Bob Dylan and India
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Calcutta: 1990
Left: Lakkhan Das Baul, centre Dylan, right: Purna Das Baul. This photograph was taken at Woodstock, The Times of India informs us.
Mohua Das, Dylan's day in Kol, a Baul for a friend, Oct 14 2016 : The Times of India
Think Bob Dylan in a bright red kurta as a guest at a Bengali wedding. Too far-fet ched? Not quite. While most of Dylan's life has been an open book, a lesser-known fact is Dylan's hush-hush visit to Kolkata in the winter of January 1990.
The world's most legendary songsmith flew down to the city to attend a marriage in the family of an old friend and music mate, Purna Das Baul. The Baul singer, now 83, had introduced Dylan to the sounds of rural Bengal during his tour of the US in the late 60s.
When his son Dibyendu was getting married, Dylan turned up for the event. “He came to our house in Dhakuria and then travelled with me to the venue in Ballygunge,“ recalls Dibyendu. But his visit did not last long. “An hour into the ceremony , people and media got whiff of Dylan being there and as more and more people started inquiring, he rushed out.“ Not really in the mood to hand out autographs, “Please, I am here on a private visit... If you don't mind, I need some rest,“ he pleaded before delivering a firm “no“ to a starstruck fan.
Purna Das's association with him began in 1965 when Albert Grossman, Dylan's manager, invited him to sing at a festival in San Francisco. Das toured and performed at several venues before Grossman took him to Bearsville, Dylan's hometown. “That was when our manager brought Dylan to meet us. He said to me that our singing goals were the same since we both sang about people, life and times. Then he gave him self the title `Baul of America', he showed me his patchwork coat, a lot like guduri, the costume that some Bauls wear,“ reminisced Purna Das who has been hailed as “India's Bob Dylan“. It was the beginning of a long friendship.
“We toured and performed together between 1965 and 1967.“ Baul gaan hit a peak when Dylan rather niftily learnt to pluck the khamak and wield the ektara and jammed with the minstrel from Bengal.
Purna Das and his family were invitees to Dylan's birthday party in 1978, for which Das compiled a CD of Bengali songs as a gift. “I'm so happy ,“ Das said about his Nobel. “He has served people with his songs like no other.“
