Baul Music
By Lakshman Das Baul, well-known Baul singer from Birbhum, West Bengal

Accompanied by Sandip Das on tabla; Radha Shyam Lohar on flute; and Dipankar Bose on kartal and ghungroo

The Bauls are mystic minstrels living in rural Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. Their music and way of life have influenced a large segment of Bengali culture, and particularly the compositions of Nobel Prize laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Baul Sangeet is essentially an oral tradition which represents a long heritage of preaching mysticism through songs in Bengal. The lyrics intertwine a deep sense of mysticism, and a longing for oneness with the divine.

(Collaboration: NCZCC, Ministry of Culture, Government of India)