BAUL-The MadCap

Baul - God's Madcap

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BAUL-on hearing this word, I just visualize a wild and free person wearing saffron robes, singing the song of life and love, keeping his face upward and playing a one stringent instrument called ‘Ektara’…the man is dancing, jumping, shaking his head madly and acting passionately….completely engrossed in the raw and mystic tune which conveys the feeling of eternal passion and divinity rolled into one….

Ore Chhere Dile Sonar Gour

Khyapa Chhere Dile Sonar Gour

Aamra Aar Pabo Na

Aar Pabo Na

Tomay Hrid Majhare Rakhibo

Chhere Debo Na

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The word ‘BAUL’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Batul’ which means the air around one – the air of madness… The air that is filled with the richness of nature, the fragrance of the earth and its capacity to soothe and uplift….The word ‘BAUL’ also means the madness and eccentricity of a person who renounces all his comforts and possessions to unite with the Divine Being…Their madness arouses passion which makes them to sing and dance wildly forgetting everything around them…

Engrossed in music

They are bards, composers, musicians, dancers and actors all rolled into one, and their mission is to entertain…..through their songs, pauses, gestures, and postures, these nomadic mendicants spread the message of love and ecstasy to lands far and wide……

In a land devoid of mechanical entertainment, Baul singers are a major source of entertainment….People love to watch them sing and dance, their narration of folk tales, and even commentary on contemporary issues through highly melodious songs and an extraordinarily high-pitched rendition…..Although their lyrics speak the language of the village folks, their songs are appealing to one and all….It has its own raw and mystic charm….Bauls always keep their songs simple and direct, profusely emotional, enjoyable, and needs no special knowledge for appreciation….

Music knows no boundary

Bauls croon from their hearts and pour out their feelings and emotions in their songs, but the interesting fact is that they never bother to write down their songs….It is always in their mind…It is essentially an oral tradition, and it is said of Lalan Fakir (1774 -1890), the greatest of all Bauls, that he continued to compose and sing songs for decades without ever stopping to correct them or put them on paper…..It was only after his death that people thought of collecting and compiling his rich repertoire.

Some instruments

Bengal's greatest poet the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore wrote about the Bauls: "One day I chanced to hear a song from a beggar belonging to the Baul sect of Bengal...What struck me in this simple song was a religious expression that was neither grossly concrete, full of crude details, nor metaphysical in its rarefied transcendentalism. At the same time it was alive with an emotional sincerity, it spoke of an intense yearning of the heart for the divine, which is in man and not in the temple or scriptures, in images or symbols... I sought to understand them through their songs, which is their only form of worship." The songs of bauls and their lifestyle influenced a large swath of Bengali Culture, but nowhere did it leave it’s imprint more powerfully than on the work of Rabindranath Tagore.

The mystical nature of Tagore's lyrics is also a product of his affinity to these wandering bards. Edward Dimock Jr. in his The Place of the Hidden Moon (1966) writes: "Rabindranath Tagore put the Bauls on a higher-than-respectable level by his praise of the beauty of their songs and spirit, and by his frank and proud acknowledgement of his own poetic debt to them."

Festival of Colors - Part 3

Holi celebration takes place with lot of joy and verve throughout the country. The enthusiasm of the people reaches its peak and matches with the nature which is in full bounty at the time of Holi.
It gives much liberty to the people to let their hair loose and enjoy their hidden crazy self.

Differences of any sort are drowned in the coloured waters of Holi and people just enjoy being a play animal. To further enhance the festive spirit of Holi celebrations we have a social sanction to get a kick with the tradition of bhang. Then there is total wildness as people dance to the rhythm of dholak and sing traditional folk songs in loudest possible pitch.

Children particularly enjoy the festival as they throw water filled balloons at passersby...and if anybody stares..they have ready answer, 'Bura na mano Holi hai..' and evoke a smile on the irritated face. Besides, they have their water missiles, called pichkaris to drench the person from far and escape further drenching. People also play with gulal or 'Abeer' which is available in various bright colors like - pink, magenta, red, yellow and green etc...

In the midst of these colouring games are savoured the mouth watering holi specialties like gujiya, malpuas, mathri, puran poli, dahi badas etc and downed with glasses full of thandai.

In some states there is also a tradition of breaking the pot full of buttermilk which is hung high on the streets. A group of boys form a human pyramid and one of them break the pot. All this while womenfolk throw buckets of colour water on them and sing folk songs.

And after a wild and eventful day, evenings are celebrated in a dignified manner by visiting friends and relatives. People exchange sweets and hug each other conveying the warm wishes for Holi. These days there people also participate and organise Holi Meets and enjoy the festival till late in the night.

Holi celebrations that starts with the burning of Holika on the eve of Holi thus culminates with the lot of fun-filled activity and bonhomie. However, at some places specially Mathura and Barsana Holi celebrations continue for a week as each major temple organise a Holi bash on different day. Lovers of the festival enjoy every moment to the fullest.

 

Festival of Colors - Part 2

It is said that Holi existed several centuries before Christ. However, the meaning of the festival is believed to have changed over the years. Earlier it was a special rite performed by married women for the happiness and well-being of their families and the full moon (Raka) was worshiped.
Today, this festival of Holi is regarded as a celebration of the Colors of Unity & Brotherhood - an opportunity to forget all differences and indulge in unadulterated fun. It has traditionally been celebrated in high spirit without any distinction of cast, creed, color, race, status or sex. It is one occasion when sprinkling colored powder ('gulal') or colored water on each other breaks all barriers of discrimination so that everyone looks the same and universal brotherhood is reaffirmed. This is one simple reason to participate in this colorful festival.

