'Mon Jodi Tui / Going Beyond Gender': Parvathy Baul

“We say in the Baul tradition that the male ego is much more fragile than the female. So we say, become strong, as strong as a woman. ... In a way, men are very afraid of women. Because women are very giving. They are ready to offer themselves. Because of this capacity of compassion and love, the motherly aspect, that already exists in women. It's a very special quality. Men have to seek it out in themselves.” - Parvathy Baul

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http://ajabshahar.com/songs/details/6...
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In this remarkable song and reflection on gender, Parvathy speaks and sings about the power of giving, of surrender, of the egoless state, and how it is ultimately more powerful and more spiritually rewarding than the walls created by the personality or ego.

(Click on Settings for subtitles in English & Bengali transliteration. Click ‘B’ on keyboard to remove the black background in the subtitles.)

If there is an embodiment of intensity, Parvathy is it. As our friend, as an advisor, as a fiery challenger, she has brought us into deeper touch with ourselves. This recording was made as part of our week-long immersion with Parvathy at her home and akhada on the outskirts of Trivandrum in September 2011. She warmly welcomed us, housed us, fed us, sang for us and spoke to us with great depth and insight about the Baul path and about life itself. An experience that we still carry with us.

Parvathy Baul is a Baul singer and saadhika, painter and storyteller from Bengal and has been a disciple of Shashanko Goshai and Sanatan Das Baul. She divides her time between her home in Trivandrum, Kerala and the Baul ashram she has built near Shantiniketan in Bengal. (https://parvathybaul.com/)

Ajab Shahar is a digital archive of mystic poetry and music drawing from the rich Bhakti and Sufi oral traditions in India and beyond... Explore a world of sung and spoken wisdom at https://ajabshahar.com

Song Credits:
Ektara, Duggi and Vocals: Parvathy Baul

Translation Credits:
Song Translation (English): Shabnam Virmani
Translation (Hindi): Vipul Rikhi & Maitreyee Chakravarty
Translation Support: Arnab Basu & Puja Kaul

Video Credits:
Cameras: Smriti Chanchani & Aarthi Parthasarathy
Editing & Sound: Aarthi Parthasarathy
Sub-Titling: Maitreyee Chakravarty, Anand Baskaran, Mukesh Kulariya, Vipul Rikhi
Collection: The Kabir Project

Date of Recording: September, 2011