A discussion and screening with singer Parvathy Baul and actress Julia Varley (Odin Teatret) led by dramaturge Zsófia Rideg.

The discussion will introduce the Baul oral tradition, based on a master-disciple relationship. This is a unique opportunity to acquaint ourselves with this ancient, yet modern genre. We will also explore its links with literature, specifically the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore. The discussion will also touch upon theatrical references, namely the “Baul link” of Jerzy Grotowski and the Odin Teatret. In his volume The Land of Ashes and Diamonds – published by our theatre in Hungarian – there is a letter written by Jerzy Grotowski in 1969, in Calcutta to his friend Eugenio Barba, which says: „My Dear Pan Eugeniusz! It has been a beautiful trip so far, really extraordinary. Calcutta has just been a base; there is not too much to see. But I went to the shrine of Ramakrishna which you told me about. I also met the most important Baul master (yoga through song and dance), who devotes himself to many of the same things that I do - the anatomy of the actor. It is amazing to see how certain aspects of the craft are objective.”

The French documentary was made by Valérie and Samuel Gaize in Western Bengal in 2014 and this is its first public screening that will be attended by the filmmakers.

“The Bengali Bauls are bards, singers and storyteller. Their voices are born from their breath, their dances from levity, and Baul poetry from their inner voyages. They will sing and dance about the inscrutable depths of the human soul. This is the fruit of a lifelong spiritual work, the Baul sadhana” – wrote the authors of the documentary.

(20 March 2018)