Rina Das Baul, a school dropout of Paruldanga village in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, recounts how baul music took her to perform on international stages – in her own words.
Music has always been a part of my life. I was born in a family of musicians as my grandfather and father are well-known baul singers in the Birbhum district of West Bengal.
In fact, my grandfather, Khudiram Das, once performed for the famed Nobel laureate, Rabindra Nath Tagore.
Yet we faced tremendous financial hardships.
My mother was a homemaker. And my father’s income was barely enough to run the family.
There were days when my younger brother and I have had to go to bed on an empty stomach.
I was just 13 and had passed class VI when my father chose a baul singer groom for me.
I broke down imagining the same life of poverty that I will have to live again. And I was not ready to do that.
But my father refused to listen. My fears didn’t matter to him.
He was resolute in getting me married to the baul singer he had met and liked.
I thought that my life was ruined forever and I’ll have to continue to live in poverty.
But my husband, Dibakar Das, was caring and supportive.
He wanted me to learn music.
I still remember the day my husband bought a harmonium and brought it home, carrying it on his head.
He wanted me to become a baul like him. But I wasn’t keen. Especially because I’d seen my father’s bad financial condition.
Moreover, four decades ago, the society hardly accepted a woman baul singer.
But seeing the harmonium, I somehow relented.
Slowly I took a liking for the baul music. I started singing, using the single-stringed dugi ektara.
During tough times my husband and I used to go together doing madugiri – you know, seeking alms by singing.
Slowly things started to change. People liked our stage performances and invited us to perform at various village events.
It wasn’t easy taking care of my small son and daughter, while going for performances with my husband. But we were happy we got invited to perform.
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It’s unthinkable for a girl who studied only till class VI to perform internationally. But I could, thanks to my husband and my dedicated efforts to learn.
Being a baulini has given me national and international recognition.
I’ve performed in over 5,000 events in the past 35 years across India and also abroad including France, Sweden and Portugal.
It was exciting to receive standing ovation from the western audience.
I’ve got many state and national awards.
My 21-year-old son is also a baul singer and my daughter is married to a baul.
I run free baul music classes every Sunday in my home at Paruldanga near Shantiniketan.
I’d like the rich legacy of baul music to continue as nothing is more soothing and refreshing to the soul than hearing a baul singing about universal brotherhood and unity, which are in much need nowadays.
Reporting and photography by Gurvinder Singh, a journalist based in Kolkata.
