River of Happy Souls

Bapi Das Baul is son of Purna Das Baul and grandson of Nabani Das Khyapa Baul who became friendly with Rabindranath Tagore and taught him a lot of the Baul philosophy that fascinated him. In her excellent book on the Bauls, The Honey Gatherers, Mimlu Sen tells how Nabani got fed up with all the sycophants who gathered around Tagore after he won the Nobel Prize and moved further away from Shantiniketan. Coming from this respected lineage, Bapi Das Baul has performed around the world and made several records for ARC and other labels. Here he’s accompanied by the (more traditional) Baul Bishwa and (more Western) Mantrasense ensembles. The rather cheesy title comes from the idea of life being like a river and the riverine electronic effects of frogs and swirls on the opening ‘Radha Hoyo’, a Radha and Krishna love song, are rather charming. The essential Baul instruments are here: the plucked dotara, dubki (drum), one-stringed ektara and a bamboo flute, which is associated with boatmen’s songs so it adds to the watery atmosphere. Bapi has a sweet, soulful voice, which I prefer in the more traditional tracks. For me the Mantrasense arrangements, with heavier drumming and electric guitar, are less sympathetic. The tinkling piano on ‘Adhndar Ghor Me’ (Lights Deep in Me) is really a step too far. But many of the messages of these songs, like the closing ‘Allha Magh de Pani De’ (Water and Life) about keeping a balance with nature, are just as important as they’ve ever been.