Baul Songs

The Bauls and their most eminent member, Fakir Lalon Shah, are often defined and described as musical entities. Their philosophy is conveyed through their songs. Music signifies both Lalon and his followers to a wider admiring audience all over the Bengali musical world, where that brand is supreme.

The Baul singing community to which Lalon belonged is very ancient, with some tracing it to the 16th century. It grew as part of a stream in which wandering minstrel groups have consistently emerged in rural societies and folk cultures for a long time.   

Bauls originated in Bengal, developing a synthetic and syncretistic tradition of multi-faith beliefs, including mostly informal versions of Vaishnavism of Hinduism, Sufism of Islam, the Tantric variant of Buddhism and elements of Nathism and Shahajiya ways of traditional Bengal rural society’s folk religious traditions.

Prof Harding (2010) has written that Baul songs are “mystical, poetic and multilayered… (such that) underneath the obvious meanings of words, lie deep meanings that cannot be understood by a person who does not practice sadhana” or spiritual practice (Ganguly, 2024).

While that may apply to the cult followers or those into “Bauliyana” –the Baul way- Lalon’s appeal is broader, as they are deeply emotional songs based on the simple concepts that all human beings are equal. There should be no discrimination of any kind. It’s topped off by the idea that all humans are one and shall become part of the ‘Great divine” (Moner manush). It’s this simple idea of perceiving all humanity as One and expressions of divine love as part of that which makes Lalon so popular amongst all Bengalis. 

Dr. Milly Sil says, “wandering minstrels, who sing folk songs throughout West Bengal (where they are known as Bauls) and Bangladesh (where they are known as Fakirs). They do not reside in one place but live their lives singing throughout villages and cities. Baul singers use the instruments ‘ektara’ and ‘duggi’, a drum tied to the Baul’s waist” (Ganguly, 2024).

The subject of Baul music or Lalon songs relates to a mystical union of the human and the Divine. These songs are expressed in many ways, but essentially, it’s about ‘love’, an all-encompassing word that reflects the Baul philosophy of the One.

It is a dominantly non-dualist concept of the Divine. The influences that make up such Baul philosophical concepts are drawn from various sources as understood by rural and theologically uncomplicated societies. Hence, the faith, aspiration of freedom from conflict rather than theological doctrines, play a significant role in shaping Baul ideas. 

Shadhona

It is generally accepted that “Dehatatto” (Body theology) is the core belief, which states that the “Supreme” is within the human body, so the body itself is a shrine, a place of worship like a temple or a mosque. To this is added “Mono shadhona” (meditation) which leads to enlightenment and liberation.

While Bauls express their ideas through songs, music plays an important part. It is because the singer can relate to not just the audience listening, but also through the songs with the Supreme being. “The Baul becomes engrossed in the song he is singing, and nothing else around him matters. This is because while singing, he has become one with the Supreme Being within him” (THE BAUL RELIGION, 2023).  Thus, the “Moner Manush” –as the Supreme Being is called -and the singer becomes one. Singing is, therefore, not just letting others know about a concept or emotion but a form of sadhona (meditation) too.

Samkirtana is the congregational version of music prayer. This brings together a lot of people who follow the same deity because the Supreme Divinity of the Bauls is sadhana (self-realisation), which means becoming one with the One within. This is because the Supreme Divinity lives in everyone, Bauls believe.

The Music of the Bauls

Bauls sing to express their feelings and emotions, but they do not write them down as it is an oral tradition befitting a non-literate rural culture. Lalon Fakir also never put them on paper, though others wrote them down, a few in his time and many later after his death. Tagore also collected many, as did others, and he published some of them in the monthly “Prabashi” magazine of Calcutta. 

Baul musical instruments include the “ektara,” a one-stringed drone instrument, the leading music maker of the Bauls. “It is carved from the bottom of a gourd and is made of bamboo and goatskin. Other commonly used musical paraphernalia include ” dotara,” a multi-stringed instrument made of the wood of a jackfruit or neem tree; “dugi,” a small hand-held earthen drum; leather instruments like “dhol,” “khol”, and “goba”; chime tools like “ghungur,” “nupur,” small cymbals called “kartal” and “mandira,” and the bamboo flute.”

