Baul (, are a group of mystic minstrels from 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. Not much is known of their origin. Baul music had a great influence on Rabindranath Tagore's poetry and on his music (Rabindra Sangeet).

Though Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.

Etymology

The origin of the word is Baul is debated. Some modern scholars, like Shashibhusan Das Gupta have suggested that it may be derived either from Sanskrit word vatula, which means "enlightened, lashed by the wind to the point of losing one's sanity, god's madcap, detached from the world, and seeker of truth", or from vyakula, which means "restless, agitated" and both of these derivations are consistent with the modern sense of the word, which denotes the inspired people with an ecstatic eagerness for a spiritual life, where a person can realise his union with the eternal beloved - the Maner Manush (the man of the heart).

History

The origin of Bauls is not known exactly, but the word "Baul" has appeared in Bengali texts as old as the 15th century. The word is found in the Chaitanya Bhagavata of Vrindavana Dasa Thakura as well as in the Chaitanya Charitamrita of Krishnadasa Kaviraja. Some scholars maintain that it is not clear when the word took its sectarian significance, as opposed to being a synonym for the word madcap, agitated. The beginning of the Baul movement was attributed to Birbhadra, the son of the Vaishnavite saint Nityananda, or alternatively to the 8th century Persian minstrels called Ba'al. Bauls are a part of the culture of rural Bengal. Whatever their origin, Baul thought has mixed elements of Tantra, Sufi Islam, Vaishnavism and Buddhism. They are thought to have been influenced by the Hindu tantric sect of the Kartabhajas, as well as Tantric Buddhist schools like the Vaishnava-Sahajiya. Some scholars find traces of these thoughts in the ancient practices of Yoga as well as the Charyapadas, which are Buddhist hymns that are the first known example of written Bengali. The Bauls themselves attribute their lack of historical records to their reluctance to leave traces behind. Dr. Jeanne Openshaw writes that the music of the Bauls appears to have been passed down entirely in oral form until the end of the 19th century, when it was first transcribed by outside observers.

The Bauls were recorded as a major sect as early as mid 18th century.

Concepts and practices

Baul music celebrates celestial love, but does this in very earthy terms, as in declarations of love by the Baul for his bosh-tomi or lifemate. With such a liberal interpretation of love, it is only natural that Baul devotional music transcends religion and some of the most famous baul composers, such as Lalon Fakir, have been of Muslim faith. The famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore was greatly influenced and inspired by Bauls. Here is a famous Rabindrasangeet (Tagore song), heavily influenced by Baul theme:

amar paner manush achhe prane
tai here taye shokol khane
Achhe she noyōn-taray, alōk-dharay, tai na haraye--
ogo tai dekhi taye Jethay shethay
taka-i ami je dik-pane

''The man of my heart dwells inside me.
Everywhere I look, it is he.
In my every sight, in the sparkle of light
Oh, I can never lose him --
Here, there and everywhere,
Wherever I turn, he is right there!

Their religion is based on an expression of the body (Deho Sadhana), and an expression of the mind (Mana Sadhana). Some of their rituals are kept hidden from outsiders, as they might be thought to be repulsive or hedonistic. Bauls concentrate much of their mystic energies on the four body fluids, on the nine-doors (openings of the body), on prakriti as "nature" or "primal motive force", and on breath Sadhana.

Baul music

The music of the Bauls, Baul Sangeet, is a particular type of folk song. It carries influences of Hindu bhakti movements as well as the suphi, a form of Sufi song exemplified by the songs of Kabir. Their music represents a long heritage of preaching mysticism through songs in Bengal, like Shahebdhoni or Bolahadi sects.

Bauls use a number of musical instruments to embellish their compositions. The "ektara" is a one-stringed “plucked drum” drone instrument, and by far the most common instrument used by a Baul singer. It is carved from the epicarp of a gourd, and made of bamboo and goatskin. Other commonly used musical instruments include the dotara, a long-necked fretless lute (while the name literally means “two stringed” it usually has four metal strings); drums like the duggi, a small hand-held earthen drum, and dhol and khol; small cymbals called "khartal" and "manjira", and the bamboo flute.

