Parvathy Baul

Parvathy Baul was born in 1975 or 1976[1] as Mousumi Parial, in a traditional Bengali Brahmin family in West Bengal.

Due to her father's posting at various locations in the region, she grew up in Assam, Cooch Behar, and bordering areas of West Bengal.

Soon, she started learning music from Phulmala and also visited several Baul ashrams, later Phulamala advised her to find another teacher.

[8] Prior to this they worked with the theatre company for five months during Seven Basic Needs exhibition and performances at Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany,[9] In Thiruvananthapuram, she also met Abdul Salam, a Muslim fakir kalandar, who became her guru, with him she found her musical calling and who taught her about the spiritual meaning of the tradition.

She uses elements of theatre and cantastoria or sung stories into her performances by acting out the lyrics or at times adding explanatory speeches in English.

Inspired by pattachitra, scroll painters and traditional story-tellers of Bengal, she adds visual elements to performance through painted backdrops.

In 2005, she published Songs of the Great Soul, a book about her journey into the Baul tradition, provides a rare insight into an educated woman's foray into the tradition, which has been male preserve and mostly flourished in rural areas, where women were often caregivers and companions to Bauls at ashrams, few took to singing and the itinerant lifestyle.

[11] In February 2019, she was conferred Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, by Government of India for her contribution to the ancient Baul tradition.