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Assistant Professor Department of Mass Communication , MCNUJC Bhopal M.PM. Phil Research Scholar MCNUJC, Bhopal M.P

INTRODUCTIONIntroduction to Bauls and Bauls Culture

To start with a simple introduction, Baulsare a group of nomads, who are found in WestBengal and Bangladesh. They are the mostcommon people present on earth and are freespirited. Their mind has no complexity and theirheart knows nothing but the language of music.Bauls are the people who give universal aspect ofhuman religion and aesthetic expression of thepeople through music and poetry. These peopleare castles but their work contributes a lot to thesociety and also their music is originated from theproblems of the society and gives a solution alsoto that problem. The B aul speaks of love andunion, but this love means the love between thehuman personality and the divine beloved within,and in this love man realises his union with thedivine. There are two classes of Bauls, asceticBauls who reject family life and Bauls who live

with their families. Some Baul tales also mentionthat a Baul is not allowed to have family orchildren, they can have a ' ' (partner) fortheir , but they cannot bound themselvesinto marital woes. Bauls are non communist whoreject the outer husk of religion. They are aboveall the elements of religion, and its practices. TheBauls instead of walking on the path made by thereligion walk on an entirely different path, whosepractises and rituals are entirely different andaccording to them are much better than the otherpractises. The Bauls are both, a syncretisedreligious sect and a musical tradition. The originof the Bauls is not known to any great degree ofaccuracy, but the word Baul has appeared in

Bengali texts as old as 15 century. The word isfound in the ' ' of' ' as well as in the '

' of . They arenot bound to any particular religion, rituals,

Sanginisadhnas

chaitanya-bhagavatavrindavanadas ChaitanyaCharitamrita Krishnadas Kaviraj

th

Abstract

Keywords: Baul Music, Purpose of singing, Musical Communication

r

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Surender PaulSheuli De Sarkar

PERCEPTION OF COMMUNICATION LEVELSA STUDY OF BAUL MUSIC

The world today is fighting over religious issues and people are creating divisions, butamidst all this there exist a cult whose thinking and way of living is far different from allthis. Their religion is their music and their God is their own soul. They do not believe inidol worship and their culture is a mixture of Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism. They aretravellers, create music and survive on whatever they are offered by listeners in return oftheir music. Music for them is not just a source of entertainment but is a very importantpart of their life. Music being a medium is not always used for communication it is mostlya source of entertainment for the listener and a source of income for the makers. But forthe Bauls music a way through which they communicate with their inner self andthrough this communication are able to unite with their divine. They also use music tocommunicate with the common people and help them change their perception towardslife in a better way. This study deals with the levels of communication that the Baul Musicreaches at the same time, depending upon who is listening to it. The study also deals with,according to the Baul singers how new media and technology affected the originality ofthe Baul Tradition and music.

12. Grosswiler Paul (2011). Continuing Media Controversies in Beer Arnold S. and John C. Merril (ed.), New Delhi: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd, p. 125.

13. Glaser, M. (2010). Citizen Journalism: Widening Worldviews And Extending Democracy, in Allan, S. (Ed.),, NewYork: Routledge, pp. 578-590.

14. Witschge,T. and G.Nygren. (2009). Journalism: A Profession under Pressure?, Vol. 6(1): 37-50.

15. Mike Friedrichsen and Wolfgang Muhl-Benningghaus. 2013, Handbook of social media management,Berlin: Springer, P.3

16. Bennet W. Lance, and ShantoIyengar .2008. “A new era of minimal effects. The changing foundations ofpolitical communication.” Journal of Communication 58: 707-731.

17. Prior, Marcus.2003. Any good news in soft news?The impact of soft news preference on politicalknowledge.”political communication 20:149-171.

18. Jenkins, Henry et al. 2009. In confronting the challenges of participatory culture: media education for the21st century. Chicago,IL: John D. and Catherine T. MacAuthur Foundation. (Ed.) Aaron Delwiche andJennifer Henderson. 2013. The participatory culture handbook, NewYork: Routledge.

19. David M. Faris and Patrick Meier.”Digital Activism in authoritarian countries” (ed.) Aaron Delwiche andJennifer Henderson. 2013. The participatory culture handbook, NewYork: Routledge. 197

GlobalJournalism- Topical Issues and Media Systems

The Routledge Companion to News and Journalism

Journal of Media BusinessStudies

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through Baul Music.• To study the mode of communication

among1. Bauls2. Bauls and rest of the world

• To study the current scenario of Baulmusic.

The research is both qualitative andquantitative. The research designs used in thestudy are –exploratory and descriptive. Surveyand Interview methods were used to find out theresults. Secondary data was also used as a part ofthe study.

was used in the survey,which contained total 17 questions and was filledby the people attending the 'Posh Mela'.

7 questions were framed for theinterview of the Baul singers.

The proposed study was done using two methods.

Sample size of the survey was 100, out of

which 80 surveys were successfully done. The

respondents were chosen using

as it was required for the

study. The respondents were the people attending

the ' ' in , Bolpur.

An of the Baul singers was also

done. The sample size of the interview was 7. The

Bauls were also in the 'Posh Mela'.

The universe of the study was(Bolpur in West Bengal.

The life of a Baul is all about music. Theirlife revolves around music and for them music isthe only way through which they can have anultimate union with their God. The songs sung by

Methodology

Research ToolsQuestionnaire

Sampling Framework

purposive

sampling technique

interview

Universe

)DATA ANALYSIS

1.

2.

Posh Mela shantiniketan

Shantiniketan

Baul Interview Analysis -

Table 1 Initiation for dancing while performing Baul song

culture.Also people belonging to any caste, class,communal group can join this group. Theseactivities resemble that of the Buddhistwhich is over and above all distinctions of casteand religion. Their refusal to accept thefundamental bases of social organization stemsfrom their insistence to judge men with love andnot necessarily as a member of a group with pre-ordained virtues or faults.

