International Scientific and Practical Conference WORLD SCIENCE ISSN 2413-1032

FAQIRS OF BENGAL
1
Amangeldi Kuzeubay
2
Doctor of Philosophy Dilorom Karomat
1
Kazakhstan
2
Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad Institute of Asian Studies IB Block, Salt Lake City,
Kolkata, India

Abstract. This article is dedicated to the esoteric religious group of Bengal named Bauls.
The music, poetry, believes /philosophy and style of life of Bauls are little studied by Soviet and
Russian scholars and not at all by Central Asians. Within my fieldtrip to West Bengal (Kolkata) I try
to learn more about Bauls and found some common features between Baul tradition and musical
culture of Central Asia. These similarities, like musical instrument and attachment with Sufi ideas, has
been only mentioned in this article. Moreover, the effort of Bauls to keep their values and tradition in
the era of globalization can be good example for other musical traditions of East.
Key words: Baul, Dotara, Sarinda, Ektara, Bhakti, Sifizm, Central Asia, India, Bengal.

My field trip leads me to India. The musical culture of India is a deep ocean with the
thousands years old uninterrupted tradition. This incredible country with multiple forms of folk and
classical musical tradition has influenced and at the same time absorbed neighbouring musical
traditions. The strong historical and cultural ties are connected Central Asia with India through the
ages. The article presented by well-known Indian musicologist Narayana Menon [1] in the third
International Tribune of Asia (October 1973, Almaty) organized by UNESCO has played a key role in
the development of interest to musical culture of India in Central Asian countries. The raga, as a
highest form of classical music of India, becomes a main object for musicological studies of Central
Asian scholars. Researchers understand that their main task is to look into common patterns and
influences between two musical traditions. Thus, the Raga and Maqam have become the main subjects
of research works. Besides that the light classical music (khayal, ghazal), Rabindrashongeet and
musical instruments have become the objects for research interests, when little attention was given to
folk music. Moreover, the necessity to study own traditional music and preserving local styles
prevailed in Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries.
I was interested to learn more about musical culture of West Bengal, where I landed, and
found that the performing style of one of musical groups are very close to my ears. The music, poetry,
believes /philosophy and style of life of Bauls (members of an esoteric religious tradition in Bengal)
are little studied by Russian scholars and not at all by Central Asians. Some idea about musical
heritage of Bauls one can find in the works of Russian musicologist T.E.Morozova [2]. The social,
religious/ceremonial, ideological and poetic aspects of Bauls heritage were discussed also in articles
written by E.K.Brosalina [3] and S.S.Donchenko [4]. Latter has completed PhD thesis in 2003
dedicated to poetical heritage of Bauls that has been named Poeticheskaia traditsiia narodnyh
pevtsov Bengalii:tvorchestvo Baulov( Poetical tradition of folk singers of Bengal: the creativity of
Bauls) [5]. This thesis can be named as a first attempt of a systematically done research on Bauls in
Russian Indology. If we will go through these works then we can notice following. In the article
written by E.K.Brosalina (1989) the Bauls was mentioned in connection of their influence into Bengali
literature of nineteenth century and especially into poetry of Rabindranath Tagore. The close ties of
Rabindranath Tagores creativity and following values and ideas of Bauls are the main argument of
the article. Actual importance of this article is that this is one of the first efforts by Soviet Russian
Indologists to look closely to poetical significance of Bauls heritage. The second Soviet Russian
researcher, who wrote about Bauls, as was mentioned above, is art historian from Moscow,
T.E.Morozova. If E.K.Brosalina gave more attention into poetical significance of Bauls then
T.E.Morozova, as musicologist, is mostly refers to musical features. Her book (1993) is dedicated to
fusion of European and Bengali folk (influences mainly by Bauls) to musical traditions in the songs of
Rabindranath Tagore. In her conclusions T.E.Morozova is considered the songs of Bauls as one of the
factors that influenced the composing of songs of the great poet. It is well known also that the great
poet of Bengal played significant role in shaping image of Bauls and he talked about Bauls in a
number of speeches in Europe in the 1930s. In the one of the recently written articles T.E.Morozova

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International Scientific and Practical Conference WORLD SCIENCE ISSN 2413-1032

