Baul and Patua in Bengal ベンガルの吟遊行者と絵語り
The region of Bengal, located Bangladesh and West Bengal in India, constitutes the home of the Bengali language. A significant number of poets, including Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), the inaugural Asian recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, were born in Bengal. The poetic traditions of the Bengali language continue to resonate in the everyday lives and memories of the people of Bengal. This section of the exhibition presents the songs and philosophy of the Bengali mystic poet-singer/practitioner Baul and the paintings and story songs of Patua.
What is a Baul?（バウルとは）
The Baul is a practitioner who voluntarily renounces status and possessions and initiates his journey on the Baul Path, irrespective of his birth or religious affiliation. The Bauls continue their mental and physical practices with the aim of suppressing their emotions and desires and seeking for a union with their inner soul. These practices include begging for alms, going from door to door to bless people while chanting verses handed down by their gurus or predecessors. Neighbouring communities honour the Baul by offering rice and money. Conversely, in recent years there has been an increase in the number of Baul singers who perform Baul songs solely for a living.
Songs of the Baul（バウルの歌世界）
The Baul believe that the eternal soul (moner manush = man of the heart) in the body is divine and have passed on wisdom about the soul, body and love through song. Their traditional style involves continuous singing while dancing to the rhythm of a single-stringed Ektara plucked a string with the left hand, a Dugi drum struck with the right hand, and bells tied to the ankles. The audience responds with clapping their hands, and some are moved to tears as they become immersed in the song. The Baul songs gained worldwide recognition through Tagore in the early 20th century and were inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2008.
Lalon and his Disciples（ラロンと弟子たち）
Fakir Lalon Shah (d. 1890) was a poet and social reformer who denied religious conflicts and discrimination based on caste; he was known as a man of universal love for humanity. His songs transcend religion and faith, and are loved by many Bengalis today. In Kushtia, in western Bangladesh, there are disciples alive today who carry on the lineage of Lalon’s philosophy. After many years of practices (some had practiced for 12 years without speaking at all), these disciples receive eight different items (bag, necklace, jacket, waistcoat, loincloth, shawl, walking stick, and water vessel) from their guru in a succession ceremony.
*The lyrics on the wall are written in Bengali.
What is a Patua?（絵語りポトゥアとは）
In the village of Naya in West Bengal, India, approximately 250 Patuas make their living as scroll picture painters and storytellers. Although they are all Muslims, they take Hindu names and Chitrakar (painter) and tell their stories in song using patas (scroll paintings) painted by themselves. Until about 30 years ago, they would travel to neighbouring Hindu villages to tell the stories of Hindu deities, and the villagers would give them food and money in return. In those days, storytelling was not only a form of entertainment, but also a medium of belief in Hindu deities and moral enlightenment for illiterate villagers.
Creation of Pata Paintings（ポト絵の制作）
Most patas are vertical scrolls in which the story unfolds from top to bottom. The bold compositions are painted with natural pigments with outlines that stand out in black. They usually depict the story of the snake goddess Manasa and Hindu deities such as the goddess Durga. The Patuas of Naya village also skilfully incorporated social issues of the time into their paintings. For example, the dowry for brides, alarm over deforestation, and, more recently, the threat of the coronavirus.
Pata Paintings and Story Songs（ポト絵と語り歌）
Today, the Patuas of Naya village make their living by selling patas and other painted works such as tin tableware. Living between Islam and Hinduism, the Patuas are flexible in the face of change. A Patua woman in her 70s, who has been instrumental in helping the women of her village advance in society and pass on her skills by holding painting and singing classes for women and children, says: “I hope that people will always learn to sing and paint, and pass on the art of painting and storytelling. Then we can live”. In today’s Naya village, powerful pictorial storytelling has been revived through the group singing by village women.