For a Baul, music means everything, theylive for the love of music and music is just like airto them, without which they can't survivewithout. The Bauls are travellers; they travelfrom one place to another and sing songs. Theymostly write songs on philosophy of life and theirsongs are a way through which they believe thatthey can unite with their God who resides insidetheir body. They have two purpose for singingsongs, the main purpose is that they can unitewith their ' ' and the secondpurpose is that they believe that through theirsongs they can communicate their thoughts topeople those who are listening to them and in away can change their perspective towards life.Their songs are based on life and gives a messageof positivity, which intern helps in changing theway people think. They mostly write songs on –oneness of all religion into humanism, universalbrotherhood, and gender equality. The songsspeak about intense yearning of the heart for thedivine which is in man and not in the temples, orscriptures in images and symbols. The Baulspeaks of love and union, but this love means thelove between the human and personality and thedivine beloved within, and in this love manrealises his union with the divine. The Bauls pourout their feelings in their songs but never botherto write them down. This is essentially an oraltradition. The songs are usually sung by soleperformer accompanied by a one stringedinstrument, the . The Baul song is notsimply an instrument for the amusement ofmasses but a subject worthy of serious study,bearing most of the essential characteristics offolk tradition.

The model is given by James Carey.

According to the Ritual Model, the purpose of

communication is for sharing, fellowship,

participation, association. Communication

functions for the feeling of oneness. According

to the model, communication is not just the act of

imparting information but the representation of

shared be l ieves or in te res t s . Also

communication is about intrinsic satisfaction of

the sender and the receiver. The model also says

that here, medium and message are hard to

separate. The model sees the original or highest

manifestation of communication, not in

transmission of intelligent information, but in the

construction and maintenance of an ordered,

meaningful cultural world that can serve as a

control and container for human action.

The model is given by, Nirmal Mani

Adhikary (Asst. Prof. of Media Studies Dept. ofLanguage and Mass Communication School ofArts. Kathmandu University Nepal). The termSadharanikaran is derived from the Sanskritword sadharan. It is bound with another concept,sahridayata, that is, a state of commonorientation, commonality or oneness.Sadharanikaran is the attainment of sahridayataby communicating parties. When senders andrece ive r accompl i sh the process o fsadharanikaran, they attain saharidayata andbecome sahr idayas . The essence ofsadharanikaran is to achieve commonness oroneness among the people.

• To study Baul music as a source ofintrapersonal communication. (fromBaul's perspective)

• To study Baul music as a source ofinterpersonal communication. (fromaudience's perspective)

• To study the relation between thedifferent levels of communication

Tantra

Moner Manush

ektara

BAULMUSIC

RITUALMODEL

S A D H A R A N I K A R A N M O D E L O FCOMMUNICATION

Objectives

Theoretical Framework

!

!

21

Oct. - Dec. 2017

3720

®…“�b˜™…… ®…“®……∆∫……

Oct. - Dec. 2017

through Baul Music.• To study the mode of communication

among1. Bauls2. Bauls and rest of the world

• To study the current scenario of Baulmusic.

The research is both qualitative andquantitative. The research designs used in thestudy are –exploratory and descriptive. Surveyand Interview methods were used to find out theresults. Secondary data was also used as a part ofthe study.

was used in the survey,which contained total 17 questions and was filledby the people attending the 'Posh Mela'.

7 questions were framed for theinterview of the Baul singers.

The proposed study was done using two methods.

Sample size of the survey was 100, out of

which 80 surveys were successfully done. The

respondents were chosen using

as it was required for the

study. The respondents were the people attending

the ' ' in , Bolpur.

An of the Baul singers was also

done. The sample size of the interview was 7. The

Bauls were also in the 'Posh Mela'.

The universe of the study was(Bolpur in West Bengal.

The life of a Baul is all about music. Theirlife revolves around music and for them music isthe only way through which they can have anultimate union with their God. The songs sung by

Methodology

Research ToolsQuestionnaire

Sampling Framework

purposive

sampling technique

interview

Universe

)DATA ANALYSIS

1.

2.

Posh Mela shantiniketan

Shantiniketan

Baul Interview Analysis -

Table 1 Initiation for dancing while performing Baul song

culture.Also people belonging to any caste, class,communal group can join this group. Theseactivities resemble that of the Buddhistwhich is over and above all distinctions of casteand religion. Their refusal to accept thefundamental bases of social organization stemsfrom their insistence to judge men with love andnot necessarily as a member of a group with pre-ordained virtues or faults.

For a Baul, music means everything, theylive for the love of music and music is just like airto them, without which they can't survivewithout. The Bauls are travellers; they travelfrom one place to another and sing songs. Theymostly write songs on philosophy of life and theirsongs are a way through which they believe thatthey can unite with their God who resides insidetheir body. They have two purpose for singingsongs, the main purpose is that they can unitewith their ' ' and the secondpurpose is that they believe that through theirsongs they can communicate their thoughts topeople those who are listening to them and in away can change their perspective towards life.Their songs are based on life and gives a messageof positivity, which intern helps in changing theway people think. They mostly write songs on –oneness of all religion into humanism, universalbrotherhood, and gender equality. The songsspeak about intense yearning of the heart for thedivine which is in man and not in the temples, orscriptures in images and symbols. The Baulspeaks of love and union, but this love means thelove between the human and personality and thedivine beloved within, and in this love manrealises his union with the divine. The Bauls pourout their feelings in their songs but never botherto write them down. This is essentially an oraltradition. The songs are usually sung by soleperformer accompanied by a one stringedinstrument, the . The Baul song is notsimply an instrument for the amusement ofmasses but a subject worthy of serious study,bearing most of the essential characteristics offolk tradition.

