An amazing piece of handembroidered running stitch and patch work clothing.
Bauls are the Wandering Minstrels of Bengal. Bauls constitute both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many sects, but their membership mainly consists of Vaishnava Hindus and Sufi Muslims. They can often be identified by their distinctive clothes and musical instruments. Bauls are found mostly in the Birbhum district of West Bengal. They perform in local trains and village fairs.
GUDURI, resembles the ‘Alkhalla’ (denotes something like a loose robe) ... this style of clothing was patronised by the Tagore family. This patchwork dress that the Bauls wear today was created by Babukishan in the 1970's, as an attractive dress for his father, the renowned Purna Das Baul. This costume was on record covers, magazines covers and festival performances all over the world. He created this multi coloured dress for a symbol of oneness, unity and peace for the world. "A symbol of no caste, no creed, all colours in one, multi-cultural, peace and unity all getting along...love love one love..." Most Baul performers wear this dress today without even knowing who the master mind behind it is.
Babukishan would go around to all the tailors and collect bright coloured cloths and his mother Manju Das would sew them together by hand creating this bright Baul costume.
