PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY BANYAN TREE EVENTS

Music — and madness — run in my genes.

I used to learn Hindustani classical music as a child in Cooch Behar. And since my grandfather had a jatra (folk theatre) group, music and theatre was an integral part of my childhood. But the biggest turning point of my life was meeting Sanatan baba, who eventually became my guru.

I first encountered Baul music in my teens. I was on a train to Santiniketan to enrol as a student of art in Kala Bhavan, the fine arts college of the Visva Bharati University there. During the journey, a Baul singer

entered the compartment and started singing. I was fascinated. Later, as a university student I heard

Sanatan Das Baul perform at one of the annual Poush Melas in Santiniketan, and was moved beyond words. I sought him out in his ashram in Khayerbani in Dumka district, and thankfully for me, he accepted me as his shishya. I’ve been learning music from him ever since.

When I was about 19 years old, I decided to travel to south India to explore its vast treasure of ancient Indian cultural traditions, especially music, dance and theatre. In Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, my destiny put me in the presence of fakir Abdul Salam. He took me under his wing, and helped me understand the spirituality of Baul music. He also introduced me to theatre artist and spiritualist, Ravi Gopalan Nair, who I subsequently married.

After my marriage, I settled down in Thiruvananthapuram, where I now have my own akhra, Ektara Kalari, where I teach Baul music. I am now working on my dream project of starting a gurukul in Bengal.

(As told to Angona Paul)