The model is given by James Carey.

According to the Ritual Model, the purpose of

communication is for sharing, fellowship,

participation, association. Communication

functions for the feeling of oneness. According

to the model, communication is not just the act of

imparting information but the representation of

shared be l ieves or in te res t s . Also

communication is about intrinsic satisfaction of

the sender and the receiver. The model also says

that here, medium and message are hard to

separate. The model sees the original or highest

manifestation of communication, not in

transmission of intelligent information, but in the

construction and maintenance of an ordered,

meaningful cultural world that can serve as a

control and container for human action.

The model is given by, Nirmal Mani

Adhikary (Asst. Prof. of Media Studies Dept. ofLanguage and Mass Communication School ofArts. Kathmandu University Nepal). The termSadharanikaran is derived from the Sanskritword sadharan. It is bound with another concept,sahridayata, that is, a state of commonorientation, commonality or oneness.Sadharanikaran is the attainment of sahridayataby communicating parties. When senders andrece ive r accompl i sh the process o fsadharanikaran, they attain saharidayata andbecome sahr idayas . The essence ofsadharanikaran is to achieve commonness oroneness among the people.

• To study Baul music as a source ofintrapersonal communication. (fromBaul's perspective)

• To study Baul music as a source ofinterpersonal communication. (fromaudience's perspective)

• To study the relation between thedifferent levels of communication

Tantra

Moner Manush

ektara

BAULMUSIC

RITUALMODEL

S A D H A R A N I K A R A N M O D E L O FCOMMUNICATION

Objectives

Theoretical Framework

!

!

21

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Oct. - Dec. 2017

3720

Oct. - Dec. 2017

living and makes them understand what is rightand what is wrong for them.

t has been said earlier that, when a Baulis singing, he/ she goes into a completelydifferent world, and at that point does not care

about anything else. When asked to them if thereaction of the audience disturbs or affects themwhile performing on stage all the bauls said that,no the audience's reaction does not affect them atall while performing. It is a very special time for

I

Table 2 Meaning of Baul music for Bauls

Table 3 Affect of audience's reaction on Baul's performance

Respondent Statement 1 Theme

Baul No. 1 No the audience’s reaction does not affect me. Does not affect

Baul No. 2 While performing my only aim is to make the audience understand what

my songs are about and to make them lead life on a proper path.

Does not affect

Baul No. 3 I don’t look at the audience when I perform on stage. I go into the feel of

the song.

Does not affect

Baul No. 4 It does not affect me, because I sing for the love of music only. Does not affect

Baul No. 5 I sing song to explain people, their reaction does not affect my

performance.

Does not affect

Baul No. 6 No, it does not affect my performance. Does not affect

Baul No. 7 No it does not affect my performance. Does not affect

them as they are in a process of unison with theirGod.

This also proves that Baul songs are aform of intra personal communication, as they aremainly singing it for themselves so that they canreach that point which is known as the ultimateunion. This also proves one of my objectiveswhich was that, Baul music is a form ofintrapersonal communication.

The bauls said that they sing forthemselves and for the love of music, so theaudience's reaction has nothing to do with theirperformance, also one of their purpose ofperforming on stage is to communicate to theaudience the philosophy of life and to help them

lead a changed and better life.

Graph 1When asked the respondents attending

SurveyAnalysis:

Table 1.1 Reson for listening to Baul Music.

them are known as ( Baul Songs)A Baul roams around and sing songs to

people he meet in his journey of life. The Baulseven perform in stage shows were hundreds ofpeople come to listen to them. Bauls are verymuch engrossed in singing and while they areperforming (be it for themselves or for theaudience), they start dancing to the tune of their

So, the Bauls were asked, at what point oftime, or when do they start dancing while singingthe songs. To this the Bauls said that, as soon asthe song starts taking rhythm the Baul startsdancing, also when the Baul goes completely intothe feel of the song, he/she starts dancing. One ofthe Bual also said that, the happiness whilesinging the song makes them dance.

A Baul while singing goes into acompletely different world of music. The fact thatthey start dancing proves that Baul music has thatpower which can hypnotise them and send theminto another state of mind. Their mindconcentrates only on the music and nothing elsematters to them at that point of time. Whileperforming they forget all their sorrows and

happiness and their only goal is to meet the Godwhich resides inside their body, which accordingto them is their temple

The life of a Baul revolves around onlyone thing that is music. For the bauls, music iseverything, his God, his temple. Music gives theirlife a direction and leads them towards thealmighty who according to them resides insidetheir body. For them music is a compulsory thingjust like breathing. Without music their life has nopurpose. Music is their identity; it is not just somenotes, but something which reflects who they are.Music helps them to express and to communicate,the bauls usually choose songs over normalconversation to explain to people the philosophyof life, as according to them, through songs it iseasier for them to explain things to other and it iseasier to understand through music. Music tothem is a ray of light, which guides them in theirlife.They use their songs as tools to change theperception towards life of common people andalso help them to change their wrong way of

Baul Gaan

ektara.

23

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®…“�b˜™…… ®…“®……∆∫……

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living and makes them understand what is rightand what is wrong for them.

t has been said earlier that, when a Baulis singing, he/ she goes into a completelydifferent world, and at that point does not care

about anything else. When asked to them if thereaction of the audience disturbs or affects themwhile performing on stage all the bauls said that,no the audience's reaction does not affect them atall while performing. It is a very special time for

I

Table 2 Meaning of Baul music for Bauls

Table 3 Affect of audience's reaction on Baul's performance

Respondent Statement 1 Theme

Baul No. 1 No the audience’s reaction does not affect me. Does not affect

Baul No. 2 While performing my only aim is to make the audience understand what

my songs are about and to make them lead life on a proper path.

