Apicture of total devotion and surrender Parvathy Baul becomes ruhaniyat (spirituality) personified while singing and dancing in a trance, totally connected with her inner self. The first glimpse of sadhana (path followed by a devotee) shines through her deep-throated, totally tuneful voice, which translates the spiritual philosophy of the Baul songs she renders with total involvement. After her recent performance at the Ruhaniyat Festival of Mystic and Sufi Music at New Delhi's Purana Quila, the other day, Parvathy shared the secrets of her magical voice and her intriguing spiritual journey in an interview.
Born into a music loving family of Chittagong (Bangladesh), Parvathy's grandfather was a performing artiste of the traditional Jatra musical theatre. Although her father was an engineer, a musical atmosphere prevailed intheir home, where ustads would sing in intimate mehfils at regular intervals. Parvathy learnt Hindustani music till she was 16 years old, under Satyavrat Roy who was a disciple of Prasoon Banerjee of the Patiala gharana. She was interested in painting also, hence joined Santiniketan to learn visual arts under Jogen Chaudhuri. It was in Santiniketan that she had her first mesmeric encounter with Baul singing.
She knew of many folk musical forms like Bhavaiya, Gwalpada and Bihu but Baul was something beyond. Deeply moved when she heard for the first time a blind Baul singing in a train with an ektara made out of an Amul tin, she decided to sing herself. She learnt under Baul Phoolmaala Dashi for about a year, when she suggested that Parvathy needed to be initiated by a master.
Parvathy feels blessed to have been initiated into Baul singing by Sanatan Das who is now 90. Parvathy tells me that she was struck by the esoteric quality of her mentor's voice and the depth of his poetry that touched her deep within.
Methodical training
Parvathy found her spiritual guru, Mast Kalandar Abdul Salam in Kerala. After 12 years of methodical training in Sahaj Yoga, Parvathy received her Vairagya Deeksha in 2008. Sahaj Yoga also teaches the importance of body — Nadi, Shwaas, Pranayama, and Manoshikha. Then there are seven different Tattvas , namely: Deh-Tattva, Guru Tattva, Vayu Tattva, Rasa Tattva, Leela Tattva, Sadhana Tattva and Atma Tattva.
“We start with Manoshikha,” Parvathy explains, “which is like prayer or surrender. Guru guides you for some time, then he becomes you. The true Guru resides in your heart, guiding constantly when you proceed on the path of devotion and commitment.”
Baul singing comprises vocals, doogi (drum) and nupur (anklets). The first stage of training involves vocals with the ektara. Then one is trained in percussion with the doogi, and then dancing with the nupur. It takes years to perfect the technique and finally one has to go beyond the technique to reach the inner self and enjoy bliss.
A grihasth sanyasi (literally, one who is a renunciate even while a householder), Parvathy was married to Ravi Gopalan Nayar in 1997. He not only supports her passion but also makes her instruments like the ektara and doogi, which have to be made according to the body measurements.
Parvathy wants to open a gurukula to train the next generation between the ages of 13 and 20, where they would be groomed in sur (melody), laya (rhythm), sahitya (literary content) and Yoga. Parvathy says, “This would be my guru dakshina to my mentors who have given me so much. I truly owe it to them.”