(2007) for the first time in Russian musicology look upon songs of Bauls (baul-gaan) in the context of
other genres of Bengali folk music. She is analyses the melody, rhythmic patterns of the songs and as
examples are gave notation of some songs. Such works is still not done in Central Asian countries and
Kazakhstan respectively. That is why when I reached Kolkata the baul-gaan engaged my interest and
for learning more about them I visited Mr. Kankan Bhattacharjee. He is not only has a good collection
of Baul-gaan, musical instruments, but also a deep knowledge about Bauls [6]. From our conversation
I understand that Bauls are members of an esoteric Bengali religious tradition, known for its mystic
songs which are considered as one of three main types of Bengali folksongs [7]. The Bauls are divided
into two groups, Hindu and Muslims, with the majority of Hindu Bauls residing in West Bengal (have
a Vaishnava title Das), and the majority of Muslim Bauls living in Bangladesh (they have the Sufi title
Shah). But these Bauls are claim that their religion is humanistic and they have existed independently
from Vaishnavism and Islam. Bauls religion/or theology is basically tantric method of realisation
combined with Bhakti/Sufism and other heterodox beliefs.
Bauls themselves make the texts of their songs, which are easy for everyone to
understand due to the simple language and the references of well-known objects, and the absence of
well-considered artistic rules. Jozef Kuckertz (1975) in his article dedicated to origin and construction
of the Bauls melodies has stressed:
To his inner self, the Baul is incessantly on the way, and he announces his pain and joy, his
efforts and disappointments in many lines. In addition, the Baul pays strong attention to his body, which
as microcosm- he identifies with the macrocosm of the universe. Included are his suggestions of love and
the erotic. The approach to them, however, is not earthly and harsh Thus the inconstant external life of
the Baul is in fact the result of incessant attention to all the processes in his mind and body. At all times, the
Baul is ready to utter his thoughts and feelings in poetical expressions with simple melodies. Therefore he
always carries with him a musical instrument; it may be an Ektra, as in the western part of Bengal
(Bankura, Birbhum, Purulia, etc.), or Dotra and Srind, as in the northern districts (Dinajpur, Malda
etc.). Among the Bauls of Bangladesh, both Ektra and Dotra are popular [8].
In India and Bangladesh Bauls can often be identified by their clothes and musical
instruments which they always carry. Musical instruments Dotara and Sarinda, which I saw in
collection of Mr. Kankan Bhattacharjee, increased my interest to know more about them. First of all
my attention kept Sarinda, which is very much like Qobuz, musical instrument in Central Asia, one of
the favourite instruments of storytellers. I found that in Bengal this musical instrument can have three
to thirty strings, which depend on the region of its existence. The other musical instrument Dotara-
is very familiar for Central Asian ear (Dotar/Dutar in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan). It is suggested that
this musical instrument was adopted by the ascetic cults of Bauls and Fakirs in the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries and probably from Central Asian newcomers. One more detail is can be prove of
this suggestion and that is using the silk strings (or even catgut) in some areas of their existence.
Originally two-stringed Dotara (Persian: do-two, tar-string) later on become four or even five stringed
in some areas by attaching more stings. Therefore, even in four stringed Dotara melody will be played
by the help of main two strings when other strings are used for more variations (melodic and
rhythmic). The some techniques on playing in instrument are very similar to playing on Dutar and
Dombra in Central Asia. I found that Dotara is one of the most important musical instrument used in
various genres of folk music in West Bengal, Bangladesh, Assam, Jharkand and Bihar. Two main
forms named bangla (with metal strings) and bhawaiya (with cotton, silken or catgut string) are used
through above named territory. But often Bauls are pictured in orange dresses with Ektara (one-
stringed drone instrument) in their hand.
In literature and tradition Bauls are considered as possesses or crazy, which is similar to
darvesh/diwana or ashiq poet-practitioners of Central Asia, but still not much known about their
origin. According to some suggestions the beginning of the Baul movement are going to eight century
Persian minstrels called Baal, when others are stressing the Vaishnava origin (from Sanskrit word
vatula enlightened, gods madcap, seeker of truth). Whatever their origin, Bauls are mixed
elements of Tantra, Buddhism, Vaishnavism/Bhakti and Sufism. There are two kinds of Bauls can be
seen semi-ascetic and completely ascetic. Some of them can roam from one place to other and
singing in search of his divine beloved (called sain (lord), murshid (guide), or guru (preceptor)), when
other are ignore all world, reject family life and seeking their beloved behind closed walls. Thus Bauls
believe that their divine beloved is housed in the human body (temple) and like ashiq (lover) they go
mad in his search. Bauls proverb is states: What is not in the body is not in the universe.
Baul tradition is essentially an oral tradition, when nowadays thousand of records and
videos spread their songs across the world. One of the most famous Baul composers was Lalon Fokir