Does not affect

Baul No. 3 I don’t look at the audience when I perform on stage. I go into the feel of

the song.

Does not affect

Baul No. 4 It does not affect me, because I sing for the love of music only. Does not affect

Baul No. 5 I sing song to explain people, their reaction does not affect my

performance.

Does not affect

Baul No. 6 No, it does not affect my performance. Does not affect

Baul No. 7 No it does not affect my performance. Does not affect

them as they are in a process of unison with theirGod.

This also proves that Baul songs are aform of intra personal communication, as they aremainly singing it for themselves so that they canreach that point which is known as the ultimateunion. This also proves one of my objectiveswhich was that, Baul music is a form ofintrapersonal communication.

The bauls said that they sing forthemselves and for the love of music, so theaudience's reaction has nothing to do with theirperformance, also one of their purpose ofperforming on stage is to communicate to theaudience the philosophy of life and to help them

lead a changed and better life.

Graph 1When asked the respondents attending

SurveyAnalysis:

Table 1.1 Reson for listening to Baul Music.

them are known as ( Baul Songs)A Baul roams around and sing songs to

people he meet in his journey of life. The Baulseven perform in stage shows were hundreds ofpeople come to listen to them. Bauls are verymuch engrossed in singing and while they areperforming (be it for themselves or for theaudience), they start dancing to the tune of their

So, the Bauls were asked, at what point oftime, or when do they start dancing while singingthe songs. To this the Bauls said that, as soon asthe song starts taking rhythm the Baul startsdancing, also when the Baul goes completely intothe feel of the song, he/she starts dancing. One ofthe Bual also said that, the happiness whilesinging the song makes them dance.

A Baul while singing goes into acompletely different world of music. The fact thatthey start dancing proves that Baul music has thatpower which can hypnotise them and send theminto another state of mind. Their mindconcentrates only on the music and nothing elsematters to them at that point of time. Whileperforming they forget all their sorrows and

happiness and their only goal is to meet the Godwhich resides inside their body, which accordingto them is their temple

The life of a Baul revolves around onlyone thing that is music. For the bauls, music iseverything, his God, his temple. Music gives theirlife a direction and leads them towards thealmighty who according to them resides insidetheir body. For them music is a compulsory thingjust like breathing. Without music their life has nopurpose. Music is their identity; it is not just somenotes, but something which reflects who they are.Music helps them to express and to communicate,the bauls usually choose songs over normalconversation to explain to people the philosophyof life, as according to them, through songs it iseasier for them to explain things to other and it iseasier to understand through music. Music tothem is a ray of light, which guides them in theirlife.They use their songs as tools to change theperception towards life of common people andalso help them to change their wrong way of

Baul Gaan

ektara.

23

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Table 5 Shows that, Most of therespondents prefer to talk to the Baul singers afterlistening to the live performance. Some of themprefer to talk always (33.8%) and rest prefer totalk sometimes (41.3%). Only a few respondentssaid that they do not (25%) prefer to talk to thesingers after attending the show. Since the resultshows that, most of the respondents refer to talkto the Bauls, proves that they do feel a personalconnection with the singers and their songs.

Table 1.6 Shows that most of therespondents give feedback to the Baul singers, ifit is possible. The results also say that, 71%(respondents who said yes always respondentswho said yes if it is possible) of the respondentssaid that they prefer to give feedback which againproves that they are able to connect themselves to

Graph 4

5

Graph 6

Table 1.4

Table 1.

Table 1.6

Connection the respondents feel with thebaul performer in live performance.

Preference of respondents to talk to the performers

1.

Frequency of respondent's giving feedback to theBaul performer

Results of Table 1.4 shows that, all therespondents feel a connection, with the Baulsinger while listening to their live performance.Maximum of the respondents (36.3%) feel verystrong connection with the singer performing infront of them, 22.5% said they feel muchconnection, 21.3% said average connection,18.8% said not much connection and only 1.3%said no connection at all. This result proves that,Baul songs have the power to captivate theattention of the audience in a very nice way,though it also depends on the performer in someway. But the audience while listening to the Baulsing feel that a one to one interaction is takingplace and that whatever the Baul singer is trying tocommunicate through his/her song, is especiallyfor them. Thus this makes the Baul songs, a formof interpersonal Communication.

Graph 5

the ' ' the reason why they like to listento Baul songs, maximum said that they listen to itfor the love of music, table 1.1 shows that, 37.5%of the respondents said so. Second highestnumber of response got by the respondent wasthat they listen to it for the love of the messagethey get through the Baul songs, 26.3% of therespondents said this. Rest 7.5 % said that theylisten for the love of regions, 7.5% said that theylisten for entertainment, 10% said that they listento it for the love of language, and 11.2% gavemultiple answers from the given options. Thusthe result according to the table proves that afterlove for music, lyrics are one of the major factorsfor liking the songs and they do deliver messages,which intern proves that Bauls songs are a form ofcommunication.

Graph 2Reason for attending a live Baul

performance

The respondents were asked, whatattracts them in attending a live Baulperformance, to which from table 1.2 it can besaid that, 22.5% respondents said that, the Baulperformer attracts them to attend a live show,20.7% said that the feel of the live performance istheir main attraction, 10% said that they attendBaul shows because of the art form, 8.8% saidthey attend it for spiritual communication and33.8 % said that all the mentioned factors attracts

them to attend a live Baul performance/show.The results prove that the people really

feel a connection with the baul songs and alsowith the singers.