Rabindranath Tagore and the Bauls

The songs of the Bauls and their lifestyle influenced a large swath of Bengali culture, but nowhere did it leave its imprint more powerfully than on the work of Rabindranath Tagore, who talked of Bauls in a number of speeches in Europe in the 1930s. An essay based on these was compiled into his English book The Religion of Man:

The Bauls are an ancient group of wandering minstrels from Bengal, who believe in simplicity in life and love. They are similar to the Buddhists in their belief in a fulfillment which is reached by love's emancipating us from the dominance of self.

Where shall I meet him, the Man of my Heart?
He is lost to me and I seek him wandering from land to land.
: I am listless for that moonrise of beauty, :: which is to light my life, :: which I long to see in the fullness of vision :: in gladness of heart. [p.524]

The above is a translation of the famous Baul song by Gogon Har-kora: Ami kothai pabo tare, amar moner manush je re. The following extract is a translation of another song:

My longing is to meet you in play of love, my Lover;
But this longing is not only mine, but also yours.
For your lips can have their smile, and your flute
: its music, only in your delight in my love; : and therefore you importunate, even as I am.

The poet proudly says: 'Your flute could not have its music of beauty if your delight were not in my love. Your power is great—and there I am not equal to you—but it lies even in me to make you smile and if you and I never meet, then this play of love remains incomplete.'

The great distinguished people of the world do not know that these beggars—deprived of education, honour and wealth—can, in the pride of their souls, look down upon them as the unfortunate ones who are left on the shore for their worldly uses but whose life ever misses the touch of the Lover's arms.

This feeling that man is not a mere casual visitor at the palace-gate of the world, but the invited guest whose presence is needed to give the royal banquet its sole meaning, is not confined to any particular sect in India.

A large tradition in medieval devotional poetry from Rajasthan and other parts of India also bear the same message of unity in celestial and romantic love and that divine love can be fulfilled only through its human beloved.

Tagore's own compositions were powerfully influenced by Baul ideology. His music also bears the stamp of many Baul tunes. Other Bengali poets, such as Kazi Nazrul Islam, have also been influenced by Baul music and its message of non-sectarian devotion through love.

Bauls as described by Ramakrishna

From page 513 of the Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita:

"According to the Sakti cult the siddha is called a koul, and according to the Vedanta, a paramahamsa. The Bauls call him a sai. They say, "No one is greater than a sai." The sai is a man of supreme perfection. He doesn't see any differentiation in the world. He wears a necklace, one half made of cow bones and the other of the sacred tulsi-plant. He calls the Ultimate Truth "Alekh", the "Incomprehensible One". The Vedas call it "Brahman". About the jivas the Bauls say, "They come from Alekh and they go unto Alekh." That is to say, the individual soul has come from the Unmanifest and goes back to the Unmanifest. The Bauls will ask you, "Do you know about the wind?" The "wind" means the great current that one feels in the subtle nerves, Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna, when the Kundalini is awakened. They will ask you further, "In which station are you dwelling?" According to them there are six "stations", corresponding to the six psychic centers of Yoga. If they say that a man dwells in the "fifth station", it means that his mind has climbed to the fifth centre, known as the Visuddha chakra. (To Mahendranath Gupta) At that time he sees the Formless."

Present status

Bauls are found in the Indian state of West Bengal and the eastern parts of Bihar and Jharkhand and the country of Bangladesh. The Baul movement was at its peak in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but even today one comes across the occasional Baul with his Ektara (one-stringed musical instrument) and begging bowl, singing across the farflung villages of rural Bengal. Travelling in local trains and attending village fairs are good ways to encounter Bauls.

In the village of Jaydev Kenduli, a Mela (fair) is organized in memory of the poet Jayadeva on the occasion of Makar Sankranti in the month of Poush. So many Bauls assemble for the mela that it is also referred to as "Baul Fair".

In the village of Shantiniketan during Poush Mela, a large number of Bauls also come together to enthrall people with their music.