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(1774-1890), [9] who criticises the religious divisions. The mystics of Lalon are high lightening every
year in February March in "Lalon Smaran Utshab" (Lalon memorial festival), which is held in the
shrine of Lalon in Kushtia, Bangladesh [10]. Great attentions are given to this tradition in India and
Bangladesh by organizing festivals (for example, Baul Fakir Utsav in Kolkata), national and
international seminars dedicated to Baul tradition. Nowadays Bauls are both religious practitioners and
Entertainers, and they may sing both religious and secular songs. With the popularity of Christianity
among Indians in America and Europe as well as among westernized Indians and Bangladeshis, some
Baul songs now include Christian elements, with quite different kind of music (rock /gospel/ blues),
but the essence of the spiritual practices of the East is well maintained.
The beginning of the twenty first century has characterised by globalisation processes
from one hand, but from other by understanding the importance of national identity. Thus, the revival
of national values, supported by authorities, are become one of the main tasks in all new emerged
countries. In this case to study the processes, which took place in modern Indian folk and traditional
music are very useful. One of the interesting examples, in our view, is tradition of Bauls and their
considerable influence on the culture of Bengal. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of
Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

REFERENCES

1. DR.V.K.Narayana Menon (1911-1997) a scholar of classical Indian dance and music was a
Vice-President of the International Music Council in that time. He is author of many articles and
books on the subject and considered as one of the finest Indian art critic. Indian government honoured
him by the Padma Bhushan (the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India) in 1969 and the
Sangeet Natak Akademy Fellowship in 1980.
2. Morozova T.E., Rabindrashongeet. Muzyka Rabindranata Tagora, Moscow, 1993 ;
Nekotoriye cherty zhanrov spetsifiki bengalskih lokshongeet : pesenno-tantsevalnyh holigan, pesen
lodochnikov i brodyachih-baulov , in :P.R.Gamzatova(ed), Narodnoye tvorchestvo stran Vostoka :
struktura, khudozhestvennye osobennosti, definitsii, Moskow : KomKniga, 2007, pp.106-126.
3. Brosalina E.K.Pesennoye tvorchestvo baulov I formirovaniye bengalskogo romantizma,
in : Prigalis N.I., Sukhochev A.S.(ed), Literatura Indii, Moscow :Nauka, 1989, pp.73-84.
4. Donchenko S.S., Nekotoriye haracteristiki tvorchestva bengalskih pevtsov-baulov , II
Vestnik Saint-Petersburgskogo Universiteta : Seriya 13, Vip.3, September 2009, pp.101-107.
5. Donchenko S.S., Poeticheskaia traditsiia narodnyh pevtsov Bengalii: tvorchestvo Baulov,
Saint-Petersburg, 2003.
6. With great respect he named one of the well-known researchers of Bauls and his work:
Deben Bhattacharya, The Mirror of the Sky: Songs of the Bauls from Bengal, London, 1969.
7. Other two are bhatiyali (songs of the boatmen) and bhdoydiya (songs of the North Bengal
Baudiyas, herdsmen, and ox-cart drivers).
8. Jozef Kuckertz Origin and Construction of the Melodies in Baul Songs of Bengal, in
Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council, Vol.7 (1975), p.85-86.
9. Llan gtik, ed. Motilal Das and Piyuskanti Mahapatra, Calcultta, 1958.
10. Karim, Anwarul, The Bauls of Bangladesh. Kushtia, Bangladesh: Lalan Academy, 1980,
203 pp.

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