The Poush Mela meant to promote traditional tribal art now faces a challenge from the world of brands and gizmos.
It’s that time of the year again when thousands of people head to Santiniketan for the Poush Mela — the traditional winter fair which started as a rustic village event but now has a budget of Rs 12-13 lakh. It has also been shifted to a bigger ground to accommodate the swelling number of tourists.
The popularity, though, has come for a price. The fair which was originally meant to popularise the indigenous crafts of tribal people is now attracting a lot of brands which have put up stalls alongside those selling village products. “We’re not looking for sales here. We’re here for promotion and visibility,” says Prithish Sanyal, salesperson, Uninor Telecom. The organisers say they need the money which the corporations bring in. “The budget for the fair increases every year. We need the funding,” says Debabrata Hazari, in charge of stall distribution and supervision, Poush Mela. “But we also ensure free stalls for the poor handicraft vendors,” he adds.
Neither the tourists nor the local people are happy with this. “We don’t come to buy electronic appliances at such a fair. It breaks the rhythm,” says Mark Baylis, a foreign tourist who’s here on his first visit.
Baylis, like the others, would rather have more stalls selling traditional goods — patachitra (intricate designs made on earthen pots and paper), wooden toys, jewellery, articles made of dokra (thin strings of metal), cane furniture, batik printed clothes and hand-embroidered products. Destitute children are also seen selling ornaments made of dried seeds and petals. Adjacent to the fair is a separate enclosure for performances by kirtonia dal (groups that sings local devotional songs), Baul music and jatras (folk theatre). The performances continue for three days.
These are also busy days for the hotels in the vicinity. “Due to the heavy demand, we charge almost double the normal rate,” admits Ashim Mitra of Mark Meadows hotel. A three-day package costs Rs 8,899 and almost all rooms are booked by November. The rickshaw-walla too charges Rs 50 instead of Rs 15 for a ride from the station to the fair. With over 1 lakh visitors expected every day, the police are also busy. “We’ve brought in 300 police personnel from other parts of the district and are also ensuring uninterrupted power supply, fire and emergency support,” says Ashok Das, sub-divisional officer, Bolpur.
The fair was started by Rabindranath Tagore’s father Debendranath Tagore to encourage the art and craft of the Santhal tribals. “He later set up the Poush Mela Trust to ensure that the fair continued. Now the Vice-chancellor heads the four-member Poush Mela Trust,” says Sushil Kumar Biswas, former employee of the Visva Bharati University. But now the initiative faces a challenge from the world of corporate giants.
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Baul on the roll
T he Poush Mela is incomplete without the Baul performers — the mystic minstrels from Bengal who are believed to have originated from the Vaishnava sect in the Nadia district in the 15th century.
“Baul music began as a religious movement that opposed Brahmanical ritualistic complications. It preached the equality of man and religious harmony,” says Tarun Das Baul from Santiniketan. The tradition is also known as ‘Gurumukhi’, where the words of the teacher are passed on to the disciple.
The mystic minstrels come from both the Hindu bhakti tradition (Bauls) and the Muslim Sufi community (fakirs). The lyrics and the music of both have a lot of similarity. Tarun Das says that’s because both “compose songs about humanity and love.”
Of the Baul musical instrument, ektara or the one-string instrument, is the most popular. They also use the do tara or the two-string instrument and the dugi, a smaller version of the tabla.
Along with the humanist music, they belong to a tradition that's marked by liberal values free from social taboos. “Bauls and fakirs adhere to a philosophy where the individual’s will is above any custom,” explains Sunil Gangopadhyay, Bengali novelist who wrote Moner Manush, the story of Lalan Fakir. “In the Baul tradition, there is no class, caste or gender discrimination,” he adds.
Today, Baul music is no longer confined to the remote parts of the state. “Besides getting invited to perform in colleges, we also get calls for national and international folk festivals,” says Das who has performed in England, France, Spain and Greece. The recognition has brought financial benefits too. Tarun Das now charges Rs 10,000 for a performance in Kolkata and Rs 35,000 for elsewhere in India.
The tradition, which has lived on for centuries, is still thriving. Simply because it touches the heart of the common man.