Graph 3

Reason for liking Baul Songs

The respondents in the 'Posh Mela' wereasked, what attracts them the most in the Baulsongs. According to table 7, maximum of therespondents, i.e 28.7% of the respondents saidthat the Folk tune of the songs attract them themost, 18.8 % said that the lyrics of the songsattracts them the most, 15% respondents saidthat, it is the spiritual communication in the songswhich attracts them, 8.7% of the respondentsgave multiple answer and 21.3% respondentssaid, that all the factors mentioned here attractsthem towards Baul songs.

Posh Mela

Table 1.2Table 1.3

Interpretation –

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Table 5 Shows that, Most of therespondents prefer to talk to the Baul singers afterlistening to the live performance. Some of themprefer to talk always (33.8%) and rest prefer totalk sometimes (41.3%). Only a few respondentssaid that they do not (25%) prefer to talk to thesingers after attending the show. Since the resultshows that, most of the respondents refer to talkto the Bauls, proves that they do feel a personalconnection with the singers and their songs.

Table 1.6 Shows that most of therespondents give feedback to the Baul singers, ifit is possible. The results also say that, 71%(respondents who said yes always respondentswho said yes if it is possible) of the respondentssaid that they prefer to give feedback which againproves that they are able to connect themselves to

Graph 4

5

Graph 6

Table 1.4

Table 1.

Table 1.6

Connection the respondents feel with thebaul performer in live performance.

Preference of respondents to talk to the performers

1.

Frequency of respondent's giving feedback to theBaul performer

Results of Table 1.4 shows that, all therespondents feel a connection, with the Baulsinger while listening to their live performance.Maximum of the respondents (36.3%) feel verystrong connection with the singer performing infront of them, 22.5% said they feel muchconnection, 21.3% said average connection,18.8% said not much connection and only 1.3%said no connection at all. This result proves that,Baul songs have the power to captivate theattention of the audience in a very nice way,though it also depends on the performer in someway. But the audience while listening to the Baulsing feel that a one to one interaction is takingplace and that whatever the Baul singer is trying tocommunicate through his/her song, is especiallyfor them. Thus this makes the Baul songs, a formof interpersonal Communication.

Graph 5

the ' ' the reason why they like to listento Baul songs, maximum said that they listen to itfor the love of music, table 1.1 shows that, 37.5%of the respondents said so. Second highestnumber of response got by the respondent wasthat they listen to it for the love of the messagethey get through the Baul songs, 26.3% of therespondents said this. Rest 7.5 % said that theylisten for the love of regions, 7.5% said that theylisten for entertainment, 10% said that they listento it for the love of language, and 11.2% gavemultiple answers from the given options. Thusthe result according to the table proves that afterlove for music, lyrics are one of the major factorsfor liking the songs and they do deliver messages,which intern proves that Bauls songs are a form ofcommunication.

Graph 2Reason for attending a live Baul

performance

The respondents were asked, whatattracts them in attending a live Baulperformance, to which from table 1.2 it can besaid that, 22.5% respondents said that, the Baulperformer attracts them to attend a live show,20.7% said that the feel of the live performance istheir main attraction, 10% said that they attendBaul shows because of the art form, 8.8% saidthey attend it for spiritual communication and33.8 % said that all the mentioned factors attracts

them to attend a live Baul performance/show.The results prove that the people really

feel a connection with the baul songs and alsowith the singers.

Graph 3

Reason for liking Baul Songs

The respondents in the 'Posh Mela' wereasked, what attracts them the most in the Baulsongs. According to table 7, maximum of therespondents, i.e 28.7% of the respondents saidthat the Folk tune of the songs attract them themost, 18.8 % said that the lyrics of the songsattracts them the most, 15% respondents saidthat, it is the spiritual communication in the songswhich attracts them, 8.7% of the respondentsgave multiple answer and 21.3% respondentssaid, that all the factors mentioned here attractsthem towards Baul songs.

Posh Mela

Table 1.2Table 1.3

Interpretation –

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Extent of communication through Baul songs

Influence of Baul music in changingperspective towards life

Results of the table 1.9 Shows thatmaximum number of respondents agrees thatbaul music communicate message. Very fewrespondents said that the Baul songs do notcommunicate any message. 46.3% said verymuch, 25% said much, 22.5% said average amd6.3% said not much.

Thus going with the result of themaximum responses, now it is clear that Baulsongs are a type of interpersonal form ofcommunication.

The result of table 1.10 shows that, Baul

music has great influence on the respondents. Outof the respondents, 28.7% said very much,28.7% said much, 22.5% said average, 15% saidnot much and 5% said not at all, when asked towhat extent they feel Baul music influence therespondents life. It has the power of changing theperspective of the respondents towards life. Asmentioned before, the Bauls sing song to theaudience so that they can help them lead a goodlife and if their listeners are disturbed or are indepression or may be are leading a life which isnot correct, then the Bauls find it their duty to helpthem and change their perspective towards life.After asking the audience the responses alsoshowed that, their perspective towards life doeschange by listening to the songs. This proves thatthe purpose of the communication through Baulsongs are being fulfilled and thus Bauls songs area means of interpersonal form of communication.

In the study it was found that, the Baul songstouches three levels of communication at thesame time. The singer who is singing, for him it isintrapersonal form of communication, for thelistener it is an interpersonal communication andsimultaneously intrapersonal form ofcommunication. For a third person who iswatching this from a distance, it is a form of masscommunication. Thus the song at the same time isa different mode of communication in theperspective of different people.The data of this research was divided into twoparts, interview of the Bauls, and survey on thepeople who had come to attend the ' '.

Baul music is an intrapersonal mode of

communication in context to the Baul

singer.

