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Return to Book Page. The Honey Gatherers by Mimlu Sen. Living a bohemian life in France, Mimlu Sen witnesses a performance by the Baul, a group of wandering mystic-minstrels from West Bengal. Captivated by the music, and by one of the musicians in particular, she returns to the country of her childhood: "yearning for the deep familiar breath of India".
What follows is a love story on several levels. Sen, whose life had already Living a bohemian life in France, Mimlu Sen witnesses a performance by the Baul, a group of wandering mystic-minstrels from West Bengal.
The Honey Gatherers recounts her adventures in rural Bengal. The Bauls' philosophy synthesises elements of Sufism, Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism and is concerned with enlightening the body through song.
Sen gains a privileged view of their secret world, as they make their way from shanty town to village, from fair to festival, generally among the lowest castes of Indian society. But she is also mesmerised by the mystics' freedom and dignity, their claims to divine knowledge, and their courage to live on their own terms.
The Honey Gatherers: Travels with The Bauls: The Wandering Minstrels of Rural India [Mimlu Sen] on giuliettasprint.konfer.eu *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The honey gatherers: travels with the Bauls: the wandering minstrels of rural India. Responsibility: Mimlu Sen. Language: English. Translated from the Bengali .
Combining anthropology and travelogue, The Honey Gatherers is more than just a book about the Bauls, however. Sen's own journey from upper-class Shillong to Europe and then back into the hinterlands of Bengal adds an important element to the narrative. She brings an outsider's perspective to the changing world of the Bauls, confronted by the rapid globalisation of India.
Most successfully, her patient exploration of complex Baul philosophies conveys that the world has forgotten how to listen to, or look at, the poorest in society, and risks missing one of our greatest repositories of knowledge in the process. The "honey gathering" of the title is a term for the collecting of alms in the rural villages, which was once the principal means of income for the Bauls.
Despite musicians such as Paban das Baul gaining a profile on the international stage, the Bauls' basic means of subsistence is becoming less dependable, with some of them even forced into prostitution. One hopes these free spirits, wearing patchwork robes to symbolise the multiplicity of all religious sources, may be travelling on the wings of song for some time to come.
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This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Skickas inom vardagar. Laddas ned direkt. They wear flowing, multicoloured robes and play frenetic rhythms on strange instruments made of wood and clay, capturing the many moods of nature and passion.
After her turbulent past, including a year in a Calcutta jail, Mimlu instantly knows it is time to set off on the journey of her life. One of the minstrels, Paban Das Baul, is a gifted young musician with a growing international reputation.
Mimlu defies prejudice to travel with him deep into the heart of Bengal, the rural hinterland behind Calcutta where few tourists ever go. In this fascinating and unusual book, she describes how they make their way across country, from shanty town to village, from monastery to festival, perched on the roofs of buses and squeezed inside trains, encountering tantrics and sages, exorcisms and witch sightings, catfish that climb trees and esoteric secrets - and fall in love. With Paban's encouragement, Mimlu too performs for alms - 'gathering honey' in the traditional Baul way - and is initiated into a hidden world of song, sensuality and adventure as wild and unpredictable as the landscape itself.
Passar bra ihop. Honey Gatherers Mimlu Sen Mimlu Sen is living a bohemian life in Paris when she witnesses an electrifying performance by three wandering minstrels from rural India. Ladda ned. Recensioner i media.