The Bauls or the fakirs of Bengal have been unacknowledged prophets even a century back, till the recent interest now in their music, philosophy, and performance. The Bauls do not revere class/caste/religious divides ...The Bauls or the fakirs of Bengal have been unacknowledged prophets even a century back, till the recent interest now in their music, philosophy, and performance. The Bauls do not revere class/caste/religious divides and often flout the norms of the society by their divine madness. Etymologically, the word derives from Sanskrit, ＂vatula＂ （meaning one who is affected by the wind disease or is mad）, or ＂vyakula＂ （meaning restless or disordered）. In recent years however, Bauls have been recognized as a religious sect, yet the connotation of madness still clings to their reputation. This paper is going to discuss briefly how the Baul tradition developed in Bengal and then focus on the Baul philosophy in the Baul-gan texts and on their musical appeal. Many of the Baul-gans have had profound influence on other forms of music. Closely associated with the Baul sangeet is the Bhatiali music whose rhythm, has often won the hearts of many classical musicians. Often times the classical musicians have been found to render the ektatra or dotara sounds in their improvisations. Rabindranath Tagore too has used some of the Baul maestro, Lalon Fakir＇s lyrics, philosophy as well as music in many of his songs. More recently, Baul songs have been rendered through fusion bands or experimental music.展开更多
文摘The Bauls or the fakirs of Bengal have been unacknowledged prophets even a century back, till the recent interest now in their music, philosophy, and performance. The Bauls do not revere class/caste/religious divides and often flout the norms of the society by their divine madness. Etymologically, the word derives from Sanskrit, ＂vatula＂ （meaning one who is affected by the wind disease or is mad）, or ＂vyakula＂ （meaning restless or disordered）. In recent years however, Bauls have been recognized as a religious sect, yet the connotation of madness still clings to their reputation. This paper is going to discuss briefly how the Baul tradition developed in Bengal and then focus on the Baul philosophy in the Baul-gan texts and on their musical appeal. Many of the Baul-gans have had profound influence on other forms of music. Closely associated with the Baul sangeet is the Bhatiali music whose rhythm, has often won the hearts of many classical musicians. Often times the classical musicians have been found to render the ektatra or dotara sounds in their improvisations. Rabindranath Tagore too has used some of the Baul maestro, Lalon Fakir＇s lyrics, philosophy as well as music in many of his songs. More recently, Baul songs have been rendered through fusion bands or experimental music.
