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Baulsphere
Baulsphere is the literary debut of a 60-year-old grandmother who happens to be the ultimate outside-insider in the intimate world of Bauls, the insouciant philosopher-bards of rural Bengal. Outside, because she is a world citizen, bred in Shillong and Calcutta of wealthy parents, who travelled to France at 20 and eventually architected a three-way relationship with a French man and woman, bearing two of their three joint children. Inside, because she was dazzled at 33 by Paban Das Baul at a performance in Paris, followed him chasing a Baul wind through rural Bengal, was formally initiated as his Baul consort, and has been his companion for the past 27 years. This book, Mimlu Sen’s memoir, is really a travelogue of an extraordinary journey.
At that first concert in Paris, Sen “felt hit in the guts, stung by a stealthy serpent. I had held my breath too long.” Inhaling Paban, she leaves Paris behind and lets him lead her deep into his world: first to the festival at Kenduli, then a stint at Santiniketan. They eventually put down partial roots at a farmhouse in Boral, her father’s property on the outskirts of Calcutta, where they hold 12 consecutive annual Baul festivals. She does all this with two toddlers in tow, fortified by a daily puff of cannabis at noon.
This is mainly a love story. A love that defies boxes imposed from without and deep ambivalence welling up from within, whose initial spark is renewed with each friction. She writes: “Sometimes, I was the avid city, he the relenting countryside; sometimes he was the demanding child and I the generous mother; and often, he was the king, I the fool.” Paban, crazy wind, swept her off her feet. Mimlu worked to search for a balance between staying windswept and seeking out mercantile avenues for Paban’s creativity. Mimlu is Paban’s adhar, vessel; the word closest to ‘spouse’ in Baul-ese. She lays her body down as the bridge between his illiterate, itinerant world and the “tight-lipped oyster” of world music — the world of European concerts, collaborations with Mexican folk musicians and record deals.
During their brief stay at Santiniketan, their home is overrun with foreign visitors chasing the Baul mirage. Her take on them is withering. There is an acerbic account of one of Paban’s compatriots being engulfed by a Swedish beauty in search of the secrets of prem sadhana. Sen finds herself on the unenviable wedge between Paban and the foreign visitors vying for his attention, especially nubile white women. And yet, in the rural Baul milieu, she enjoys being treated not as a Bengali woman but rather a French urbanite, sharing the chillum with the men on the porch.
These are the ridges that Sen has had to constantly negotiate in the double-life that she has chosen and lived. In one, she is the Baul consort, engaged in jugal sadhana, accompanying Paban to rural festivals, playing ektara on stage. In another, she needs a rosewood cupboard with a full-length mirror and a turnkey lock. When the Baul world attacks, she channels her rational self to rise above this ragtag milieu. Yet simultaneously appoints herself as their interpreter to her familiar urban world in France, an evangelist for the luminous essence of their way of life. Such are the fault lines that have propelled her.
The person who pops out from these pages glows with warmth, candour and spirit, entirely fearless in submitting to her passion to seek beauty in its lair. That she shares her extraordinary life is gift enough; that she does so with radiant prose is a complete blessing. Sen’s prose flows like a drink of bel fruit seasoned by the summer sun: smooth with bits of fruity grit, sweet with bitter notes defining the edges and above all — nourishing.
Literature is rife with wild and woolly youth who chuck it all in search of dusty nebulae, romancing the road into their souls. We rarely hear from them decades down the line, with the dust settled, the dimness of the stars restored and the shrieks doused into a hum. Sen hits the high note in this void.
http://travel.outlookindia.com/articl...
At that first concert in Paris, Sen “felt hit in the guts, stung by a stealthy serpent. I had held my breath too long.” Inhaling Paban, she leaves Paris behind and lets him lead her deep into his world: first to the festival at Kenduli, then a stint at Santiniketan. They eventually put down partial roots at a farmhouse in Boral, her father’s property on the outskirts of Calcutta, where they hold 12 consecutive annual Baul festivals. She does all this with two toddlers in tow, fortified by a daily puff of cannabis at noon.