For the last five years a unique show has been organised in Kolkata, called "Baul Fakir Utsav". Bauls from several districts of Bengal as well as Bangladesh come to perform. The 6th Baul fakir Utsav will be held on 8th and 9 January 2011. The Utsav is a continuous 48 hour musical experience.

There are also the Western Bauls in America and Europe under the spiritual direction of Lee Lozowick, a student of Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Their music is quite different (rock /gospel/ blues) but the essence of the spiritual practices of the East is well maintained.

Notes

Further reading

The music of the Bauls of Bengal, by Charles Capwell. Kent State University Press, 1986. ISBN 0873383176.

References

External links

Baul Archive Extensive list of Baul/Fakir songs and interviews with over 100 video clips

Baul at Banglapedia

PUNKCAST#522 Video of Babukishan Das & Dharma Bums performing in NYC, Aug 16 2004. (RealPlayer)

Parvathy Baul is a singer, painter and storyteller from West Bengal. Visit : www.parvathybaul.srijan.asia.

Baul- The Folk Music of Bengal - Arghya Chatterjee: (Internet Archive)

Category:Bengali music Category:Bangladeshi music Category:Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Category:Bhakti movement Category:Bengali culture Category:Mysticism Category:Indian folk music

bn:বাউল de:Baul fr:Bâul id:Baul nl:Baul pl:Baulowie pt:Baul ru:Баулы

name	Purna(chandra) Das Baul Samrat
birth date	circa 1937 or earlier
birth place	Birbhum district, West Bengal, India
occupation	Baul, bard, minstrel, sacred singer, prayer leader, musician, actor
spouse	Manju Das Baul
homepage	www.baulsamrat.com }}

Purnachandra Das Baul Samrat ('Baul Overlord,' sometimes translated as 'King,' 'High King' or 'Emperor'), Chief Baul of Bengal (born circa 1937 or earlier, Birbhum district, West Bengal, India), popularly known as Purna Das Baul Samrat. Purna Das Baul's name is sometimes cited as Purna Chandra Das (Baul); there are other artists and individuals named Purna Chandra Das, from whom he is mainly distinguishable through his unique station and appellation as a Baul. Purna Das Baul Samrat is the 8th generation leader, spokesperson, and lead performer among the once wandering mendicant minstrels who are the caste-originated Bauls of Bengal, a historical territory which currently is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh (previously East Bengal / East Pakistan) and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous kingdoms of Bengal (during local monarchical regimes and British rule) are now part of the neighboring Indian states of Bihar, Assam and Orissa. Das is a traditional surname among Bauls as well as in other members of the populace in this region.

Purna Das Baul Samrat is the son of Nabini Das Kapha Baul and was born in Ekchakka village near Rampurhat in Birbhum. Purna Das's wife Manju Das Baul is both a Baul and singer of Indian and Benagali folksongs in other traditions, and a musicographer, principally in non-English idioms. Of Purna Das's 3 sons, Subhendu ("Beautiful Moon") Bapi Das Baul, 9th generation Baul hierarch, also works in the Baul tradition while concurrently branching out in his musical compositions into global fusion, having lived for many years in France. Purna Das Baul Samrat's 9th generation Baul hierarch son Dibyendu Das Baul joins Purna Das Baul Samrat in the Baul Samrat's musical and liturgical troupe.

Dr Rajendra Prasad, first President of the modern state of India acknowledged Purna Das as Baul Samrat in 1967. In this capacity, Purna Das Baul Samrat was awarded the Indian President’s Award from Shri K. R. Narayan, tenth President of India, in 1999.

Purna Das has also appeared in numerous films, and was personally fêted by Mick Jagger in England, and by Bob Dylan who told Purna Das that he himself would be 'the Baul of America'.