Baul music is a form of interpersonal

mode of communication for the listener.

A person is considered to be Baul only

after he/she successfully completes

practices of the Bauls under their .

The Bauls are above all the materialistic

things and while living in the society they

Graph 10

Findings of the Baul Interview are -

Table 1.10

Findings of the study

Posh Mela

Guru

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!

!

the songs and the singer because of which theyare willing to talk to them after listening to theirperformance. There were few respondents(28.7%) they never give feedback.

Graph 7

Results of table 1.7 Shows that, all therespondents have experienced some change intheir life after listening to the Baul songs; only theextent to which they have experienced the changein their life differs. Maximum people (36.3%)have experienced an average change and only 5% have not experienced any change, 11.3%respondents said not much . 22.5% respondentssaid that they have experienced very muchchange and 25 % said they have experiencedmuch change. One of the purposes of the Baulsinger's life is to guide his listeners through thesongs so that they lead a better life and if therespondents are saying that they haveexperienced some change, then it means that thecommunication through the Baul songs which theBaul wants have been successful.

Table 1.8 Shows the responses of therespondents of 'Posh Mela' on the question thatwhat according to them is the purpose of Baulmusic. Maximum respondents, i.e 32.5% saidthat it is for giving message, 17.5% said that it isfor spiritual communication, 13.8% said it is forentertainment and 13.8% said it is forcommunicating culture, 8.8% said that it is forself expression and 13.6% gave multipleanswers.

The results shows that, according to therespondents, the Baul music is for givingmessage, or in other words we can say that it is forthe purpose of communication.

Table 1.7Changes the respondents have experienced by

listening to Baul songs

Table 1.8

Table 1.9

Graph 8

Purpose of Baul music according to respondent

Graph 9

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Extent of communication through Baul songs

Influence of Baul music in changingperspective towards life

Results of the table 1.9 Shows thatmaximum number of respondents agrees thatbaul music communicate message. Very fewrespondents said that the Baul songs do notcommunicate any message. 46.3% said verymuch, 25% said much, 22.5% said average amd6.3% said not much.

Thus going with the result of themaximum responses, now it is clear that Baulsongs are a type of interpersonal form ofcommunication.

The result of table 1.10 shows that, Baul

music has great influence on the respondents. Outof the respondents, 28.7% said very much,28.7% said much, 22.5% said average, 15% saidnot much and 5% said not at all, when asked towhat extent they feel Baul music influence therespondents life. It has the power of changing theperspective of the respondents towards life. Asmentioned before, the Bauls sing song to theaudience so that they can help them lead a goodlife and if their listeners are disturbed or are indepression or may be are leading a life which isnot correct, then the Bauls find it their duty to helpthem and change their perspective towards life.After asking the audience the responses alsoshowed that, their perspective towards life doeschange by listening to the songs. This proves thatthe purpose of the communication through Baulsongs are being fulfilled and thus Bauls songs area means of interpersonal form of communication.

In the study it was found that, the Baul songstouches three levels of communication at thesame time. The singer who is singing, for him it isintrapersonal form of communication, for thelistener it is an interpersonal communication andsimultaneously intrapersonal form ofcommunication. For a third person who iswatching this from a distance, it is a form of masscommunication. Thus the song at the same time isa different mode of communication in theperspective of different people.The data of this research was divided into twoparts, interview of the Bauls, and survey on thepeople who had come to attend the ' '.

Baul music is an intrapersonal mode of

communication in context to the Baul

singer.

Baul music is a form of interpersonal

mode of communication for the listener.

A person is considered to be Baul only

after he/she successfully completes

practices of the Bauls under their .

The Bauls are above all the materialistic

things and while living in the society they

Graph 10

Findings of the Baul Interview are -

Table 1.10

Findings of the study

Posh Mela

Guru

·

·

·

·

!

!

!

!

the songs and the singer because of which theyare willing to talk to them after listening to theirperformance. There were few respondents(28.7%) they never give feedback.

Graph 7

Results of table 1.7 Shows that, all therespondents have experienced some change intheir life after listening to the Baul songs; only theextent to which they have experienced the changein their life differs. Maximum people (36.3%)have experienced an average change and only 5% have not experienced any change, 11.3%respondents said not much . 22.5% respondentssaid that they have experienced very muchchange and 25 % said they have experiencedmuch change. One of the purposes of the Baulsinger's life is to guide his listeners through thesongs so that they lead a better life and if therespondents are saying that they haveexperienced some change, then it means that thecommunication through the Baul songs which theBaul wants have been successful.

Table 1.8 Shows the responses of therespondents of 'Posh Mela' on the question thatwhat according to them is the purpose of Baulmusic. Maximum respondents, i.e 32.5% saidthat it is for giving message, 17.5% said that it isfor spiritual communication, 13.8% said it is forentertainment and 13.8% said it is forcommunicating culture, 8.8% said that it is forself expression and 13.6% gave multipleanswers.

The results shows that, according to therespondents, the Baul music is for givingmessage, or in other words we can say that it is forthe purpose of communication.

Table 1.7Changes the respondents have experienced by

listening to Baul songs

Table 1.8

Table 1.9

Graph 8

Purpose of Baul music according to respondent

Graph 9

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Oct. - Dec. 2017

lead a life very different from the society.

There is huge difference between the pre

and post Baul life, the perspective

towards everything changes after

becoming a Baul and music becomes the

lifeline.

The Baul starts dancing while singing a

song, when he/she completely gets

engrossed in the feel of the song.

According to the Bauls new media has

both good and bad affects on their

traditions.

For the Bauls, music as important as is air

for life.

According to the Bauls music is a way of

e x p r e s s i n g t h e m s e l v e s a n d

communicating with others.

