- Location: Calcutta, India
- Medium: Music
The music of the Bengali Bauls is spiritual, traditional, and based on a philosophical question and answer session between conversing (and often duelling) musicians. . The Busking Project had the honour to hear Nitya Gopal in the private setting of his home as well as in the public space of a train moving toward Shatiniketan, Calcutta, where many of the Bauls live. In both instances we witnessed something sacred and artistically important to Indian culture. Nitya Gopal plays an ektara, a one-stringed instrument made of a gourd, goatskin, and bamboo. Baul performance has been around since the fifteenth century, and it’s a tradition that will hopefully persevere as the musical world rushes towards higher tech modes of expression.
Check out Instruments on our site to see the khamak. Lots of songs including Nitya and his wife Sondhya Rani an excellent singer and musician.
http://www.baularchive.com/index.php/performances/view/69