Bauled Over

Folk music has taken an upturn lately with more and more bands and musicians taking up folk as their muse. Some keep it raw. Some infuse it with other genres. With a fire inside to keep the folk genre alive; Markoz Jags, along with a few more individual musicians; has taken up the wandering music cult, Baul, as the motif of their recitals. Speaking to Northeast Today, Markoz tells more about music, Baul and Shunyas.

- Chirasmrita Devi & Pallabi Dutta Baruah

NET: What inspired you to choose Baul when most of the bands from the Northeast are inclined more towards rock music?

Markoz: My hometown being Tura, Meghalaya and me belonging to the Bengali community and a family full of musicians, I have always had a deep connection with folk music. However, I came across Baul when I was 18. I was blown away by the encounter! I couldn’t make out how a 600-year-old song could be so modern. I started a deep study on “Lalon Fakir”, the founder of Baul music. I was awestruck when I came to know that this man alone stood against religious prejudices 600 years ago. It connected me immediately and I started working on it. When grammar failed me, Baul gave me a way out. It taught me that we haven’t looked into our own culture since ages rather we have been looking at the West. It was time that I look into myself. It changed me as a human being.

NET: Tell us something about your band ‘Shunyas’ and its members?