“Milan hobe koto dine” means “when we will get united”. Hd recording from “A cross border exchange” concert in the Auditorium Rabindranath Tagore, Kolkata (India) last 27 august, after four days of workshop with 20 Baul/Fakiri under the direction of Tanmoy Bose. Organized by Banglanatak. Produced under our artistic residence in India coordinated by PAX.

Go to http://vimeo.com/14620624 for watching video

India has embraced us during our stay giving us a profound experience, full of magic, humanism and music in this artistic residence.

// The sunset on the Ganges still resonates in our eyes ..

Kolkata is undoubtedly the most amazing and human place we have been.

// Yesterday August 27 was our last day with the highlight of the performance “A cross border exchange” in the Auditorium Rabindranath Tagore, after four days of working with Bauls under the direction of Tanmoy Bose.

// Jai Guru!

// Shamick was our perfect guide inside Kolkata and Santiniketan.

// Jai Guru!

// Last moments before the big concert with Sus, Tanmoy Bose, Jano, a famous Kolkata pop singer, Amitava and a Pata Chira poet.

// Jano and Borja played and experimental sound theme oppening the performance. Then Sus played visuals during the rest (3 goovy hours). The music from the 20 Bauls was fantastic, always.. but this must be lived..  We recorded in full hd video. Very soon a short edit will be posted.

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// Mostrar forma romanizada

// Jai Guru (hellow Master) is the Baul/Fakiri´s usual salutation to everyone

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// Time in India has pass so quickly but by other side so many friends and beautiful people have made it seem a lifetime. This place has something magic in the air..

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After a very long trip, we are back at Barcelona full of deep impressions and more than 300 gb of recordings…  also some instruments for playing and making audio experiments…

// On a few days, having relaxed for so intense experience, we will post more things..

Kolkata is a mega city where contrasts and humanity arises everywhere. The most surprising is a collaborative and kind atmosphere full of smiles and gazes everywhere.

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// Workshop has been very intense and productive, a lot of learning from such amazing people as Baul / Fakiri. Amitava and Tanmoy Bose have lead it with a magnetic heart. The concept of the programm is to bring together two gropus of Bauls from Nadia (India) and from Bangladesh. The title “A cross border exchange” is the starting point for this project that approaches to Bengali folk music at both sides of the political border betwenn West-Bengal and Bangladesh.

// It was a nice surprise to see on TV Tanmoy Bose and 9 of the workshop Bauls, playing and also talking about the project.

// Brotherhood as the way of live, with such a big passion…. even very old Bauls have a high vibration that empathize all people around them.

This picture is from full moon time, when a brotherhood ceremony was made between all of us

// We are composing videos and music with all recordings made here to play tomorrow in the final concert with the 20 Bauls at Rabindranath Tagore´s auditorium.

We are hard working on Baul traditional music with electronic music and video integration. Here a couple of pictures from today´s workshop.

// Sasti das Baul playing electronic Ektara to computer.

// Last Monday we took a flight to Bagdogra. Our host, Nimtenzi Sherpa came with us from Kolkata. Despite some rainy days we haven’t missed any point in our fully scheduled shooting plan: Sonada-Darjeeling-Kalimpong-Lava-Neora Valley Natural Park, including many temples, monastery, tea gardens and a long lateral travelling from the toy train.

// As Nimtenzi showed us, in the Himalayas live together more than 130 ethnic tribes related to different religions (Hindu, Buddhism, Muslim, Christians…) helping each other as a unique people.

// There, so high, the richness and complexity of Himalayan’s societies can be smelt on its foggy, tea scented, fresh air.

// So good genuine context for good raw material: deep sound walk recordings and suggestive jungly images and hd videos.

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// Also rich and complex and, furthermore, completely admirable is Nimtenzi’s family’s project. Surrounded by 22 kids, his father Philip Tshering Sherpa, mother Rita, brothers Pemba and Pasang and himself, have managed to run a house as an hyperactive non-stop “home+care+education engine” and allow these kids to live as what they are, independently on their original tribe, language and village, allowing them to have a disciplined education and oportunities in society. We are very satisfied with the videos we have shooted with the kids and we hope when the micro-documentary is finished, it will help them to increase the funds they need to make some improvements and develop a parallel project for kids coming not only from different tribes and villages of the region but also from all the boundary countries.

// During our visit to Kalimpong, we went at night to the old Tagore´s house, where he spent creative times writting.

// Also in Kalimpong we visited a Budhist temple where Sacred book from Dalai Lama is kept.

// Tomorrow we will go to Nadia district to meet Bauls at their village..

// We have just arrived from Santiniketan, where we spent very special days. We got fantastic audio and video recordings. Unfortunately we are rushing and no time to upload them and write more extensively. We will do it as soon as we can.

// Santiniketan is a wonderful paradise, full of lakes, natural parks and a lot of students.

// We visited Tagore’s museum, a fair with Baul music and artcrafts and several natural locations that captivated us very deep. Here is a picture after early morning rain.

// And a team portrait after a temple visit.

// A Baul / Fakiri whom we will perform in Liverpool the next 17th of october.

// And also the next 17th in Kolkata

// Tomorrow we leave for 5 days to Darjeeling area (Himalaya) and maybe it will be difficult to post before we come back to Kolkata next 21st.

The trip goes on…

This morning when we wake up we could see this from our balcony

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After a great morning (we will post a video on a couple of days) we were conducted for a round inside Kolkata. This sculptures are being made for a big festival on octuber

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A little ride in rickshaw..

// A binaural soundrecording from rickshaw ride

ricksaw_casa-bangalatak.mp3 (7909 KB)

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Yesterday we talk between us about “the public”, because of our commitment to approximate to, trying to understand and interpreting bengali folk arts, in order to create from and also contribute to its diffusion. We started thinking about when “the public” concept and current reception processes remember us Walter Benjamin’s idea about public as an examiner who is in danger when gets closer to be a vacant or controlled mind. Of course it is a must to understand this idea within historical and social context it was formulated, but it seemed interesting in terms of analysing the role and the need of art as a political or social message(r). Somehow, this was after reading a few things about Sufism during the last months, Trying to get deeper in the importance of vacuum mind in front of our over-saturated, instant-stimulous iconospheric society. So, maybe, we need another meaning for Benjamin’s vacant mind, as it is not we do not want or do not believe anymore in art with a social message, but it is possible we should achieve an “examiner” experience that transcends critical points of view and approaches (art)messages not just analytically but physically or sensitively. Not with a vacant but a vacuum mind. And when it is your first time in India there is a lot about vacuuming your mind and soul. Great thoughts to feed them back arrive when Amitava and Ananya talk about the need to reach the public using tools that do not need editorial or broadcasting processes because the public you are working for is not a reader, not a consumer nor a member of mass media audience. Right now, I just can write Oh no, where is Walter Benjamin? Well, I hope this won’t be a philosophical drama, maybe the beginning for a new awareness phase.

This morning during our flight to Dubai we could start the day as early and as inspiringly as the Sun did.

// Running away from the clock we finally got to Kolkata, an after the sunset one, too huge to be seen, so grand to be heard.

// And after these first impressions the real landing arrived. We met Amitava (Founder Director of Banglanatak) and the team in Banglanatak office, a nice welcome talking about plans for the upcoming days.

Finally all is ready for India journey. Tomorrow wednesday 11 at 12.20 we take the planes to Kolkatta.

Picture of recording gadgets (all inside a backpack).

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