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Folk Music Of Bengal Nilratan Kanjilal in quest
 BHATIALI Composed and sung by boatmen of East Bengal. The mighty flow of the Ganga, Padma, Brahmaputra, Kabotaksha, Tista, Meghna, Madhumati and Buriganga not only brought the Bengal delta to life, it also gave its people one of the cheapest form of transport. Also, it's not unusual that a lot of people live on boats. Sadly, it seems as if life is passing them by like the ever flowing Padma. The thoughts become words, words become lyric and rowing rythms help to add a tune or two.The river banks, the destination, look close yet far - the longing seems forever
 BHAOAIA Composed and sung in the main by cart drivers (or gaarhials) are a parallel, obviously, to the Bhatiali songs. Bhaoaiya is more prevalent in the dryer northwest of parts of Bengal - where ox-driven carts are more common as transport vehicles than boats. The themes are similar if a little distinct. Here, the cravings of the separated and lonely hearts; metaphorically, often a newly-wed daughter missing her parents (or alternatively her lover) asks for gaarhial (a common kin=brother) favour to
 BAUL songs are a very specialized branch of Bengali folk songs. All Bauls hold only this in common: that God is hidden in the heart of man, and neither priest nor prophet, nor the ritual of any organised religion, will help man to find him there. The Bauls feel that both [hindu] temple and mosque stand across the path to truth, blocking the search. The search for God is one which everyone must carry out for himself The Baul is also the man who can express what he sees with equal clarity, his imagery and metaphor drawn from everyday things, the river of life, the marketplace of the world, the
KABIGAAN are songs written and composed by Kobials (folk poets). The instinctive folk poets sing or recite their compositions in front of audiences. Not only do they build their lyrical masterpieces on the spot confronting their rivals, they compose musical scores for them on the fly as they recite their verses. They attack their opponents with apparently unanswerable questions and riddles; the opponents solve the puzzles with equal mastery and leave behind a counter question. This process continues until one side concedes to the other for that session.
SAARIGAAN Saari (Shaeri) songs are associated with boat races. Boat races used to be a popular pastime in East Bengal during the monsoon months. Village youths would draw immense courage, and pleasure to take part and win in the races. Boats would be gracefully prepared with colorful decorations. Before the race began, and sometimes after it was completed, festivitivities continued all day long with sing-a-song-sing-along saarigaan.
 ZAARIGAAN Traditionally, kabials were mostly hindus and they derived their materials from the hindu mythology and way of life. The muslim folk equivalent of the Kabial tradition is known as zaarigaan. The muslim folk poets were inspired by life and times of prophet and his disciples, and their themes were based on subject matters dwelling more on the Islamic folk. It was not uncommon, however, to find hindu and muslim kabials providing excellent explanations of the differences between the believers of either religion and their eventual unity in diversity. |