Discography, Bibliography, Filmography, Performances, Spiritual Services

(particularly those with titles which have been, at some time, rendered in English)

2003: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in US and CA: New York, Washington DC, Texas, California, Ontario (Toronto), September to October

2003: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in US: Arizona, California (University of San Diego), April

2002: Baul Samrat's troupe worship services at World Jain Conference in Baroda, Gujrat, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, December 5

2002: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in CA: Ontario (Toronto), Quebec (Montreal), October to November

2002: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in US: California (San Diego, at World Music Center of Los Angeles, San Francisco), July to September

2002: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in US: New York, for Baba Loke Nath Mission, June

2002: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in US: New York, Florida, Washington, California, Michigan for Abbasuddin's birth centennial, March to April

2001: Baul Samrat's troupe at FOBANA Festival, Montreal, Quebec, CA, September

2000: Baul Samrat's troupe toured in IT: Rome, at ROMAPOSIA poetry festival, October Songs of the Madmen (Kali Mandir, 1990s-2000s), CD, live recordings of Kali Mandir liturgical songs during services and pujas, Laguna Beach, California, US Purna Das Baul & Manju Das: Bengali Folk Songs (Saregama, 1995-01-20), features Purna and Manju Das Baul. The Bauls of Bengal (CramWorld, 1994), CD, which is included in the Rough Guide’s World Music: 100 Essential CDs.

Spiritual Songs of India (Chhanda Dhara SP 9283), vinyl and cassette-only release, features Purna and Manju Das Baul.

Arohan (1983, motion picture directed by Shyam Benegal, starring Victor Banerjee, Noni Ganguly, Pankaj Kapur), composer

Honors and Tributes

1999 Indian President’s Award presented by Shri K. R. Narayan.

1988 Nadamani, Baul Samrat's collective, Jagannath Temple, Puri (Odia: ବଡଦେଉଳ, ଶ୍ରୀମନ୍ଦିର), Puri, Odisha state, IN

1986 Nadabramha, Baul Samrat's troupe, Puri Bhajan Festival

1979 C.C.I., Baul Samrat's troupe, New Delhi, IN

1973 (circa) Gold Medal for Baul Samrat's troupe, Satya Saibaba in Bangalore/ Bengaluru (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು), Karnataka state, IN

1968, re-releases through 2004 or later, John Wesley Harding, album by Bob Dylan, featuring Purna Das on its cover, Purna Das working with Bob Dylan & The Band

1967 Dr Rajendra Prasad, President of India acknowledged Purna Das as Baul Samrat in 1967

1958 (circa) Baul Shiromoni for Baul Samrat's troupe, Allahabad Sangit Conference

1952 (circa) Baul Ratno for Baul Samrat's troupe, Banaras Sangit Sanmelan

1945 (circa) Gold Medal for Baul Samrat's troupe, Gandhinagar Cong. Adhiveshan (Jaipur)

References

External links

www.BaulSamrat.com

www.BaulArchive.com

IMDb (partial film credits)

Category:Indian actors Category:People from Kolkata Category:People from West Bengal Category:Living people

name	Paban Das Baul
background	solo_singer
birth place	Mohammedpur, Murshidabad district, West Bengal, India
instrument	Dubki, Ektara
genre	Baul music, folk-fusion
occupation	singer
years active	1970s–present
label	Real World Records
notable instruments	}}

Paban Das Baul (born 1961) is a noted baul singer and musician from India, who also plays a dubki, a small tambourine and sometimes an ektara as an accompaniment. He is known for pioneering traditional Baul music on the international music scene and for establishing a genre of folk-fusion music.

Early life

Born in Mohammedpur, a small village in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, where his early musical influences were his father, and wandering baul singers.

Career

In 1988, Das Baul started collaborating with Sam Mills, a London-born guitarist who had performed with experimental, avant garde group 23 Skiddoo between 1979 and 1982. Their collaboration resulted in the acclaimed album "Real Sugar" (1997), a Peter Gabriel's Real World Records release, it marked one of the first fusions of Bengali music and Western pop music. He has also collaborated with the London-based State of Bengal and Susheela Raman. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.

He also performed at the Jaipur Literature Festival and the "Nine Lives" Concert, 2009 in London, of William Dalrymple.

Personal life

He met Mimlu as an concert audience in 1982 in Paris, they later married and lived in Paris for many years. He has taught himself to read, not just Bengali, but Hindi, English and French.

