Parvathy Baul is a practitioner, performer, and teacher of the Baul tradition from Bengal, India. She is also an instrumentalist, storyteller, and painter.

Parvathy has performed in more than 40 countries, including such prestigious concert halls and music festivals as the Noh Theater in Kyoto, the World Music Center in New York City, and the Festival of World Sacred Music in Fez, Morocco. She is the founder of Tantidhatri, an international women’s performance festival, and cofounder of the Ekathara Kalari school in Kerala, India for training in both song and traditional spiritual practice.

Parvathy’s performance work emerges from a long lineage of master Baul singers, dancers, and spiritual teachers. The Baul tradition of devotional folk songs dates back to 8th Century. Baul songs are revered by Bengalis and others around the world and have been declared a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO.

Parvathy studied closely with two of the most respected Baul singer-gurus of the previous generation: Sri Sanatan Das Baul and Sri Shoshanko Goshai. She was recognized by Sanatan Das Baul as both a musical and spiritual teacher in the Baul tradition, carrying forward his spiritual legacy. While fully embodying traditional Baul music and practice, Parvathy is also renowned for her continued efforts in renewing this ancient heritage. As the most recognized woman Baul performer in the world, she is making systematic training in traditional Baul arts available to women on a scale that has never occurred previously. She is a tireless advocate for both preservation and renewal of the tradition, frequently using her international reputation to highlight other, lesser-known master performers.

Parvathy Baul has recorded five CD's of music and published a book on the Baul tradition through Ekathara Kalari, her nonprofit promoting ancient Indian spiritual traditions, with an emphasis on Baul arts and practice.