Once the Baul starts singing while

performing on stage, anything happening

around does not affect their performance

as they get completely lost in the feel of

the song.

The Bauls take knowledge from their

guru orally and at times just write down

the songs.

The Bauls communicate with each other

through symbols and secret languages

and they communicate with their listeners

through their songs.

One of the Bauls was also able to help an

alcohol addict from overcoming his

addiction.

According to some of the Bauls, the new

and advanced technology, Baul music has

become more popular in the entire world

and people know about it and thus these

people are getting more shows to perform

in.

On the other hand there are some Bauls

according to whom these new

technologies have destroyed the

originality of the culture as people are

now copying the tune distorting it and this

ruins the originality of the songs.

It was found in the survey that music is

listened by all and a large population

listens to Baul songs.

People listen to Baul songs for the love of

music or folk music (37%) and for the

love of message (26.3%) that the songs

give.

is the most popular

(48.8%) form of music in west Bengal

and also it is highly inspired by Baul

songs.

Tune of the Baul songs is one thing that is

liked the people (28.7%) a lot in Baul

songs.

The Baul performer (22%), the art form

(10%), the feel of the live show (20%) and

spiritual communication (8.8%), all

attracts the people to attend a live Baul

performance.

Most of the audience listening to Baul

songs feels a very strong (36.3%)

connection with the performer.

Most of the music lovers try and attend a

live Baul performance every time it is

possible for them.

Apart from the live shows, people prefer

to listen to the Baul songs on internet.

The audience after listening to a live show

only sometimes (41.3%) talk to the

performer.

Most of the people give feedback to the

Baul performer after attending their show

if it is possible (46.3%).

Many people have experienced change in

their life after listening to the Baul songs.

Most of the people (32.5%) agree that the

purpose of Baul songs is to give

messages.

Most of the people (46.3%) agree that

Baul music is a mode of communication

Maximum people said that Baul music

has influenced their perspective towards

life.

·

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·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

Findings of the survey of People

attending the –Posh Mela

Ravindra sangeet

ConclusionFrom the entire study it can be concluded

that, Baul music is a very strong means ofcommunication which is used by the Baul singersto communicate their thoughts and thinking withthe common people. The audience of the Baul

songs also feels very connected with the singersand the songs. For them it becomes ainterpersonal form of communication where theyfeel that, the singer is directly conversing withthem.

The songs of the Bauls are mostly about

INTRAPERSONAL

INTERPERSONAL

Fig. 1 showing levels of communication through Baul Music

BAUL MUSIC

Fig. 2 Show levels of communication in Baul music at the same time, where the arrowindicates time dimension, which is same for all the communication types

29

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3728

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Oct. - Dec. 2017

lead a life very different from the society.

There is huge difference between the pre

and post Baul life, the perspective

towards everything changes after

becoming a Baul and music becomes the

lifeline.

The Baul starts dancing while singing a

song, when he/she completely gets

engrossed in the feel of the song.

According to the Bauls new media has

both good and bad affects on their

traditions.

For the Bauls, music as important as is air

for life.

According to the Bauls music is a way of

e x p r e s s i n g t h e m s e l v e s a n d

communicating with others.

Once the Baul starts singing while

performing on stage, anything happening

around does not affect their performance

as they get completely lost in the feel of

the song.

The Bauls take knowledge from their

guru orally and at times just write down

the songs.

The Bauls communicate with each other

through symbols and secret languages

and they communicate with their listeners

through their songs.

One of the Bauls was also able to help an

alcohol addict from overcoming his

addiction.

According to some of the Bauls, the new

and advanced technology, Baul music has

become more popular in the entire world

and people know about it and thus these

people are getting more shows to perform

in.

On the other hand there are some Bauls

according to whom these new

technologies have destroyed the

originality of the culture as people are

now copying the tune distorting it and this

ruins the originality of the songs.

It was found in the survey that music is

listened by all and a large population

listens to Baul songs.

People listen to Baul songs for the love of

music or folk music (37%) and for the

love of message (26.3%) that the songs

give.

is the most popular

(48.8%) form of music in west Bengal

and also it is highly inspired by Baul

songs.

Tune of the Baul songs is one thing that is

liked the people (28.7%) a lot in Baul

songs.

The Baul performer (22%), the art form

(10%), the feel of the live show (20%) and

spiritual communication (8.8%), all

attracts the people to attend a live Baul

performance.

Most of the audience listening to Baul

songs feels a very strong (36.3%)

connection with the performer.

Most of the music lovers try and attend a

live Baul performance every time it is

possible for them.

Apart from the live shows, people prefer

to listen to the Baul songs on internet.

The audience after listening to a live show

only sometimes (41.3%) talk to the

performer.

Most of the people give feedback to the

Baul performer after attending their show

if it is possible (46.3%).

Many people have experienced change in

their life after listening to the Baul songs.

Most of the people (32.5%) agree that the

purpose of Baul songs is to give

messages.

Most of the people (46.3%) agree that

Baul music is a mode of communication

Maximum people said that Baul music

has influenced their perspective towards

life.

·

·

·

·

·

·

·

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!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

Findings of the survey of People

attending the –Posh Mela

Ravindra sangeet

ConclusionFrom the entire study it can be concluded

that, Baul music is a very strong means ofcommunication which is used by the Baul singersto communicate their thoughts and thinking withthe common people. The audience of the Baul

songs also feels very connected with the singersand the songs. For them it becomes ainterpersonal form of communication where theyfeel that, the singer is directly conversing withthem.

