Video | Song of Corona – West Bengal – Tribal Cultural Heritage in India

This video song is the product of several co-incidents. The ongoing lockdown has prolonged my stay at Bandel. During this period, in a casual conversation with my friend, Sunder, he casually suggested me to write-down songs for stranded adivasis, so that they could be consoled during this hard period. This is how this creative work began. We decided to use old photographs taken by Sunder, the old music tracks stored in my computer and some raw videos of countryside that lay unattended for more than five years. We contacted our dear musician friend, Babul Mardi for editing work. He happily accepted our proposal and he along-with his son Arghya edited the audio from Raiganj, which was eventually, recorded with a mobile-phone. Tonol da lent his hands of support to Sunder in translating the song into English from Kolkata and finally Nagen bhai has edited the video from Guskara, Bardhaman. This work of collaboration inspired me to open my own YouTube channel. I and Sunder are satisfied the way the whole effort has surfaced and hope this will be a leisure-time-music for you too.

Song of Corona II | Boro Baski
This is an attempt to connect the community in these difficult times of so-called “social distancing” through a Santali song in traditional tune. We believe that celebrating our collective memory of love, pain, despair and struggles in life will act as a remedy in any crisis situation, even in the present one. Let’s march on this journey with solidarity and brotherhood. Johar! | Learn more >>

Dr. Boro Baski works for the community-based organisation Ghosaldanga Adibasi Seva Sangha in West Bengal. The NGO is supported by the German NGO Freundeskreis Ghosaldanga und Bishnubati. He was the first person from his village to go to college as well as the first to earn a PhD (in social work) at Viswa-Bharati. This university was founded by Rabindranath Tagore to foster integrated rural development with respect for cultural diversity. The cooperation he inspired helps local communities to improve agriculture, economical and environmental conditions locally, besides facilitating education and health care based on modern science.

He authored Santali translations of two major works by Rabindranath Tagore, the essay “Vidyasagar-Charit” and the drama Raktakarabi (English “Red Oleanders”), jointly published by the Asiatic Society & Sahitya Akademi (India’s National Academy of Letters) in 2020.

Other posts contributed by Dr. Boro Baski >>

Ghosaldanga Bishnubati Adibasi Trust
Registration under Trust Registration Act 1982
P.O. Sattore, Dist. Birbhum
West Bengal-731 236
India

For inquiries on Santal cultural and educational programs, please contact:
Mob. 094323 57160 or [email protected]

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Audio | Santali Traditional and Fusion Songs: Ghosaldanga Bishnubati Adibasi Trust

Childhood

Democracy

Education and literacy

eBook | Free catalogue: Banam: One of the ancient musical instruments of the Santals

eBook | Free catalogue: Museum of Santal Culture (Bishnubati) – West Bengal

eBook | “Santals Celebrate the Seasons”: Creativity fostered by Ashadullapur Gramin Silpa & Sastha Bidhan Kendra – West Bengal

eJournal | Writing and teaching Santali in different alphabets: A success story calling for a stronger sense of self-confidence

eLearning | “National development and the development of tribal communities are linked to each other”: Droupadi Murmu – 15th President of India

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