Purna das baul biography of michael
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His tours emphasized the mystical and ecstatic elements of Baul tradition, often adapting traditional songs with ektara and dubki to resonate on international stages while preserving their spiritual essence.[14]A pivotal moment came in 1967 with a six-month tour of the United States, sponsored by Albert Grossman, manager of Bob Dylan, during which Baul performed across 40 states, including major cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.
This vinyl LP introduced Baul music to Western audiences, highlighting tracks centered on spiritual quests and inner awakening.[17]In the 1990s, his recordings blended preservation with subtle innovation. His work emphasizes spiritual themes central to Baul philosophy, such as devotion to the "Moner Manush" (the person of the heart), a concept drawn from Lalon Fakir's compositions that symbolizes the divine within humanity.
These albums reflect a commitment to archiving endangered oral traditions amid modernization.[19][20]By the 2000s, Baul's discography incorporated fusion elements inspired by global exposures, such as Westernjazz rhythms, while maintaining spiritual integrity. In this capacity, Purna Das Baul Samrat was awarded the Indian President's Award by Shri K.
R. Narayan, tenth President of India, in 1999.
Purna Das has also appeared in numerous films, and was personally fêted by Mick Jagger in England, and by Bob Dylan who told Purna Das that he himself would be 'the Baul of America'. But they are the most non-communal of all communities: They have no religion, for they only believe in the religion of music, brotherhood and peace.
His debut broadcast on All India Radio in 1954 introduced Baul music to wider audiences, capturing his evolving style in sessions that preserved traditional songs from Birbhum akharas. These initial recordings, often collaborative with family, laid the groundwork for his professional trajectory while staying true to the oral, unscripted nature of the tradition.[1][9]
Rise to Prominence and Baul Samrat Title
In the 1960s, Purna Das Baul emerged as a prominent figure in the Baul tradition through extensive broadcasts on All India Radio, where he participated in nearly 200 national radio conferences across various stations in India starting from 1960.However, the 1943 Bengal famine devastated the region, plunging the family into abject poverty when Purna was just ten years old and compelling him to sing on streets and trains to help sustain them amid widespread starvation.[9][10]
Introduction to Baul Music
Purna Das Baul Samrat's introduction to Baul music occurred during his early childhood in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, a renowned hub for the tradition.These efforts emphasize collective responsibility to protect and propagate Baul's timeless messages of love and spiritual liberation.[4]
Honors and Recognition
National Awards
Purna Das Baul received the title of Baul Samrat, meaning "Emperor of Bauls," in 1967 from President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, recognizing his early prominence as a leading exponent of the Baul tradition and his efforts to preserve and perform this folk music form across India.[6] This honor, bestowed during a period when Baul music was gaining national attention through cultural festivals, elevated his status and facilitated wider domestic engagements, allowing him to represent the genre at official events and inspire younger artists in Bengal.[5]In 1998, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for contributions to traditional and folk music by India's National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama; the honor was presented as the President's Award in 1999 by President K.R.Narayanan during a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.[44][6] This prestigious recognition, which included a certificate and cash prize, underscored his role in safeguarding Baul philosophy and performances amid modernization pressures, and it marked a pivotal affirmation of folk traditions within India's classical arts framework.[45]In 2001, he received the Tulsi Award from the Government of Madhya Pradesh for his contributions to folk music.[6]The Government of India conferred the Padma Shri upon him in 2013 for excellence in folk music, presented at the age of 80 during the Republic Day honors at Rashtrapati Bhavan.[46][3] This fourth-highest civilian award highlighted his lifelong dedication to Baul music's spiritual and cultural essence, culminating decades of performances that bridged rural Bengal traditions with national audiences and reinforced the genre's place in India's intangible heritage.[6]
International Accolades
Purna Das Baul Samrat gained significant international recognition through his pioneering 1967 tour of the United States, sponsored by Albert Grossman, manager of Bob Dylan, which spanned six months and included performances across 40 states.He has recently started regular visits to the local prisons to perform for the inmates. Bauls of Bengal (1994, Crammed Discs) showcases a selection of timeless Baul pieces, including "Agun Pani" (exploring fire and water as metaphors for passion and purity), "Ja Lolite Anga Kushum Tule" (on bodily transcendence), "Kalkatou Mon Heshekeley" (joy in the soul's laughter), "Ananda Lahari" (waves of bliss), and "Amar Aei Rudir Dhara" (the flow of life's blood), performed with raw emotional depth to emphasize communal and devotional themes.[18]Bengali Folk Songs (1995, Saregama), a collaboration with his wife Manju Das Baul, features six tracks such as "Aagun Pani Batas Mati" and "Krishna Bole Kande Kajan," preserving rare Baul compositions rooted in Krishna-centric devotion and folk narratives.
In Bangladesh, the districts of Chittagong, Sylhet, Mymensingh and Tangyl are famous for Bauls. Bauls from far off places come to participate in the Kenduli Mela and the Pous Mela - the two most important fairs held in West Bengal for Baul music. He spent his childhood accompanying his father Nabani Das Kapha Baul, the legendary Baul singer, mystic poet, and yogi, who was a close friend of the Nobel Prize winning poet Rabindranath Tagore.
Often they philosophize on love and the many-splendoured bonds of the heart, subtly revealing the mystery of life, the laws of nature, the decree of destiny and the ultimate union with the divine.
A Musical Community
Bauls live like a community, and their main occupation is the propagation of Baul music. They're not only an intrinsic part of Bengal's music, they're in the mud and air of this land, they're in the mind and blood of it's people.
These works mark Baul's significant forays into film and media, distinct from his primary discography of musical recordings.[26][27]In the realm of publications, Baul co-authored Baul Philosophy in 2003 with Selina Thielemann, published by APH Publishing Corporation, which stands as the first major English-language book providing an insider's perspective on Baul philosophy, mysticism, and spiritual practices.[28] The 545-page volume systematically outlines the Bauls' quest for self-realization and the Supreme Divinity within, detailing esoteric tenets, meditative methods, and their universal relevance to spiritual seekers beyond Bengal.[29] Beyond this seminal text, Baul contributed forewords to various Baul song anthologies in the 1990s and 2000s, as well as articles in journals dedicated to Indian folk music traditions, helping to document and preserve Baul lore for academic and cultural audiences.[30]
Family and Legacy
Immediate Family Members
Purna Das Baul Samrat was married to Manju Das Baul (died February 2010), a fellow Baul singer and musicographer specializing in Indian and Bengali folk traditions, who frequently performed alongside him as a co-performer in their family troupe.[31][32][33] They wed in the 1960s, prior to international tours where Manju accompanied Purna and their children.[34]The couple had three sons, all of whom became active participants in Baul music and performances within the family ensemble.Later tours included a 1980 visit to China and Indonesia for folkfestivals, and a 2012 performance in Seoul, South Korea, leading an eight-member troupe at an international event.[14][16]Baul's collaborations extended beyond performances, notably during the late 1960s in the Woodstock, New York area, where he and his troupe interacted with Bob Dylan in studios, inspiring fusions that echoed Baul's themes of unity and transcendence in Western music.
R. Narayan.
In the 1980s, he toured the U.S. again with Dylan's band, The Band, further adapting Baul songs for global contexts. This wandering music cult has a special place in the history of world music.