Baul Songs, Social Language and Folkloric Practices     

Deborah Zannat, a Western woman who follows the Baul tradition, writes, “Songs were produced by the mixing of different currents that met in the Nadiya region, including Vaishnavism, Sufism, and Shahajiya, amongst others. Looking at the corpus of devotional songs, we find recurring metaphors of the Guru’s role as guide and gatekeeper, as alchemist turning iron into gold; and the disciple’s plea as a sinner, a good-for-nothing blind mendicant. In the corpus of songs with philosophical or practical teachings, we find metaphors of concepts and rituals, such as the muqatta’at (“mysterious letters”) ‘alif-lām-mīm’ at the core of the song used as an example in the introduction (Zannat, 2024). 

What it means is that the songs portray more than one reality or relationship. While they are about union with the Divine, they become the vehicle for expressing Baul thoughts and practices as well. The songs display the intricate relationship between the teacher and the disciple, which is also part of the core of Bauliana.  

The issue of songs belonging to an individual is also not a Baul idea, where a song, once it becomes a final product to be owned by any.  Going by the spirit of community ownership, songs were also similarly community-owned in many cases. “Many songs may begin elsewhere but are absorbed as Lalon songs.

Examples such as (The moon has touched the Moon-body), which is Sarat Baul’s, according to some. Madan Shah Fakir’s; “jat gelo jat gelo bole” (they say the caste is lost) by Goshai Gopal; Mukundu Das’s “ki sandhane jai sekhane, moner manush zekhane” (on which quest do I go, to find the Human of the Heart); or Manomohan Dutt’s “esob dekhi kanar hat bazar” (it is all just a market of blind people), are examples of how the cultural category “Lalon” has absorbed others’ creative output, and authority” (Zannat, 2024).

However, in the later days of Lalon, the rise of Fikir Chand, the first musical group to sing Lalon and other similar types of songs, was founded by Kangal Harinath in 1877. Baul music stepped into the formal musical world, not just the spiritual and things began to change.

The innovator Kangal Harinath, an impresario and journalist, began to “create” a genre of music for a non-rural audience, too. As Fikir Chand’s competitors and offshoots in the newly established market, Gorib Chand (‘Poor Moon’), Ajob Chand (‘Wonder Moon’), Roshik Chand (‘Juicy Moon’), and Balak Chand (‘Boy Moon’) quickly followed.

Lalon is reported to have mentioned when Harinath played the songs to him to gain his approval that, “the composition is just fine, but it lacks salt a bit”. He did not deny, but he did not exactly embrace the same.

Nevertheless, the ball had started to roll, and Baul songs or “Lalon geeti” were no longer under the control of the Bauls only. They had become a part of the wider society.

So, the concept of community ownership has been stretched, and the Bauls or even their tradition does not just own it, but all those who love, enjoy or play their songs. In a way, it is an ultimate endorsement of the spirit of Lalon Shah, where the self is diminished by something bigger, his many followers and admirers, many of whom belong to very different cultures as well.

It is ironic, no doubt, but also undoubtedly a triumph too of the spirit of Bauliana. 

Lalon Songs and the Quest for Lalon Shah

Tradition says that Fakir Maniruddin Shah, a close follower of Lalon, would write down the songs which he sang. There are other claimants too. Sadly, most of the notes are now missing to ascertain the final result. Bauls are essentially part of an oral tradition, and today that spirit seems to dominate.  Many songs now differ from the original, but that is only to be expected as so many people follow, sing and enjoy Lalon songs in their own way. 

Nobody is sure how many songs were written by Lalon Shah, and estimates range from two to ten thousand. On top of that, Lalon songs have become a genre, and those composed by, say, Gopal Shah, Adam Chan, Sati Mayer Ghar, Sharat Baul, Mukundu Das and others are considered as Lalon’s songs.

When Kangal Harinath, the promoter of Lalon Shah began the “Fikir Chand” group, trying to take the spirit of Lalon to a broader audience, the cage opened. Soon, there were others, and today there are many variations of the same song, and they all have their own audience. Each group claims their right to do so in the spirit of making him better known or holding on to a long tradition. 

“When Lalon became a brand name, alarmingly, many rural Bauls deliberately or unwittingly have blended the genres of Baul tradition. Documentation from these sources can easily misguide people,” says Lalon authority Dr Abul Ahsan Chowdhury. It is easy to add ‘Lalon boley’ to gain claims of authenticity.

It is generally agreed that the 298 songs published by Tagore in the monthly ‘Prabashi’ of Kolkata are authentic.

Professor Mridul Kanti Chakrabarty of Dhaka University claims that Satinath Jha’s documentation of over 300 songs is also authentic copied from the manuscript of Maniruddin Shah.  The same cannot be claimed by Banglar Baul’ of Upendranath Bhattacharjee and ‘Haramoni’ by Monsur Uddin “, says the academic. But then again, others differ.

