Poozhiyil kalikkente kunje (play in the mud, little one)…plavinte chuttum nee aadu kunje (dance round the jackfruit tree, little one), plavu chirichal chakkapazham (if the tree smiles, you get jackfruit). As Santhipriya sings this tune, there’s a smile on the faces of the viewers at the Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, the venue of the not too long ago held International Theatre Festival of Kerala.
The tune strikes an prompt rapport with the viewers, taking them again to their childhood days. She comes up with extra songs about kids and the atmosphere. These have been taught to her by her father, theatre stalwart KJ Baby.
Santhipriya, the lone Baul singer from Kerala, attracts inspiration from many traditions, however the one widespread thread is love and concord. Santhi’s repertoire additionally consists of the vachanas of Sree Narayana Guru, Kabir’s dohas, songs of Meera and the folks songs of Kerala. All these resonate with the spirit of Baul.
To be wounded by the sound — that’s how a younger Santhi from Wayanad felt when she heard Baul music for the first time about 20 years in the past, as Baul singer Anusheh Anadil from Bangladesh sang away into the evening in her open-throated voice at the University of Calicut.
Santhipriya along with her guru, Parvathy Baul
Santhi had already heard tales of the Baul from her mom, Shirly Joseph, a revolutionary educationist and professor of English, and when she heard Anusheh sing the songs of Lalon Shah, it struck her that “this is what I want to do, how I want to sing”.
Santhi is a disciple of Parvathy Baul, and learnt the music in the conventional guru shishya parampara. Many years in the past, when she approached Parvathy to show her, she mentioned she couldn’t take any extra college students. But, Santhi persevered and travelled to Nedumangad, the place Parvathy then lived along with her husband Ravi Gopalan Nair.
Parvathy “Didi”, had a spontaneity that touched Santhi. “There is an inner joy she holds in whatever she does, be it cooking, drawing, playing with the dogs or teaching me songs. She would wake up in the middle of the night to draw. I am thankful I got to witness that as a young person.”
The distinctive motorbike-bullock cart rides to the villages of Bengal to satisfy Parvathy’s guru Sanatan Das, are nonetheless recent in Santhi’s reminiscence. “He used to be silent, but his presence was vibrant. She used to sing for him.” Santhi has additionally travelled with Parvathy to Baul festivals. “In some festivals, she would spontaneously ask me to sing with her; sometimes, while singing, she would ask me to dance with her. That is the core of Baul, to be in that flow.”
Santhipriya has travelled throughout villages of Bengal the place Baul is a lifestyle
Nupur, ektara and duggi are the three devices Santhi carries to her performances. These devices have a that means past providing a wealthy soundscape. “When you use three instruments, your attention is not on any of them, you come to an in-between field without thoughts. That’s the Baul ground, where one stands and sings.”
Being somebody from exterior the group comes with its check of spirit. “In each phase, one has to be honest, not act” says the artiste who has been moulded in the Krishnamurti college of thought as a part of her research in Sita college in Bengaluru.
Santhi grew up watching her father’s iconic performs resembling Naatugaddika, the Kerala Sahitya Akademi-award profitable work Mavelimantram, and Bespurkana that speaks of the exploitation of tribal communities. As a baby, Santhi was part of his collective singing troupes that includes tribal kids.
Kanavu, the various college and commune for educating tribal kids, which her mother and father co-founded in Wayanad, additionally influenced her. “All these made me who I am.”
When her father handed away, there was a video of Santhi singing earlier than he was consigned to the flames. The wail of a tune moved all. “Baul is a way to communicate with a vaster being. In this intimate conversation, there is no place for the beauty of the voice or perfection of technique. It is about singing with your heart. You do not sing to please or entertain, you sing to pray honestly. Baul music is about being who you really are on this earth,” says Santhi.
Published – March 19, 2025 03:13 pm IST
