‘From Another World’: Hear Bob Dylan Translated Into Bengali (Song Premiere)

By Eric R. Danton

If Bob Dylan’s music can translate to Super Bowl TV commercials, then Bengali should be no problem. Indeed, the Indian singer Purna Das Baul demonstrates the universality of Dylan on a cover of “Mr. Tambourine Man” that premieres today on Speakeasy. The version is part of “From Another World: A Tribute to Bob Dylan,” which features Dylan’s songs rendered into Spanish, Romanian, Arabic and Dzongkha (the language of Bhutan), among other tongues.

Purna Das Baul is part of the Bauls, a sect of mystic minstrels that dates back centuries in Bengal, a region that straddles present-day Bangladesh and India. The 80-year-old singer has a history with Dylan, too, having met the singer in Woodstock, N.Y., in 1967, according to the liner notes of the collection. Purna Das performs “Mr. Tambourine Man” with his son, Bapi, singing over a droning line from a traditional one-string instrument called the ektara, topped with a woodwind sound and a polyrhythmic beat. Dylan first released the song on his 1965 album “Bringing It All Back Home,” and the song has been covered by artists including the Byrds, Odetta and even William Shatner.