Parvathy Baul has done much to popularise the baul music tradition. But what she wishes to do now is translate Akkamahadevi’s compositions to Bengali. “ I love Akka’s poetry and I want to sing them in Bengali. She was one of the few women mystics. She is really great and I wish to translate her compositions and give them to the bauls. And this way Akka will also become a Bengali,” she said. ``I feel a lot like her and I connect to her through music,’’ she added.

Parvathy as part of her performance at ‘Ruhaniyat’ in fact sang Akka’s composition in Kannada. But when asked, how  the baul tradition itself could be kept alive, she said, through ‘Ruhaniyat’ like festivals.  “These festivals expose us to different and unknown cultures. Baul has made its presence felt time and again at such festivals. These events act as a bridge between rural and urban India. They help people connect in an Indian way. We are all like one big family and ‘athma bandhan’ (connect to the soul) which is the need of the hour, takes place here,” she explained.

``I have seen people evincing more interest in our tradition these days.Take ‘Ruhaniyat’ itself, there are more people this year when compared to last year,’’ she said. “Events such as these not only promote Indian culture and art, but also act as a good platform for artistes to reinvent. We are exposed to each other’s culture. After seeing others perform we also better our own style of rendition. It is a privilege to meet artistes, who have had great masters. These events are no less than ‘satsangs’ for me.” However, festivals such as these being time bound, more and more people should come together to organise such events regularly. After all traditions and culture are all that we have, she said. ”People, who seek truth cannot stay in falsehood for long.  We just need to spend less time in night clubs and divert more time to our tradition. While night clubs won’t stand the test of time, mysticism is something that will survive through the ages.”

Having said that she revealed that she planned to adopt a few children and through them spread the baul tradition. 
Shruti I L