Discography

Real Sugar (1997) (Real World)

Inner Knowledge (Womad Select - 1997)

State of Bengal vs. Paban Das Baul (2004)

Tana Tani (Push & Pull) (2004)

Paban Das Baul - Music Of The Honey Gatherers (Riverboat Records)

Further reading

References

External links

Paban Das Baul at last.fm

Category:Indian folk singers Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:People from Murshidabad district Category:Real World artists Category:Bengali singers Category:Bengali musicians

bn:পবন দাস বাউল fr:Paban Das Baul

Position	Linebacker
Number	51
Birth date	June 03, 1959 Neptune City, New Jersey
Death date	April 18, 2005 Charlotte, North Carolina
Debutyear	1986
Debutteam	New Orleans Saints
Finalyear	1997
Finalteam	Carolina Panthers
College	Montclair State
Teams	Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars (USFL) (1983-1985) New Orleans Saints (1986-1994) Carolina Panthers (1995-1997) As coach: Carolina Panthers (1998-2004)
Highlights	5× Pro Bowl selection (1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996) 4× All-Pro selection (1991, 1992, 1995, 1996) 3× All-USFL selection (1983, 1984, 1985) 2× USFL Champion (1984 & 1985) Carolina Panthers #51 retired USFL All-Time Team
Stat1label	Sacks
Stat1value	20.5
Stat2label	Int
Stat2value	11
Stat3label	Touchdowns
Stat3value	1
Nfl	MIL723624
Collegehof	90166 }}

Samuel Davis "Sam" Mills, Jr. (June 3, 1959 - April 18, 2005) was an American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.

Early life

Sam Mills was born in Neptune City, New Jersey. When Sam Mills was growing up in Long Branch, N.J., he loved to tag along with his older brother and play pickup football games with the bigger boys.

High school

Long Branch High School

Mills attended high school at Long Branch High School in Long Branch, New Jersey, and was a standout football player and wrestler. In 1976 and 1977, Mills won District Championships at Long Branch as a wrestler. Long Branch High School honors him to this day by hanging his high school jersey and his NFL jersey in the school gym. Although considered a great athlete in high school, Mill's 5'9" frame didn't interest college scouts.

Playing career

Montclair State University

Mills attended college at Montclair State College (now known as Montclair State University) and made the football squad as a walk-on. As of today, Mills is the all-time leader in career tackles at Montclair State with 501, tackles in a season (142) and tackles in a game (22). Mills played for Montclair State from 1977-1980. He was a three-time NJAC First Team All-Star and was named the New Jersey Collegiate Writers Defensive Player of the Year for three straight seasons (1978–1980).

Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars

Fred Hill, who coached Mills at Montclair State, said that many pro scouts loved his tape, but when they heard he was only 5'9", they lost interest. Just like after high school, Mill's lack of height held him back. After College, Mills tried out with the Cleveland Browns but was cut. He then tried out with the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts but did not make the team.

Mills found a job teaching photography and assisting the football coach at East Orange (N.J.) High School. It was at this time, Mills tried out and made the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL's roster. Mills played for the Stars for three years. During that time (wearing #54), he became known around the league for both his tenacity on the field and his leadership off it. His speed, surprising for a man of his size, earned him the nickname "The Field Mouse." Sam led the Stars to two USFL championships, was named to three All-USFL teams and is a member of the USFL’s All-Time Team.

New Orleans Saints

After the Stars won the 1985 USFL title, their head coach Jim Mora was signed on to coach the New Orleans Saints, and Mills followed his mentor. During his tenure with the Saints, starting in 1986, Mills was an anchor of the defense. He was a member of the vaunted "Dome Patrol," the stellar linebacking corps that led a ferocious Saints defense in the early 1990s. Mills earned four Pro Bowl appearances with the Saints in 1987, 1988, 1991, and 1992. Mills' coach in New Orleans, Jim Mora, who coached 15 seasons in the NFL, called Mills "The best player I ever coached."

Carolina Panthers

Mills became a free agent at the end of the 1994 NFL season, and was signed by the expansion Carolina Panthers. Mills became a veteran leader for the young team, the only player to start every game during the Panthers' first three seasons. An interception in a 1995 season game sealed the Panthers first ever victory in franchise history against the New York Jets. His career rebirth gave him a fifth Pro Bowl appearance in 1996 at the age of 37. After retiring in 1997, Mills stayed with the organization as a linebackers coach.

