A STUDY OF THE MULTIMEDIA REPRESENTATION OF THE
BAUL COMMUNITY IN WEST BENGAL
IN Poster Presentation Supervisor: Prof. Madhumita Sengupta
Presented by : Aniket Roy (PhD Candidate, HSS)
ABSTRACT
In light of this framework, the present research would argue that in spite of the
apparent absence of a constructed historical discourse in the spatial domains of
Palestine, both Edward Said and Mahmoud Darwish provide a space for an
alternate historiographic model from the shackles of European modernity. While
Darwish accounts for a narrative discourse, the crucial component of forgetfulness
would be a key term to understand the marginal viewpoint of identity and politics in
the Palestinian scenario. In Said’s case, the present work would note how the
function of photographic memory and images (especially related to his childhood)
provides a broader scope for creative interpretation to recollect what was lost. A
comparative examination of the works of what are considered to be the two greatest
voices from Palestine might help us understand the ‘topographic’ mnemonic mode of
writing that gives shape and significance to an excavation of memory.
EDWARD SAID
There are no scholarly definitions of what "Music of Bengal" means and what
it constitutes.
Bengali Folk music is a product of the rich cultural history of Bengal.
Generally speaking, it can be divided into four overarching parts: Traditional,
Devotional/Religious, Folk and Classical.
Folk Music can further be divided into six (although not limited to)
categories: Bhatiyali, Keertan, Tarja, Kavigaan, Jhumur and Baul.
THE FOLK MUSIC OF BENGAL
Bhatiyali: It is the note of the river, sung by the river through her wandering
boatmen (Bhattacharjee, 2015).
Kavigaan: It is a musical duel between two melodic poets and their respective
teams and can involve various types of folk songs.
Kirtan: It is a devotional chant delineating the eminence, virtue, and quality of
gods in the form of "reciting, narrating and describing a story" (Lal, 2009).
Jhumur: It is the welcoming music for a new season of harvest, which is often
played with Dhol", "Nagara", and "Bansuri" (Gogoi, 2022).
Tarja: It is more like lyrical poetry in the form of doggerels and transitions
into a guessing game between two participants.
Baul: "Baul" is part of this folk genre, given the fact that the disenfranchised
common masses also perform it. This tradition "is not just about singing and
dancing, but a whole lifestyle" (Watson, 2022).
INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS: THE GLOBAL BAULS
Purna Das Baul: known as India's Bob Dylan by the NY Times (Mitra, 2023),
he started performing in 1965 and travelled to over 160 countries to spread
the concept of "Baulism". Did legendary collaborations with Mick Jagger,
Keith Richard, Bob Dylan and poet Allen Ginsberg.
Paban Das Baul. He embarked on his global tour in 1981 upon invitation
from Radio France and subsequently worked with Miguel Campano, and
Archie Shepp. Collaborated with guitarist Sam Mills for the groundbreaking
album "Real Sugar".
Parvathy Baul: Began performing professionally from 1995 under Ravi
Gopalan Nair, who took her to the US to help collaborate with Peter
Schuman in puppetry. From the early 2000s, she started solely practising Baul
music with "Ekatar" and "Dotara".
THE KEY QUESTIONS ON THIS RESEARCH
How does Edward Said, a literary critic, theorize forgetfulness in his
concept of "late style," and how does this theory differ from the
experience of forgetfulness explored by Darwish, a poet directly
impacted by historical events?
How do Said and Darwish's explorations of forgetfulness connect to
broader political issues?
Does forgetting a homeland or history lead to a sense of adriftness, or
can it create space for a new identity to emerge?
Does forgetting serve the interests of the oppressor by erasing the
past, or can it be a form of resistance by refusing to be defined by
past trauma?
MAHMOUD DARWISH
After the success of Purna Das Baul in the 1960s, the "Baul Sangeet"
immediately rose to prominence in Bengali multimedia.
Movies like "Kheya", "Baghini", "Parineeta", "Nishipadma'',
"Trinayanee Maa" "Dhanyee Meye", "Bonpalashir Padabali", "Teer
Bhanga Dheu", "Hangsaraaj", "Chhotto Nayak" and "Hirak Rajar
Deshe" had ample Baul songs in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
Such songs are also frequently fused with local Bengali modern electric
rock, reality-based TV shows, channel-specific music programs and
other far-reaching pan-Indian platforms.
THE MULTIMEDIA REPRESENTATION
Motion pictures and documentaries exclusively dedicated to the Bauls
. in West Bengal, such as "Moner Manush", "Nogor Baul Kotha", and
"Baulani", are the mainstream celebrations of Baul music, traditions,
life and legacy in the 21st century.
However, despite their often noble intentions, these third-party
representations are the lopsided renditions of Baul culture without
collective Baul consent that borderline with "cultural appropriation".
The local Bauls would consciously choose to disassociate themselves
from the glitz and glamour of the Bengali media simply because it
fundamentally opposes their core philosophy.
Such third-party representations of the Bauls often overshadow their
self-representation through songs. This act of representation is a
"manifestation of marginality as a site of resistance" (Hooks, 1990)
against dominant Bengali multimedia.
CONCLUSION
Being an outsider, it is difficult to shed light on the subject of the
representation of a community bound together through a sense of
sameness due to different agendas and sensibilities (Campbell, 2015).
Yet, upon close observation, it's apparent that the degree of
exclusion for the Bauls is different from other communities. This
exclusion often operates on class lines than religion or caste against
the traditional sophistication of the Bengali "Babu" culture.
SELECT REFERENCES
Bohlman, P. V. (1988). The Study of Folk Music in the Modern
World. Indiana University Press.
Campbell, E., Lassiter. L. E. (2015). Doing Ethnography Today:
Theories, Methods, and Exercises. Wiley Blackwell.
Watson, S. (2022). Baul is about complete surrender. Telangana
Today.