Parvathy Baul Biography 
Parvathy Baul is a Baul folk singer, musician and storyteller from Bengal. Born in 1976, she has been performing Baul music since 1995. Over the years, she performed at various concerts all over India and many other countries. A storyteller on a mission, the talented young exponent of Baul from West Bengal has created a niche of her own in this unique tradition. Baul music, originating from the interior villages of West Bengal owns a music and philosophical approach. Songs of the Great Soul, is a book about her journey as a Baul folk singer and musician.
Her real name is Mousumi Parial. She belongs to a traditional Bengali Brahmin family in West Bengal, which has been migrated from East Bengal following Partition in 1947. Her father was an engineer with the Indian Railways. But her parents were music enthusiasts and promoted Mousumi’s music talents. She grew up in Assam, Cooch Behar, and bordering areas of West Bengal, because of the transferable nature of her father’s job. She trained in classic music and also Kathak. She later received training as a visual artist at Kala Bhavan, affiliated to Shantiniketan.
While at Shantiniketan campus, she once happened to hear a blind Baul singer, performing the traditional music of mystic minstrels from Bengal, and she got drawn towards it. She later learnt Baul music from Phulmala Dashi, a woman Baul singer and also visited several Baul ashrams. Later Phulmala Dashi asked her to search another guru, and in search of it, Parvathy found Sanatan Das Baul, an 80-year-old Baul singer and became his disciple. For the next seven years, she travelled with her guru and appeared along with him in his performances providing vocal support.
She found her next guru in 97-year old Shashanko Goshai Baul who tested her dedication before finally accepting her as student. She started performing in 1995 and came to Thiruvananthapuram for the first time in 1997 to learn about local spiritual and theatre traditions. There she met Ravi Gopalan Nair, a traditional puppeteer from Kerala, and later married him.
Published: February 18, 2019
Updated: February 18, 2019