As scholars have chased the authentic Lalon, contradictions have crept in despite all efforts. Sometimes in dialects, in meanings and philosophy, they are not always consistent. Some have added words to suit their quest. Historian Professor Sirajul Islam, of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, once said, “We have noticed that one Lalon exponent’s research varies from the other. However, everyone claims his work as the ‘most authentic’ one.”

In a way, everyone claims to be authentic Lalon Shah.

Music sense

Contradiction is more prevalent when it comes to the presentation of the songs.  Right now, there is the “Akhrai”–Akhra means where Bauls live, sing, meditate, a tradition which the singers of this gharana claim were how the songs were sung in Lalon’s time. Then there is the blending of Akhrai tradition with folk music such as those sung by Purna Das Baul. 

Next comes those which mix folk with classical music, which has been made popular by singers like Farida Parveen of Bangladesh. Finally, we have the current fusion songs, such as those sung by Band Lalon and others in Bangladesh and of course, we have Shapla Salique of the UK who mixes them with many Western music doses to present to a multi-cultural audience.  There are followers and detractors on all sides and variations increase every day.

According to the experts, Fakir Manik Shah, Lalon’s direct pupil, was the first to try to give the verses, which the cult’s adherents refer to as Kalams, a melody. At that time, verses were merely regarded as Ohedaniat’s expression of “Totto”. Fakir Khoda Baksh Shah and his pupil Fakir Maniruddin Shah tried to contextualise these Kalams within a specific musical framework. Amulya Shah, a renowned musicologist and follower of Khoda Baksh, composed music for Baul songs, particularly Lalon songs. His students subsequently refined these songs.

But what was the original style of Lalon song rendition would inevitably change because they belonged to a society and culture that barely exists outside the Akhra today. It was a fundamentally rural society that gave rise to such songs. Still, now the urban domain has adopted Lalon and his songs, and the songs have also transitioned beyond the Akhra. Traditionalists would certainly not like it, but that’s how the living tradition continues. 

Abdul Karim, Moksed Ali Shain, Farida Parveen, Sumi ……

Fakir Abdul Karim Shah sang till the end following the tradition, but others have modified their singing to suit contemporary taste. The one who did most to popularise Lalon to an urban audience via television was Farida Parveen, herself from Kushtia.

Beginning with Moksed Ali Shain’s akhrai style, she later sang using Classical music diction. Farida Parveen accepts that her style is different and said that in their unique style, Fakirs perform Lalon tunes at the Akhra to give it a more refined form. She strongly emphasise the classical element (Farida Parveen – Bengal Foundation, 2020)

Interestingly, she is against the adoption of Lalon songs by various bands, calling such fusion music and singing as “confusion”.  However, conservative Lalon followers have criticised her as well. They do not like her using flutes and harmonium while she dislikes drums, electric guitar and organs.  The debate goes on.

Controversy is not new to Lalon Shah. It surrounds him as is inevitable since he did not belong to any formal identity.  His religious identity, date of birth, cult identity, sufi brotherhood and so on are all vague and even debated upon, making him both more mysterious and fluid.

Various governments and authorities have tried to set up outfits, committees, and even academies to resolve such issues, but since they are almost faith issues with multiple followers, they remain unresolved.

Several such groups are contesting each other.  Some say it is not right to sing Lalon songs in rooms when he sang them in the open and close to nature.  A group opposes singing Lalon while wearing modern dress, and many traditionalists dislike the rise of Lalon as a band music icon. Still, the fact remains that Lalon has gone beyond the pale of the Akhra or the traditionalists and now belongs to a much larger world where Lalon is being made, unmade and remade in the image of the listeners and the singers.

We see contemporary artists like Baul singers Paban Das Baul, Parvathy Baul, and Bapi Das Baul playing an integral part in keeping the Lalon traditions alive by blending them with global music. In addition, Shapla Salique (Farzana Salique), a well-known singer of Bangladeshi descent and a London-based British singer and composer, represents Lalon to the worldwide music industry and audience by mixing the rhythms with funk and jazz music. She is more of an advocate of Bengali arts and music, “…who inspires the next generation of British Bangladeshi people who are moving away from the traditional elements of their own cultural traditions” (Rashid, 11-12).