Sam Mills holds the NFL record for the oldest player to return a fumble for a touchdown (37 years, 174 days).

After football

Mills played 12 seasons in the NFL and recorded 1,319 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 11 interceptions and four touchdowns while starting 173 of 181 games. He is one of only two players in the Carolina Panthers Hall of Honor. There is also a statue of him outside of Bank Of America stadium in Charlotte. Mills was named to the NFL All-Pro team three times in 1991, 1992, and 1996. He was elected to both the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (1991) and the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey (1993).

Mills was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in August 2003. Though he was told he had only a few months to live, he underwent chemotherapy and radiation and continued to coach. He was an inspirational force in the Panthers’ post-season run to Super Bowl XXXVIII. His plea to "Keep Pounding" in an emotional speech before the Panthers' victory over the Dallas Cowboys later became the name of a fund to sponsor cancer research programs. Mills died at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina on the morning of April 18, 2005. He was 45.

Mills' number 51 was retired by the Panthers at the start of the 2005 NFL season. Mills was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009, with his son Sam Mills III accepting the award on his father's behalf. Sam Mills III currently holds the position of Quality Control - Defense for the Carolina Panthers.

References

Category:1959 births Category:2005 deaths Category:American football linebackers Category:Deaths from colorectal cancer Category:New Orleans Saints players Category:Carolina Panthers players Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players Category:Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars players Category:African American players of American football Category:African American coaches of American football Category:Montclair State Red Hawks football players Category:People from Monmouth County, New Jersey Category:Undrafted National Football League players Category:Cancer deaths in North Carolina Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees

fr:Sam Mills

Harry Grindell Matthews (17 March 1880 – 11 September 1941) was an English inventor who claimed to have invented a death ray in the 1920s.

Earlier life and inventions

Harry Grindell Matthews was born in 1880 in Winterbourne, Gloucestershire. He studied at the Merchant Venturers' School in Bristol and became an electronic engineer. During the Second Boer War he served in the South African Constabulary and was twice wounded.

In 1911 Matthews said he had invented an Aerophone device, a radiotelephone, and transmitted messages between a ground station and an aeroplane from a distance of two miles. His experiments attracted government attention and in 4 July 1912 he visited Buckingham Palace. However, when the British Admiralty requested a demonstration of the Aerophone, Matthews demanded that no experts be present at the scene. When four of the observers dismantled part of the apparatus before the demonstration began and took notes, Matthews canceled the demonstration and drove observers away.

Newspapers rushed to Matthews's defense. The War Office denied any tampering and claimed that the demonstration was a failure. The government later stated that the affair was just a misunderstanding.

In 1914, after the outbreak of the First World War, the British government announced an award of £25,000 to anyone who could create a weapon against zeppelins or remotely control unmanned vehicles. Matthews claimed that he had created a remote control system that used selenium cells. He successfully demonstrated it with a remotely controlled boat to representatives of the Admiralty at Richmond Park's Penn Pond. He received his £25,000 but the admiralty never used the invention.

Next, Matthews appeared in public in 1921 and claimed to have invented the world's first talking picture, an interview of Ernest Shackleton. It was not commercially successful. (Other talking-picture processes had been developed before that of Matthews, notably one by William K.L. Dickson: these also were not successful, but they are thoroughly documented. Even if Matthews's process actually worked, it was certainly not the "first".)

Death Ray

In 1923 Matthews claimed that he had invented an electric ray that would put magnetos out of action. In a demonstration to some select journalist he stopped a motorcycle engine from a distance. He also claimed that with enough power he could shoot down aeroplanes, explode gunpowder, stop ships and incapacitate infantry from the distance of four miles. Newspapers obliged by publishing sensational accounts of his invention.

The War Office contacted Matthews in February 1924 to request a demonstration of his ray. Matthews did not answer to them but spoke to journalists and demonstrated the ray to a Star reporter by igniting gunpowder from a distance. He still refused to say how the ray actually worked, just insisted that it did. When the British government still refused to rush to buy his ideas, he announced that he had an offer from France.

