Baul magic casts a spell

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Artist Parvathy Baul kept city residents spell-bound with a Baul music performance at the Vyllopilly Samskriti Bhavan on Friday. Parvathy, one of the few women practitioners of Baul, a folk musical tradition of West Bengal, says that she finds Kerala an inspiration for her music.
“The landscape, yoga, martial arts and also the theatre movement in Kerala have helped me in my search to find the true meaning of my music and life as a Baul bard,” says Parvathy who performed in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the Ektara Baul Utsav, organized by Ektara Kalari.
Parvathy happened to attend a performance of Guru Shri Sanatan Das Baul of Bankura during her graduation days at the Kala Bhavana, the arts college at Santiniketan, almost 20 years ago and decided to explore the Baul music tradition.
“Since then, I have been wandering and living a Baul lifestyle. A single Baul song can take you on a journey of a lifetime. You will attain a feeling of completeness,” says Parvathy.
The mystical singer, also popular for her paintings and storytelling skills, has been conducting concerts across the globe. She is also known for bridging the cultural divide between southern India and Bengal with Baul music. According to her, singing is the best way to recharge oneself with positive energy as the mind, body and soul will be completely indulged in the vibration of sound. “The songs reflect the higher spiritual experience of the Baul practitioners. When one attends a Baul concert, the listeners will be connected to this experience,” she adds.
The musician has two enthusiastic disciples –– Shanthi and Shreya. Shanthi, who hails from Wayanad and the only Malayali in her group, has been practising Baul music under Parvathy for the past two years. “I consider my students as my children and I want them to learn the tradition very well. Shanthi is a very energetic and hardworking. I am glad that she is having her first open air performance at Thiruvananthapuram,” said Parvathy.