Purna Das Baul Samrat
Encyclopedia
Purnachandra Das Baul Samrat ('Baul Overlord,' sometimes translated as 'King,' 'High King' or 'Emperor'), Chief Baul
Baul
Baul .Though Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.-Etymology:The origin of the word...

 of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...

 (born circa 1937 or earlier, Birbhum district
Birbhum district
Birbhum district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the three administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is located at Suri...

, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

), popularly known as Purna Das Baul Samrat. Purna Das Baul's name is sometimes cited as Purna Chandra Das (Baul); there are other artists and individuals named Purna Chandra Das, from whom he is mainly distinguishable through his unique station and appellation as a Baul. Purna Das Baul Samrat is the 8th generation leader, spokesperson, and lead performer among the once wandering mendicant minstrels who are the caste-originated Bauls of Bengal, a historical territory which currently is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

 (previously East Bengal
East Bengal
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....

 / East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...

) and the Indian state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...

 of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

, although some regions of the previous kingdoms of Bengal (during local monarchical regimes and British rule
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

) are now part of the neighboring Indian states of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

, Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...

 and Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

. Das is a traditional surname among Bauls as well as in other members of the populace in this region.

Purna Das Baul Samrat is the son of Nabini Das Kapha Baul and was born in Ekchakka village near Rampurhat
Rampurhat
Rampurhat is a city and a municipality in Birbhum District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a small and peaceful town near the West Bengal / Jharkhand border...

 in Birbhum. Purna Das's wife Manju Das Baul is both a Baul and singer of Indian and Benagali folksongs in other traditions, and a musicographer, principally in non-English idioms. Of Purna Das's 3 sons, Subhendu ("Beautiful Moon") Bapi Das Baul
Bapi Das Baul
'Bapi' Das Baul is an 8th generation Baul performer of Bengali mystical folk music. He moved from Kolkata to Paris in 1993 and is now known for his fusion work with the groups Senses, Baul Bishwa, Zap Mamma, Fun-Da-Mental, trans global underground, State Of Bengal, Studio Pagol and others in the...

, 9th generation Baul hierarch, also works in the Baul tradition while concurrently branching out in his musical compositions into global fusion, having lived for many years in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. Purna Das Baul Samrat's 9th generation Baul hierarch son Dibyendu Das Baul joins Purna Das Baul Samrat in the Baul Samrat's musical and liturgical troupe.

Dr Rajendra Prasad
Rajendra Prasad
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was an Indian politician and educator. He was one of the architects of the Indian Republic, having drafted its first constitution and serving as the first president of independent India...

, first President of the modern state of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 acknowledged Purna Das as Baul Samrat in 1967. In this capacity, Purna Das Baul Samrat was awarded the Indian President’s Award from Shri K. R. Narayan, tenth President of India, in 1999.

Purna Das has also appeared in numerous films, and was personally fêted by Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....

 in England, and by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

 who told Purna Das that he himself would be 'the Baul of America'.

Discography, Bibliography, Filmography, Performances, Spiritual Services

(particularly those with titles which have been, at some time, rendered in English)
  • 2003: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in US and CA: New York, Washington DC, Texas, California, Ontario (Toronto), September to October
  • 2003: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in US: Arizona, California (University of San Diego), April
  • 2002: Baul Samrat's troupe worship services at World Jain Conference in Baroda, Gujrat
    Gujrat
    Gujrat is a city in Pakistan. It is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province. People living in Gujrat refer to themselves as Gujratis, which sometimes leads to confusion with people from the Indian state of Gujarat which adjoins Pakistan...

    , Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    Pakistan
    Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

    , December 5
  • 2002: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in CA: Ontario (Toronto), Quebec (Montreal), October to November
  • 2002: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in US: California (San Diego, at World Music Center of Los Angeles, San Francisco), July to September
  • 2002: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in US: New York, for Baba Loke Nath Mission, June
  • 2002: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in US: New York, Florida, Washington, California, Michigan for Abbasuddin's birth centennial, March to April
  • 2001: Baul Samrat's troupe at FOBANA Festival, Montreal, Quebec, CA, September
  • 2000: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in IT: Rome, at ROMAPOSIA poetry festival, October
  • Songs of the Madmen (Kali Mandir, 1990s-2000s), CD, live recordings of Kali Mandir liturgical songs during services and pujas, Laguna Beach, California, US
  • Purna Das Baul & Manju Das: Bengali Folk Songs (Saregama, 1995-01-20), features Purna and Manju Das Baul.
  • The Bauls of Bengal (CramWorld, 1994), CD, which is included in the Rough Guide’s World Music: 100 Essential CDs.
  • Spiritual Songs of India (Chhanda Dhara SP 9283), vinyl and cassette-only release, features Purna and Manju Das Baul.
  • Arohan (1983, motion picture directed by Shyam Benegal
    Shyam Benegal
    Shyam Benegal is a prolific Indian director and screenwriter. With his first four feature films Ankur , Nishant Manthan and Bhumika he created a new genre, which has now come to be called the "middle cinema" in India although he himself has expressed dislike in the term preferring his work to...

    , starring Victor Banerjee
    Victor Banerjee
    Victor Banerjee is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi, Bengali and English language films. He has also appeared on a number of TV series on Indian television...

    , Noni Ganguly, Pankaj Kapur), composer

Honors and Tributes

  • 1999 Indian President’s Award presented by Shri K. R. Narayan.
  • 1988 Nadamani, Baul Samrat's collective, Jagannath Temple, Puri (Oriya: ବଡଦେଉଳ, ଶ୍ରୀମନ୍ଦିର), Puri, Orissa
    Orissa
    Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

     state, IN
  • 1986 Nadabramha, Baul Samrat's troupe, Puri Bhajan Festival
  • 1979 C.C.I., Baul Samrat's troupe, New Delhi
    New Delhi
    New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

    , IN
  • 1973 (circa) Gold Medal for Baul Samrat's troupe, Satya Saibaba in Bangalore
    Bangalore
    Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

    / Bengaluru (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು), Karnataka
    Karnataka
    Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

     state, IN
  • 1968, re-releases through 2004 or later, John Wesley Harding
    John Wesley Harding
    John Wesley Harding may refer to:* John Wesley Harding , a 1967 Bob Dylan album* John Wesley Harding , the title track of this album* John Wesley Harding , English singer...

    , album by Bob Dylan, featuring Purna Das on its cover, Purna Das working with Bob Dylan & The Band
  • 1967 Dr Rajendra Prasad
    Rajendra Prasad
    Dr. Rajendra Prasad was an Indian politician and educator. He was one of the architects of the Indian Republic, having drafted its first constitution and serving as the first president of independent India...

    , President of India
    India
    India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

    acknowledged Purna Das as Baul Samrat in 1967
  • 1958 (circa) Baul Shiromoni for Baul Samrat's troupe, Allahabad Sangit Conference
  • 1952 (circa) Baul Ratno for Baul Samrat's troupe, Banaras Sangit Sanmelan
  • 1945 (circa) Gold Medal for Baul Samrat's troupe, Gandhinagar Cong. Adhiveshan (Jaipur)

External links

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