The Air Ministry was wary, partially because of previous bad experiences with would-be inventors. Matthews was invited back to London to demonstrate his ray on 26 April to the armed forces. In Matthews's laboratory they saw how his ray switched on a light bulb and cut off a motor. He failed to convince the officials, who also suspected trickery or a confidence game. When the British Admiralty requested further demonstration, Matthews refused to give it.

On May 27, 1924, the High Court in London granted an injunction to Matthew's investors that forbade him from selling the rights to the death ray. When Major Wimperis arrived at Matthews's laboratory to negotiate a new deal, Matthews had already flown to Paris. Matthews's backers appeared on the scene as well and then rushed to Croydon airport to stop him, but were too late.

Public furor attracted interest of various other would-be inventors who wanted to demonstrate their own death rays to the War Office. None of them was convincing. On 28 May Commander Kenworthy asked in the House of Commons what the government intended to do to stop Matthews from selling the ray to a foreign power. The Under Secretary for Air answered that Matthews was not willing to let them investigate the ray to their satisfaction. A government representative also stated that one ministry official had stood before the ray and survived. Newspapers continued to root for Matthews.

The government required that Matthews would use the ray to stop a petrol motorcycle engine in the conditions that would satisfy the Air Ministry. He would receive £1000 and further consideration. From France, Matthews answered that he was not willing to give any proof of that kind and that he already had eight bids to choose from. He also claimed that he had lost sight in his left eye because of his experiments. His involvement with his French backer Eugene Royer aroused further suspicions in Britain.

Sir Samuel Instone and his brother Theodore offered Matthews a huge salary if he would keep the ray in Britain and demonstrate that it actually worked. Matthews refused again - he did not want to give any proof that the ray worked as he claimed it would.

Matthews returned to London 1 June 1924 and gave an interview to the Sunday Express. He claimed that he had a deal with Royer. The press again took his side. The only demonstration Matthews was willing to give was to make a Pathé film The Death Ray to propagate his ideas to his own satisfaction. The device in the movie bore no resemblance to the one government officials had seen.

In July 1924, Matthews left for the USA to market his invention. When he was offered $25,000 to demonstrate his beam to the Radio World Fair at Madison Square Garden, he again refused and claimed, without foundation, that he was not permitted to demonstrate it outside England. US scientists were not impressed. One Professor Woods offered to stand in front of the death ray device to demonstrate his disbelief. Regardless, when Matthews returned to Britain, he claimed that the USA had bought his ray but refused to say who had done it and for how much. Matthews moved to the USA and began to work for Warner Bros.

Further inventions

In 1925 he invented what he called the "luminaphone".

On December 24, 1930 Matthews was back in England with his new creation - a Sky Projector that projected pictures onto clouds. He demonstrated it in Hampstead by projecting an angel, the message 'Happy Christmas' and a reportedly 'accurate' clock face. He demonstrated it again in New York. This invention was not successful either, and by 1931 he faced bankruptcy. He had used most of his investors' money for living in expensive hotels.

In 1934 Matthews had a new set of investors and relocated to Tor Clawdd, Betws, South Wales. He built a fortified laboratory and his own airfield. In 1935 he claimed that he worked on aerial mines and in 1937 that he had invented a system for detecting submarines. In 1938 he married Ganna Walska d'Eighnhorn Fraenkel Cochran McCormick, a Polish-American opera singer, perfumer, and feminist, whose four previous husbands had owned fortunes totaling $125,000,000.

Later he propagated the idea of the "stratoplane" and joined the British Interplanetary Society. His reputation preceded him and the British Government was no longer interested in his ideas.

Personal life

Harry Grindell Matthews was the fifth husband of singer Ganna Walska, who created Lotusland in Mendocito, California. He died of a heart attack on September 11, 1941.

External links

Harry Grindell Matthews website archive

References

Category:1941 deaths Category:1880 births Category:People from South Gloucestershire (district) Category:English inventors Category:Fringe physics