This is mainly a love story. A love that defies boxes imposed from without and deep ambivalence welling up from within, whose initial spark is renewed with each friction. She writes: “Sometimes, I was the avid city, he the relenting countryside; sometimes he was the demanding child and I the generous mother; and often, he was the king, I the fool.” Paban, crazy wind, swept her off her feet. Mimlu worked to search for a balance between staying windswept and seeking out mercantile avenues for Paban’s creativity. Mimlu is Paban’s adhar, vessel; the word closest to ‘spouse’ in Baul-ese. She lays her body down as the bridge between his illiterate, itinerant world and the “tight-lipped oyster” of world music — the world of European concerts, collaborations with Mexican folk musicians and record deals.
During their brief stay at Santiniketan, their home is overrun with foreign visitors chasing the Baul mirage. Her take on them is withering. There is an acerbic account of one of Paban’s compatriots being engulfed by a Swedish beauty in search of the secrets of prem sadhana. Sen finds herself on the unenviable wedge between Paban and the foreign visitors vying for his attention, especially nubile white women. And yet, in the rural Baul milieu, she enjoys being treated not as a Bengali woman but rather a French urbanite, sharing the chillum with the men on the porch.
These are the ridges that Sen has had to constantly negotiate in the double-life that she has chosen and lived. In one, she is the Baul consort, engaged in jugal sadhana, accompanying Paban to rural festivals, playing ektara on stage. In another, she needs a rosewood cupboard with a full-length mirror and a turnkey lock. When the Baul world attacks, she channels her rational self to rise above this ragtag milieu. Yet simultaneously appoints herself as their interpreter to her familiar urban world in France, an evangelist for the luminous essence of their way of life. Such are the fault lines that have propelled her.
The person who pops out from these pages glows with warmth, candour and spirit, entirely fearless in submitting to her passion to seek beauty in its lair. That she shares her extraordinary life is gift enough; that she does so with radiant prose is a complete blessing. Sen’s prose flows like a drink of bel fruit seasoned by the summer sun: smooth with bits of fruity grit, sweet with bitter notes defining the edges and above all — nourishing.
Literature is rife with wild and woolly youth who chuck it all in search of dusty nebulae, romancing the road into their souls. We rarely hear from them decades down the line, with the dust settled, the dimness of the stars restored and the shrieks doused into a hum. Sen hits the high note in this void.
http://travel.outlookindia.com/articl...
- GenresNonfiction
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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30 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 12, 2018
Raise the sail ,boat man don't delay,
Untie the rope, boatman,
Let's go to Medina
Prophets of the world have come
To this scintillating house of maya a and meena
when they weep , a thousand diamonds,
When they laugh , a shower of Pearls !
O Compassionate One ,
He who has the Murshid as his companion
Has no fear of crossing the waters,
The Kabaa is in his heart
And Medina is in his eyes
O the light of Noor has illuminated the world ,
The lamp of Noor burns bright in each house in Medina ....
Paban's song was an invitation to set off on a journey to wondrous shores. I was enchanted, at once bristling with anticipation, impervious to the world outside.
ഫ്രാൻസിലെ അവരുടെ താമസകാലയളവിലാണ് Mimlu sen, മൂന്നുപേർ ചേർന്നവതരിപ്പിക്കുന്ന ബാവുൾ Perfomance,ന് ഒരിക്കൽ സാക്ഷിയാകുന്നത്. അതിൽ ആകൃഷ്ടയായി അവർ ഫ്രാൻസിൽ നിന്നും കൊൽക്കത്തയിലേക്ക് അവരിലൊരാളുമായി യാത്ര തിരിച്ചു.( with ,Paban Das Baul ) തുടർന്ന് paban Das - മായി ചേർന്ന് Baul's ന്റെ ലോകത്തിനകത്തേക്ക് അവർ നടത്തിയ വിസ്മയകരവും അസാധാരണവുo ആനന്ദകരവുമായ യാത്രകളും, അനുഭവങ്ങളുo ഉള്ളടങ്ങുന്നതാണ് Baulsphere എന്ന ഈ പുസ്തകം .
