Parvathy Baul

Parvathy Baul belongs to the Baul tradition of Bengal, a lineage of wandering mystic singers for whom the song is the practice rather than a performance of it. She was trained by the Baul gurus Sanatan Das Baul and Shashanko Goshai, and has been performing in India and abroad since 1995.

She sings alone, playing the ektara and the duggi while dancing, her hair loose — the whole body engaged rather than a voice delivered from standing still. Alongside the singing she paints and tells stories, and she teaches the tradition to a younger generation.