Research proposal (e.g.

the research questions, methodology):

Title of the Research Project: "Silent Night, Holy Night": The Evolution and Development of Christian Ritual Music and the Contribution of Christo Baul in Postcolonial Bengal Synopsis:

Was this simply because of some passion you have for music, or was it something that you wanted to say about, that you found that musicologists were not saying who suffered occasional bourgeois-decadent lapses from grace? Ed. By Payne, Michael and Schad, John; Life after theory, on music, religion and art after theory, Pg.no.117, Continuum, London, 2003

Almost 300 years old, a remarkable tradition of Christian ritual music in Bengal has been re-explored in this research. How a small village of Bengal under Nadia district, inherits an extra ordinary blend of Colonial Hindu and Islamic cultural tradition in its daily life of Christian religious sentiments that has been portrayed. It is beyond doubt, that the territory has turned into a wonderful melting pot of religious cultural emblems, where Hindu custom like Vaishnavism and Sufism under Islamic tradition get intermingled with Christian ritual music. The Bengali Christian Music is actually a wonderful compilation of western and eastern cultural traditions. Earlier it was only performed in the Church, later it spread out among the common people and they use it according to their rituals and social customs. The influence of Padabali, Naam-Sankirtan, Taarja and Baul make it more approachable to others, particularly in rural Bengal. The sociology of culture inherits from the social life of Bengal through this divine primeval musical form. It is the point where socio-economic life and music merges with each other. Bands (Sampraday) were formed and Christianity, Islam and Hinduism have melted together. In general we performed at Church or at religious occasion of Christianity,

like Easter, Christmas, Palm Sunday, New Year, Morning and Evening prayers, in Holy birth, Marriage, Baptism and in Burial ceremony. Slowly it moves into public performances, like Kobigaan, Taarja, Aakhara gaan, Kirtan and Baul gaan. In these adaptations we also have Islamic tradition of Sufi music, which enriches the form more diligently. The sources of traditional Christian songs can be identified both from English and Bengali versions, starting from the renditions of E.T. Sanders, Chamberlin, Rankin to Rabindranath Tagore, D.L. Roy and Bindu Nath Sarkar (1894). Among the modern notation makers Priyo Nath Bairagi, Jodu Nath Some, Santosh Kumar Patra, Samar Bairagi, Manik Nath etc. All these important elements are the flesh and blood of Christian musical tradition in Bengal. The various communities from the interior segments of Nabadwip and Tehatta, dealing with unconventional Christian Musical forms, like Christo Bauls, Christo Kirtan, Christo Kobigaan, Taarja, Christo Jhapan, etc. get unveil. Some of the indigenous musical forms are almost nearing extinction and to collect and documented these indigenous outlines of music are the only motive of this research. Research Methodology: 1. Background: How often do we forget that the most essential is the most We live in space, breathe air, and receive

ordinary and extraordinary, too?

sustenance from the earth, sky and society, each moment, and yet the self awareness of this perennial rhythm is only the heightened moments of consciousness. Space, time and primal elements are the essentials as are the primary faculties of sense perception that is equally important for the musical orientation to the society. A moments reflection reveals the micro, macro and subtle dimensions of these essentials. The human experiences these within and without. The inner and outer, the implicit levels are in reciprocal relationship. Each of the essentials opens up a vast universe of interrelated elements and social faculties. Logically it is the time to focus attention on the primary faculties of music and sociology of religious culture; those are still untraced in this very context. The Sound (the life) and the Silence (the death) are all permeating and pervasive. The unstuck

(anahata) and struck (ahata) sound of the Indian tradition allude to its profound significance. The Christian ritual and treatment of music as the social unstuck and struck version of socio-cultural studies of post modern Bengali society discover the hidden philosophical connection between both in the aspects of subaltern communities and urban dwellers of Postcolonial Bengal. 2. Salient features of the proposed study: The salient features of the proposed

study have been already discussed in the early synopsis portion.

3.

Plan of work: As previously mentioned that there is no such research, survey

or documentation has done before on the evolution of Christian ritual music from Colonial to Postcolonial periphery of Bengal, and this project needs a proper framing to motivate the research into a milestone. The geographical boundaries should be enhanced and the classification of the different cultures of Bengal should be sited. The plan is almost depends on the routine field work and effective speculation for the project. Besides documentation and field notes, it is necessary to took visit to the territories of different institutionalized religions, Subaltern cultures from the tribal forum of the rural Bengal to the existing popular cultures and elite class of the Postmodern Bengali customs. Recording the hymns, music, and chants, taking photographs, and some of the interviews from the common people to religious gurus of different sectors for knowing their funeral customs and traditional rites. The budget and the time duration that has allotted for the project supposed to commemorate.

4.

Merit justification: It is an undoubted fact that, the modern Bengali culture

and society has ignored or overlooked this funerary musical connection under implementation and development of the paradigm of modernity. Eventually, there are no such early documentations and historical citations about this musical journey towards salvation. In this research the foremost aim is to reveal the chapter of development and treatment of the music behind the funeral rites which is still

unexplored. This soulful initiative behind the project is beyond justification of merits. The originality, creative lookout and hearty dedication in the field of socioreligious and ethno musical studies could make this project, phenomena on creating new history of cultural hegemony.