Paban takes Mimlu through the interant Baul's route - from the festival at Kenduli with its marathon perfomances , to tranquil shanthiniketan , where Bauls frequently stop en route and disrupt quotidian life;
Agrodwip , deep in the Vaishnava world, to Nabasana , where mesmerising guru Hari Goshain presides over Baul games and ultimately, her initiation, to Boral, where she holds her own mahatsava. Along the way, she encounters tantrics and tribals, exorcisms and with sightings, catfish that climbtrees and esoteric sexo-yogic secrets-and she falls in love.
[ Baul or Bauls are a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal region of the South Asia, which includes Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura. Bauls constitute both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many sects, but their membership mainly consists of Vaishnava Hindus and Sufi Muslims.They can often be identified by their distinctive clothes and musical instruments. Lalon Shahis regarded as the most celebrated Baul saint in history.]
Bauls -ന്റെ വിശ്വാസരീതിയനുസരിച്ച് പുനർജന്മം എന്നത് ജീവിക്കുന്ന കാലയളവിൽ തന്നെയാണ് അവരതിനെ നാലു തട്ടുകളായി വിഭജിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.
1 : The first vault is the womb of the mother, the very first encasing which we come into existence .
2 : The second vault is the parental one in which we are cherished and nurtured.
3: The third vault is the samsara we create around ourselves .
4: The fourth vault is the final one, the vault of the sky which waits to englobe us as we prepare to die.
Mimlu Sen is a translator, music producer and composer .She collaborates with Paban Das Baul on all his recordings, performing with and managing his group on their concert tours around the world. She has travelled and worked between India and france since 1969 .
Random House India ; Page 287
Untie the rope, boatman,
Let's go to Medina
Prophets of the world have come
To this scintillating house of maya a and meena
when they weep , a thousand diamonds,
When they laugh , a shower of Pearls !
O Compassionate One ,
He who has the Murshid as his companion
Has no fear of crossing the waters,
The Kabaa is in his heart
And Medina is in his eyes
O the light of Noor has illuminated the world ,
The lamp of Noor burns bright in each house in Medina ....
Paban's song was an invitation to set off on a journey to wondrous shores. I was enchanted, at once bristling with anticipation, impervious to the world outside.
ഫ്രാൻസിലെ അവരുടെ താമസകാലയളവിലാണ് Mimlu sen, മൂന്നുപേർ ചേർന്നവതരിപ്പിക്കുന്ന ബാവുൾ Perfomance,ന് ഒരിക്കൽ സാക്ഷിയാകുന്നത്. അതിൽ ആകൃഷ്ടയായി അവർ ഫ്രാൻസിൽ നിന്നും കൊൽക്കത്തയിലേക്ക് അവരിലൊരാളുമായി യാത്ര തിരിച്ചു.( with ,Paban Das Baul ) തുടർന്ന് paban Das - മായി ചേർന്ന് Baul's ന്റെ ലോകത്തിനകത്തേക്ക് അവർ നടത്തിയ വിസ്മയകരവും അസാധാരണവുo ആനന്ദകരവുമായ യാത്രകളും, അനുഭവങ്ങളുo ഉള്ളടങ്ങുന്നതാണ് Baulsphere എന്ന ഈ പുസ്തകം .
