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Baul songs
On our second visit we arrived at Kali's flat just before 6.00pm armed with video camera, minidisc and sweets from Gangaur.
One of Kali's students also arrives, Bimal Dey.
We start talking about the ektara as I ask about its use among the Bauls. Kali describes this singing sect as anti-establishment, and cites a couple of their songs that complain about the restrictive nature of established religion and asking how a person with faith can enter all these "padlocked rooms".
Bimal sings Sufi song
Kali...
The Sufi Bauls believe in what they call
"the person of my mind". They say "the different religions have
all restricted me". All Bauls are anti-establishment. Nowadays they're
quite influenced by Hari Krishna.
Established religions have always oppressed them, and sometimes their songs are very obscure, that is for self protection, otherwise all those people will beat them. Just between themselves they can understand each other. Obscure language, obscure words.
Bimal sings another song
Kali...
In the Sufi song here they are describing
the creation: "the tree bears the fruit, as against fruits bear the tree
... the water and sun ray it goes up and stays there as cloud, and comes down
again it goes to it’s source to the sea as water ... when an animal is separated
from it's herd, when it gets separated from it's herd by the hunter,
how can you feel it's agony? The way the lover feels for another, in that
feeling then only you can understand the agony of the beast".
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