The festival starts with Holika Dahan(Bonfire) on the night before Holi where people gather, sing and dance. The next morning is free for all carnival of colors, where everyone plays, chases and colors each other with dry powder and colored water, with some carrying water guns and colored water-filled balloons for their water fight. Anyone and everyone is fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children and elders.

The frolic and fight with colors occurs in the open streets, open parks, outside temples and buildings. Groups carry drums and musical instruments, go from place to place, sing and dance. People move and visit family, friends and foes, first play with colors on each other, laugh and chit-chat, then share Holi delicacies, food and drinks. In the evening, after sobering up, people dress up, visit friends and family.



Next: Festival of Colors-Part 3

Festival of Colors - Part 1

Holi or Holika or Phagwah or Basant Utsav or Dol Jatra or Festival of Colors or Festival of Love 

- There are so many names for just one festival that is celebrated widely all over India, different regions have different name.Yes today, on the auspicious occasion of Phalgun Purnima(full moon day in the month of Phalugn), we all Indians are celebrating Holi, which signifies the beginning of the season Spring, which is the most colorful festival mainly celebrated by the followers of Vedic Religion or Hindus. Historians also believe that Holi was celebrated by all Aryans but more so in the Eastern part of India.

But in recent times, it has also become popular among non-Hindus in many parts of South Asia, in some parts of Europe, North America as a spring celebration of love, frolic and colors.

The festival has many mythological interesting stories behind it. Let me tell you 3 of them:

1) Some people says it is highly associated with Hindu Gods Krishna and Radha. Hindus think of them as the God of Love, so the festival is also called as Festival of Love.

According to the legend, Krishna was jealous of Radha’s fair complexion. He told about this to his mother Yashoda, she teasingly asked him to color Radha’s face. So that's how it started.

2) Another legend says, it is associated with demon king Hiranyakashyap. Hiranyakashyap wanted everybody in his kingdom to worship only him, but to his great disappointment, his son, Prahlad became an ardent devotee of Lord Naarayana. Hiaranyakashyap commanded his sister, Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap. Holika had a boon whereby she could enter fire without any damage on herself. However, she was not aware that the boon worked only when she enters the fire alone. As a result she paid a price for her sinister desires, while Prahlad was saved by the grace of the god for his extreme devotion. The festival, therefore, celebrates the victory of good over evil and also the triumph of devotion.

3) According to another legend, Lord Krishna killed the demonic ‘Putna’ on this day. And gowalas and gopiyas played Rasleela to celebrate it. Krishna played with colors to celebrate the victory of good over evil on this day.

The below picture gives you just a glance of how Holi is celebrated....

Taken at Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India, on the occasion of Basanta Utsav

Next: Festival of Colors-Part 2

The Greatest Bengali Festival - Durga Puja

Durga Puja is one of the largest celebrated festivals in the world. Let me begin with a brief description of the festival.

Durga Puja (‘Worship of Durga’), also referred to as Durgotsava(‘Festival of Durga’) or Sharadotsav is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and Vijayadashami. 
Durga Puja festival marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura. Thus, Durga Puja festival epitomises the victory of Good over Evil.
Durga Puja is widely celebrated in the Indian states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Tripura and West Bengal, where it is a five-day annual holiday. In West Bengal and Tripura, which has a majority of Bengali Hindus, it is the biggest festival of the year. Not only is it the biggest Hindu festival celebrated throughout the state, it is also the most significant socio-cultural event in Bengali Hindu society. Apart from eastern India, Durga Puja is also celebrated in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. 
Durga Puja is also celebrated as a major festival in Nepal and in Bangladesh all over the places of Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Bogra and other major places and all the villages of Bangladesh where the 20% population is Hindu.
Nowadays, many diaspora Bengali cultural organizations arrange for Durgotsab in countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Singapore and Kuwait, among others.
Durga Puja also includes the worship of Shiva, who is Durga's consort (Durga is an aspect of Goddess Parvati), in addition to Lakshmi, Saraswati with Ganesha and Kartikeya, who are considered to be Durga's children. Worship of mother nature is done, through nine types of plant (called "Kala Bou"), including a plantain (banana) tree, which represent nine divine forms of Goddess Durga. Modern traditions have come to include the display of decorated pandals and artistically depicted idols (murti) of Durga, exchange of Vijaya greetings and publication of Puja Annuals.

  
The entire process of creation of the idols (murti) from the collection of clay to the ornamentation is a holy process, supervised by rites and other rituals. On the Hindu date of Akshaya Tritiya when the Ratha Yatra is held, clay for the idols is collected from the banks of a river, preferably the Ganges. 
 There is age-old custom of collecting a handful of soil (punya mati) from the nishiddho pallis of Calcutta, literally 'forbidden territories', where sex workers live, and adding it to the clay mixture which goes into the making of the Durga idol. After the required rites, the clay is transported from which the idols are fashioned. 

  Many Pujas in and around Kolkata buy their idols from Kumartuli (also Kumortuli), an artisans' town in north Calcutta.
As usual, we, with our hungry camera  lenses, had reached to Kumartuli to catch some glimpses of the idol making in process. Here we present some of our captures, hope you like it.

Here we are seeing an artisan is busy in the process of cutting bamboos to make the structure of the idol

 Here we can see the idol structure prepared at a very initial stage