The songs of the Bauls are mostly about

INTRAPERSONAL

INTERPERSONAL

Fig. 1 showing levels of communication through Baul Music

BAUL MUSIC

Fig. 2 Show levels of communication in Baul music at the same time, where the arrowindicates time dimension, which is same for all the communication types

29

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Oct. - Dec. 2017

the philosophy of life and teach the commonpeople how to lead a good life. Most of the peoplewho listen to baul songs regularly, haveexperienced change in their perspective towardslife and felt a change in their mind. Thus in short itcan be said that, Baul is not just a form of culturalcommunication or spiritual communication, it ismore than that, and it is something that the peoplefeel is their own and feel connected with. Talkingabout the Baul singers for them their music istheir life and without music they are nothing. Forthem music is their guiding light of life. It is notjust a casual thing, but a very important part oftheir life, in fact music is their life. Theycommunicate through music. Their songs are like

their identity. The Bauls mostly write on genderequality, , life etc.

In the end it can be said that, Baul songsare not just any usual form of music, it is verydifferent and holds a very special place in theheart of the singers and the listeners as well. Baulmusic reaches three different levels ofcommunication at the same time, intrapersonalfor the Baul singer, interpersonal for the audienceattending the live show and mass communicationfor the one listening to the live performance overa medium. No other form of music reachesdifferent levels of communication at the sametime.

dehatto

Bibliography·

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Baul. (n.d.). Retrieved from encyclopedia: http://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/islam/islam/baulBaul songs. (2008). Retrieved from unesco.org: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/baul-songs-00107Bhattacharya, B. (1993). The path of the mystic lover : Baul songs of passion and Ecstasy. Innertraditions/ Bear and co.Bidhan Mondal, D. S. (2015). The Bauls of Birbhu : Identity, Fusion and diffusion. Internationalresearch journal of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary studies, 6.Biswas, D. (2016). Baul : In the Quest of Moner Manush. The Criterion an international journal inenglish, 8.Das, S. (2017, march 09). The Bauls of Bengal :Wandering mystic cult. Retrieved from thoughtco:https://www.thoughtco.com/the-bauls-of-bengal-1769990Kar, R. (n.d.). Bauls : A different philosophy of life. Multidisciplinary Journal of Humanities andSocial Sciences, 9.McQuail, D. (2010). McQuail's mass communication theory. SAGE publication.Mondal, B. (2015). Role of media in popularising Indian Baul culture and their songs to the world.Journal of content community and communication, 5.Ray, M. (1994). The Bauls of Birbhum: A study in persistence and change in communication incultural context. Calcutta: Calcutta : Firma KLM.Sen, M. (2010). Baulsphere : My travels with the wandering Bards of Bengal . Noida: RandomHouse India.Sengupta, J. (2015). The Baul Sursadhak : The tradition and Individual Talent . Journal of Literatureand Art studies, 7.Sil, M. (2016, february 10). Humanism as a way of life : Lalon fakir and the baul tradition of Bengal.Retrieved from appliedsentience: https://appliedsentience.com/2016/02/10/humanism-as-a-way-of-life-lalon-fakir-the-baul-tradition-of-bengal/

IntroductionThe role of media in democracy is to yield

information to its citizens, so that they can maketheir own decisions and get acquainted with theirsurroundings. Thus, the information spread bythe media and it's the contribution of mediacredibility is extremely important in today'svolatile climate of increasing political division.The audience perception of media credibility isdecreasing since 1970's. In fact, the news mediaare suffering a credibility crisis, with academicand industry constantly showing doubt in theaccuracy, fairness and trustworthiness in mediareports

, the editors'conclave organized by the Foundationand the took placeduring December 9-11 in Kolkata. Topic of theconference, held for the seventh time, was the“credibility crisis of media in India and globally”.The opening speech was given by

, former foreign secretary of India andformer Deputy General-Secretary of theCommonwealth of Nations. The seventh editionof the annual conference was inaugurated by

. He stressed that "the Indian

media is now robust, vast, and reflects thediversity of nation." nevertheless, he pointed outthat commercial considerations were having toobig an influence on the selection of panels and theopinion aired. Another problem would be that, incontrast to the press council of India, there was nobody governing electronic media. He criticizedthat an increasing number of journalism wouldrestrict them to dividing the world in "good andevil." Furthermore; he expressed his worries thatwhile high-quality journalism would require acertain distance between journalism andpoliticians, too much journalism were activelytrying to be in proximity to political power-circle.The journalist criticized the'sensationalism' of media and a lack of fact-checking. Nevertheless, print media wouldcontinue to play an important in India.

It has been found that, media circulateserroneous information. Media in today's worldexaggerates news, which is not to be highlighted.The political parties of our country buy andmanipulate the media companies, which in turnstart promoting the parties only for the sake ofmoney and make the news, biased. Thejournalism of our nation is lacking knowledge

.Media: ACrisis of Credibility

C.R. IraniKonard-Adenauer-Stftung

KrishnanSrinivasan

Krishan Srinivasan

Kalyani Shankar

Abstract

Keywords: Media, Media Credibility, Print-media, Electronic-media, New-media.

r

rr

Dr. Monika VermaDr. Shaili Misra

CREDIBILITY PERCEPTION TOWARDS VARIOUS MEDIA

In the present investigation, various types of media are examined to study theircredibility. The present study is framed as, “Media Credibility and Various Media”.Sample of the study were taken from both rural and urban areas of Hoshangabad andBhopal districts of Madhya Pradesh. The sample size was N=400, with generalpopulation respectively. The assessment measure taken for the study was a self-developed and standardised questionnaire-cum-schedule. Age of the participantsranged from 15 years to 60 years. Data was analysed using SPSS. The results andfindings are in accordance with previous studies and theories.

r

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Associate Professor, Department of Communication Research MCNUJC, Bhopal CampusFaculty, Department of Communication Research, MCNUJC, Bhopal Campus

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