Europe prepares for the Baul invasion

Famed Indian singer Paban Das Baul awaits Monday, March 24, with eager anticipation -- it is then that his debut solo album Real Sugar is scheduled to hit the markets.

To be released under British musician Peter Gabriel's Real World label, the album is billed as a fusion of traditional Indian and western music. It would present to the West the music created by the Bauls of Bengal, an internationally acclaimed group, whose work has influenced generations.

''When I first came to England, I was very curious about western music,'' Paban Das, a leading member of the Bauls -- now busy preparing for his grand release in London -- recalls. Friends had introduced him to Sam Mills, the English musician-producer who is his collaborated for Real Sugar. ''We found that despite our cultural and lingual differences, we shared the common language of music. We both felt that what we had to say was important and should be developed,'' he says.

And thus originated the idea of a fusion.

''Our work is not simply that of musicians, but much more. Through music we are carrying on traditions. Our songs encompass the history of our region and the philosophy of our group -- love for all that nature has created,'' the Bengali Baul says.

The word Baul, explains Paban Das who has American folk musician Bob Dylan and French director George Luneau among his many fans, means someone 'possessed by the wind.' The bauls of Bengal draws its members largely from the illiterate. Most come from the lower strata of the Hindu and Muslim society and communicate their social, aesthetic and spiritual beliefs through songs.

Everywhere they performed, the Bauls have drawn more than their fair share of followers. ''We are books for many who can't read and write. We are their newspapers and spiritual teachers," claims Paban Das.

Real Sugar deviates a lot from the Baul's previous works and many felt it would tarnish the group's reputation. But Paban Das is confident about his album. ''I sent the record to India and the response has been good .My mother listened to it and cried,'' he says, ''I wanted to be open to western ideas and influences. It was very important to get the balance right.''

The album's release signifies another trend -- a growing interest in non- western music in Europe where African artists Youssef N'dour and Salif Keita currently enjoy huge popular support. Paban is highly optimistic about this. ''The trend,'' he says ''has opened up a path bypassing all the boundaries and borders of language. We can embrace the western world without language, through music.''