Other artists like Sadi Mohammad, Rezwana Choudhury Bannya, Shafi Mondol, Anusheh Anadil, Kangalini Sufiya and Shenaz Beli also include Lalon’s themes in their music, representing Baul songs and Baulism to the world (Rashid, 12). Furthermore, among many artists in Bangladesh, the band group named “Lalon” and “Miles” has featured Lalon singing to a greater audience through their talent and aspiration of preserving Bangla culture. There is no doubt that urbanisation, modernization and globalization have impacted the way Lalon Shah’s songs and teachings are being perceived by the younger generations. With the complexities of the world dynamics becoming more integrated into people’s lives, the foundational teachings of Lalon Shah’s philosophy are needed more than ever.

Various Admired Lalon Singers

• Purna Das Baul
• Paban Das Baul – Known for blending Lalon songs with global genres.
• Bapi Das Baul – Fusion and acoustic Baul performer.
• Chandana Chakraborty – Classical and folk singer known for interpreting Lalon songs.
• Parvathy Baul – One of the most well-known female Bauls internationally.
• Rina Das Baul – Noted female Baul singer often performing with Purna Das Baul.
• Subhendu Maity – Traditional Baul singer associated with spiritual retreats.
• Baul Bishwa (Kolkata)- Made a collaboration with Paban Das Baul and Sam Mills to produce Baul fusion. Bapi Das Baul is one of the leading performers.
• Fakir Abdul Karim Shah – Revered as one of the last direct custodians of the Lalon tradition.
• Farida Parveen – Known as the “Queen of Lalon Song” for her classical rendition style.
• Anusheh Anadil, A Bangladeshi musician and artist promoting the philosophy of Bauls and fakirs.
• Kangalini Sufiya. From the age of 14, she ventured out to be a Baul singer and became known all over.
• Shehnaz Beli from Abdalpur, Kushtia, is popular in the Middle East, Europe and America.
• Shapla Salique (Farzana Salique) is a London-based Bangladeshi-British singer and music composer. She mixes funk and jazz music to sing Baul songs.
• Shofi Mondol – Authentic Baul singer known for live performances and radio.
• Bari Siddiqui – While more known for Bansuri and folk, he sang Lalon songs with emotional depth.
• Sam Mills (UK) – Collaborated with Paban Das Baul (Real Sugar album)
• Abdul Karim – Known for his devotion to Baul music, Abdul Karim is a well-respected figure in the Baul community, particularly in Bangladesh, where his interpretations of Lalon’s songs have gained widespread acclaim.
• Moushumi Bhowmik – A renowned person in the Bengali folk music scene and praised for her renditions of Baul songs.
• Abdur Rahman Boyati – Renowned for folk and spiritual songs, including Lalon’s.
• Baul Boshonto Goshai – Traditional Lalon performer from Kushtia.
• Bengal Fusion – This concept refers to the blending of traditional Baul music with modern genres like jazz and fusion, and there are indeed groups experimenting with this format.
• Band Lalon is a contemporary fusion group based in Bangladesh, named after Lalon Shah.
• Vocalist Sumi (Dilshad Nahar Kona or Sumi of Chirkutt, depending on context) brings a soulful voice to the band’s blend of folk mysticism and modern rock/jazz instrumentation.

Folk Songs and Lalon Songs as Continuity

Bengal is a rural narrative, and its musical heritage is similar.  Bangladesh has remained outside the urban buzz longer than many parts of South Asia, and its socio-economy has contributed to the production of a cultural construct that is both musical and sylvan. And all aspects of life have found expressions in songs, whether it’s an act of physical labour, love or longing for the mystic and metaphysical.

Some of the genres of such music and songs are “Bhatiali” (river songs mostly in East and South Bengal), Bhawaiya (rural life in North Bengal, Palagaan (chorus), Jhumur(rhythmic songs), Gambhira and others like Palagaan, Gazirgaan, Punthi, Baul, Bhaoiya, Jari, “Shari or Shaeri”, Murshidi, etc.

Rural ballads -Gatha or Geetika- are the earliest varieties of folk songs. Mymensingh Geetika is one such example, a collection of such songs. Yusuf- Zulaikha and Behula Lakhinder folk lores are also well-known ballads of Bangladesh. 

Kabi gaans or folk poetry/songs is an old tradition where the poets write songs instantly in front of the audience. To this corpus, a large scale of folk song genre is added by Baul songs led by Lalon songs. Gazir Gaan is also popular for distributing ideas of tolerance and folk wisdom to the audience.

People who work on boats sing Bhatialis, and during the monsoon months, Sari (or Shaeri) songs are heard during boat races. There are also “Bichhedi” songs, which are about being apart from a lover, and “Biyergaan” songs, which are songs written for different wedding ceremonies and events.

