It's Christmas time in Calcutta, everyone is on holiday and making the most of it. Even the non-resident Bengalis come home to visit old haunts. Shops and restaurants are packed, loudspeakers are blaring, streets are filled with cars and pedestrians.
In the midst of all this, I feel truly blessed to have our local Baul visit every Sunday morning. He walks down the street, playing his simple string instrument and singing his soulful songs. Hardly anyone listens but he always stops in front of our family house, where he knows someone or the other will emerge. And if I am there, I always do. I love listening to these down to earth songs with mystic roots. Songs which remind us that God must be searched for (and discovered) within our own hearts, by ourselves.
Bauls- the wandering mystic minstrels of Bengal used to travel from village to village, bringing these messages and their wonderful music to the common man. Each village would provide them with food and shelter and take care of their needs. Now things have changed, the Bauls have to fend for themselves and their travel is restricted. They are hardly seen in urban settings, except for a few high profile ones, who perform periodically in concerts. These performances are quite powerful but they often lack the spontaneity and simplicity found in a more natural setting.
This time I was fortunate enough to have my cell phone with me while rushing down to hear the Baul. And so I made my first recording of one of his songs, the link is given below. There was plenty of neighbourhood action at the time of the recording (and my hand finally shook when my little son made a beeline for the road). People were coming and going, the driver was revving the car, the dhobi arrived with his bundle of freshly ironed clothes, an irate crow was demanding his biscuit breakfast and so on. But the Baul was lost in his music and in his world - which is as it should be - and it reminded me to search for what gives my life meaning and pursue it without distraction (or at least attempt to)!
https://youtu.be/3IZiTYb_YqA
In the midst of all this, I feel truly blessed to have our local Baul visit every Sunday morning. He walks down the street, playing his simple string instrument and singing his soulful songs. Hardly anyone listens but he always stops in front of our family house, where he knows someone or the other will emerge. And if I am there, I always do. I love listening to these down to earth songs with mystic roots. Songs which remind us that God must be searched for (and discovered) within our own hearts, by ourselves.
Bauls- the wandering mystic minstrels of Bengal used to travel from village to village, bringing these messages and their wonderful music to the common man. Each village would provide them with food and shelter and take care of their needs. Now things have changed, the Bauls have to fend for themselves and their travel is restricted. They are hardly seen in urban settings, except for a few high profile ones, who perform periodically in concerts. These performances are quite powerful but they often lack the spontaneity and simplicity found in a more natural setting.
This time I was fortunate enough to have my cell phone with me while rushing down to hear the Baul. And so I made my first recording of one of his songs, the link is given below. There was plenty of neighbourhood action at the time of the recording (and my hand finally shook when my little son made a beeline for the road). People were coming and going, the driver was revving the car, the dhobi arrived with his bundle of freshly ironed clothes, an irate crow was demanding his biscuit breakfast and so on. But the Baul was lost in his music and in his world - which is as it should be - and it reminded me to search for what gives my life meaning and pursue it without distraction (or at least attempt to)!
https://youtu.be/3IZiTYb_YqA
