'Taai Aami Gour Bole Daaki' by Parvathy Baul

Taai aami Gour bole daaki

Gora jodi hoi to aamaar

Kumkumo chondon aami

Ongete maakhi

That's why I call him Gour,

my golden one

If he were my saffron powder,

my sandalwood paste

I would smear him

all over my skin

“When we are longing for the beloved, we are truly longing with our body, soul and everything. With everything we are longing…. after all I am a human! I'm given a human body. So I have all the sides in me… which have to flow in one direction towards my beloved. So, I can call out to him very erotically... and there is no difference between love, erotic love, devotion. Everything comes together. And when it comes together, it becomes complete.” – Parvathy Baul

(Click on Settings for subtitles in English & Bengali in Roman transliteration)

If there is an embodiment of intensity, Parvathy is it. As our friend, as an advisor, as a fiery challenger, she has brought us into deeper touch with ourselves. This recording was made as part of our week-long immersion with Parvathy at her home and akhada on the outskirts of Trivandrum in September 2011. She warmly welcomed us, housed us, fed us, and sang for us and spoke to us with great depth and insight about the Baul path and about life itself. An experience that we still carry with us.

Parvathy Baul is a Baul singer and saadhika, painter and storyteller from Bengal and has been a disciple of Shashanko Goshai and Sanatan Das Baul. She currently lives in Trivandrum, Kerala. (www.parvathybaul.srijan.asia)

This is one of a series of uploads for Ajab Shahar, an upcoming webspace dedicated to

mystic poem and song, currently under construction by the Kabir Project team

 (www.ajabshahar.org - www.kabirproject.org)

Song Credits:

Ektara, Duggi and Vocals: Parvathy Baul

Translation: Vipul Rikhi & Shabnam Virmani

Translation Support: Parvathy Baul, Arnab Basu & Pooja Kaul

Video Credits:

Cameras: Aarthi Parthasarathy & Smriti Chanchani

Editing & Sound: Aarthi Parthasarathy

Sub-Titling: Anand Baskaran & Nandini Nayar

Collection: The Kabir Project

Place: Trivandrum

Date of Recording: September, 2011