical themes of the songs are mostly philosophical. They often take the form of allegories about the state of disconnection between the earthly soul and the spiritual world. Most of the texts philosophize about love and the many magnificent bonds of the heart, and subtly reveal the mystery of life, the laws of nature, the decree of fate and the ultimate union with the divine.
These songs are very elegiac in tone. They reflect the pain of deprivation or longing. Each Baul song can be interpreted in two ways; in the form of human love and in the form of divine love. They refer to these two modes as the lower current and the upper current.
Continued musical aspects
In general, there are two types of Baul songs; raga dainya and raga prabarta. However, these ragas are not of classical music, but of Bhajans, as Baul songs are strongly inspired by Vaishnavism.
Although the Baul music of West Bengal is strongly influenced by Sahajiya Vaisnavism, some influence from Kirtan can also be observed. In Bangladesh, the influence of Sufi Ghazals is stronger on the country's Baul music. Sometimes Baul songs reflect the influence of bhatiyali songs as well. Boatmen from the Bengal region also sing these songs as they sail their boats in the rivers.
There are mainly five Gharanas of Baul songs, derived from the well-known exponents of this genre. The Gharans are Lalon Shahi, Panju Shahi, Delbar Shahi, Ujal Shahi and Panchu Shahi.
Although Baul songs come mainly from the Kushtia region, singers from other regions bring in different influences, especially in melodies and styles. In the past, there were no fixed notes for Baul songs, as they were not written down.
Baul Instruments
Baul singers use a variety of indigenous musical instruments. The most commonly used instrument is the "ektara", which is a single-string drone instrument and is carved out of the epicarp of a gourd and made of bamboo and goatskin. Apart from that, it is "dotara", or an instrument with several strings made from the tree of a jackfruit or neem tree. Apart from that, there is also the "khamak", a single-headed drum with a string attached to the person being picked. Other instruments include "dugi", which is a small handheld earth drum, "dhol" and other leather instruments such as "khol" and "goba". There are also "ghungur" and "nupur", which are bell tools, small cymbals called "kartal" and "mandira", bamboo flute, harmonium etc.
Remarkable Baul singers over the years
Lalon Fakir
Also known as Lalon Fakir Shah, he was a prominent Bengali philosopher, Baul saint, mystic, songwriter, social reformer and thinker. He was seen as an icon of Bengali culture, and was one of the first pioneers in Baul music and culture itself. Through his songs, Lalon Fakir spread the idea of a society where all religions and worldviews would remain in harmony. His thinking inspired and influenced many poets, social and religious thinkers, including Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Allen Ginsberg.
Sjah Abdul Karim
Called "Baul Samrat", Shah Abdul Karim was a popular Bangladeshi Baul musician. Some of his notable songs include "Keno Piriti Baraila Re Bondhu", "Murshid Dhono He Kemone Chinibo Tomare", "Nao Banailo Banailo Re Kon Mestori", "Ashi Bole Gelo Bondhu" and "Mon Mojale Ore Bawla Gaan".
Purna Das Baul
Popularly known as "Purna Das Baul Samrat", he is currently one of the most famous Baul musicians in the world.
Other important names are Bhaba Pagla, Parvathy Baul, Kartik Das Baul etc.
The influence of Baul
There are many influences of Baul music that can be found in different cultures. Rabindra Sangeet, the creation of Bengal's greatest poet, Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore, has a strong influence from Baul music. The Baul pattern also inspired many other successful poets, playwrights and songwriters of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Baul Fusion
Purna Das Baul and sons Krishnendu, Subhendu and Dibyendu have their own fusion band, 'Khyapa'. The band performs on national as well as international platforms, and introduces to the world a new version of Baul music.
In 1970, Purna das Baul and his family performed on stage in London for the Rolling Stone concerts. Later, the Rolling Stones also produced an album called 'Jai Bangla'.
Kartik Das Baul has taken baul to different heights by associating with a popular fusion called Baul rock. This type of baul was brought into the world of music by 'Bolepur Bluez', which was the world's first folk-fusion band.
Western Bauls, which plays under the spiritual guidance of Lee Lozowick, a student of Yogi Ramsuratkumar, is also there in America and Europe. Although the music sounds different, the essence of the spiritual practices of the East is well maintained.
In 2019, the American Grammy-nominated bluegrass fiddler Casey Driessen collaborated with Rina Das Baul on an album. Rina das Baul, along with her troupe named Rangamatir Baul, also performed on several international platforms.
In Conclusion
Even the turbulence of the 20th and 21st centuries could not have any effect on the Baul culture in Bengal. The Baul tradition is so integrated into Bengal that it is difficult to think of Bengali culture without Bauls. The spirit of Baulen is the spirit of Bengal; constantly fluent in society and culture, literature and art, religion and spirituality.