Other types of devotional music are “Harikeertan” (involving continuous chanting of the names of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama), “Jarigaan” (the Kabial tradition: both Hindu and Muslim), and “Murshidi” (influenced by the Sufi philosophy of Islamic tradition).

The Ways of Baul Songs

Lalon’s songs carry forward a long tradition that began in the ancient era of emerging Hinduism in Bengal, which often mixed pre- and post- Aryan faith-related ideas. The mysticism of unity with the Supreme and the paths to reach there, including Tantric and other esoteric practices, are rooted in history. 

What makes it significant is that Bauls expanded the horizon to include syncretistic ideas and absorption of multiple cultures in the rural world using religious phenomenology and that of mysticism. And Lalon took it to the highest level.  That is what drew Tagore to his work, broadly speaking, to those Baul ideas, which also coincided with the socio-philosophical objectives of the class that Tagore belonged to at that time, hoping to locate its roots in a space outside colonialism too.   

To that end, they also lent a hand because amidst the clashes of colonial competition and conflict within society, Baul words soothed and argued for social harmony, though as history shows, the foundations of the same were not strong enough socially or politically.

The history of colonialism and its contest left the mystic space relatively alone, letting all converge on that, making Lalon and Baulism a mythical sanctuary where one could feel “united” /One amidst many ongoing differences and conflicts. Lalon’s songs provide the opportunity to be together when in reality, that is/was not possible in reality. That way, it’s even today the most syncretistic and most humane cultural space in Bengal.    

A critical aspect of the folk music legacy is the Baul tradition. The Baul allude to the syncretic religious tend that united many sects along with Vaishnava-Hindu and Sufi-Muslim traditions at the rural intersection as a practicing lifestyle and cult culture

Other Baul composers besides Lalon Shah or Lalon Fokir include Duddu Shah (1796-1907), Bijoy Sarkar (1903-1985), Pagla Kanai (1810-1890), Kangal Harinath (1833-1896), Panju Shah (1851-1914), and Mohammad Jalaluddin Khan (1894-1972). Modern Bauls include Modon Baul, Purna Das Baul, Jatin Das Baul, Paban Das Baul, Goutam Das Baul, Raju Das Baul, and others.

The list of Lalon singers is many now, and they carry his name as part of the broader music world and not as an activity of a particular religious cult anymore. Lalon is now mainstream, making him part of the broader national and international musical cultural practices.

This wider popularity has also created a popular musical trend in many places, and we have Lalon singers in many parts of the world. His musical legacy sometimes appears stronger than his religious and philosophical ideas.  That is only to be expected, but his words and expressions touch every listener.

Singers and Their Style

Rural

• Follows the rules of Akhra
• Habituated to old-fashioned instruments
• Wears traditional simple white/ grey dresses
• Singers/performers are older

Urban

• Accommodated with urban style
• Uses of new fusion instruments with traditional ones
• More modern dresses that are different from traditional singers
• Younger in age

Various Lalon Songs, Musical Instruments 

Some traditional and modern instruments that are used for singing Baul songs.

Traditional

1. Chordophones Instruments

• Ektara String stretched between a sound-box, attached to the body of Gourd, Bamboo, Goat skin, String, etc.
• Dotara String stretched parallel to a sound-box, Jackfruit, Nim wood, Goat skin, Nylon string, etc.
• Khamak String stretched between a sound-box, attached to the body Gourd, Skin, Nylon thread, String, Horn pick, etc.

2. Membranophones Instruments

• Dugi Covers fixed skin of resonating body, Clay body, Goat skin with gab

3. Idiophones Instruments

• Khanjani or Mandira
• A tambourine without jangles, Metals

Modern instruments used in Baul Musical Performance

• Flute: A popular musical instrument of the woodwind family of instruments
• Dhol: A double-sided barrel drum. Different woods and materials
• Tabla: A set of two drums known as Daina and Baya, made of Metal, wood, ceramic, graphite, iron, etc.
• Mridanga/Khol: A terracotta two-sided drum, mainly used for devotional music
• Harmonium: A free-standing keyboard instrument, made of Wood and wooden materials
• Sarinda: A stringed Indian folk musical instrument played with a bow
• Ghoongoor: A garland of small brass bells tied around the ankle and played with rhythmic movements, a strap, and Iron balls
• Ramchaki: A pair of wooden clappers with jangles of Wood and wooden materials

Band music instruments utilise them all, such as guitars, drums, organs, and others.