Paban takes Mimlu through the interant Baul's route - from the festival at Kenduli with its marathon perfomances , to tranquil shanthiniketan , where Bauls frequently stop en route and disrupt quotidian life;
Agrodwip , deep in the Vaishnava world, to Nabasana , where mesmerising guru Hari Goshain presides over Baul games and ultimately, her initiation, to Boral, where she holds her own mahatsava. Along the way, she encounters tantrics and tribals, exorcisms and with sightings, catfish that climbtrees and esoteric sexo-yogic secrets-and she falls in love.
[ Baul or Bauls are a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal region of the South Asia, which includes Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura. Bauls constitute both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many sects, but their membership mainly consists of Vaishnava Hindus and Sufi Muslims.They can often be identified by their distinctive clothes and musical instruments. Lalon Shahis regarded as the most celebrated Baul saint in history.]
Bauls -ന്റെ വിശ്വാസരീതിയനുസരിച്ച് പുനർജന്മം എന്നത് ജീവിക്കുന്ന കാലയളവിൽ തന്നെയാണ് അവരതിനെ നാലു തട്ടുകളായി വിഭജിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.
1 : The first vault is the womb of the mother, the very first encasing which we come into existence .
2 : The second vault is the parental one in which we are cherished and nurtured.
3: The third vault is the samsara we create around ourselves .
4: The fourth vault is the final one, the vault of the sky which waits to englobe us as we prepare to die.
Mimlu Sen is a translator, music producer and composer .She collaborates with Paban Das Baul on all his recordings, performing with and managing his group on their concert tours around the world. She has travelled and worked between India and france since 1969 .
Random House India ; Page 287
August 23, 2020
Baulsphere is an autobiographical account of Milmlu about her partner Paban and his way of life. Paban belongs to a community of Bauls which are known for their musical mysticism and alleged tantric techniques. With an oral form of transmission of knowledge between the guru and the shishya and nomadic way of life, Bauls way of life is currently in threat due to increased globalisation and ecological destruction. The book is an insightful study into this way of life. Mimlu, for her first book, is quite intricate in details related to her life in France, her meet-up with Paban and her travelogues thereby. Her advent into Baul music and the loggerheads with some of Baul traditions is also explained. With Baul music taking the international stage, book stresses the need to embrace global reach along with maintaining their way of life.
May 7, 2022
Refreshing , sublime and deeply insightful. One is transmitted to the world baul while reading it, relishing the fests and empathising the struggles the live. I could literally feel the baul songs playing in background while I read the book.
March 10, 2021
Fascinating romp into a world seldom seen or experienced. Slow to start, the writing improves as the tale unfolds.
November 9, 2021
Amazing book, took me on a neverending journey, which infected my own!
November 11, 2017
Starts off interestingly and then fades away.
January 14, 2017
its not a book about bauls..its a love story of a rebellious bengali girl of a rich father living an experimental 'avant-garde' love life in the liberated French society of 80's sharing the same apartment with a polygamous guy and his French wife raising children together. Her accidental exposure to a baul concert, witnessing the long forgotten tunes of the riverine land from where she belongs, and her later interaction with the group and her sudden longing for a more simplistic and vigourous way of life without manners, excuses or prerequisites. the initial years of her futile struggle to find a true meaning of humanity and freedom finally gave her an answer in form of a young and talented paban baul who immediately makes his love statement though his eyes, sketches and songs and she in turn broke from her clandestine french lifestyle to come running to calcutta to get more of baul-music and paban. the story from there takes a more conventional route of a love story in the backdrop of baul festivals, personalities, and family conflicts. the bohemian flock which also included mimlu's son and daughter experiences life of opposites in terms of culture, customs and ambition. the story discusses certain boul traditions and customs. it also at times takes greater perspective and puts light and shadows on the ever controversial topic of the relation and influences between tagore and the legendary 'lalan fakir' but essentially it never goes to far away from the heart of the love story and brings home a sweet and earthy feeling in the way of discovering the true meaning of happiness and spirituality.
March 31, 2014
Took a long time to finish this book, but it has loads of meanings to assimilate. Acts as an excellent reference to the Baul way of life and song.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews