Cultural Threat in Bangladesh: Baul, at first glance, appears to be nothing more than a wandering musicians who are devoted to song, melody and a life lived on the margins of society. Music, singing and a distance from material life seem to define their world. Anyone who pauses to understand the Baul way of life soon realises that music is only the surface. The wandering mystic minstrels are not performers alone. Their songs carry a purpose, one rooted in the search for meaning, freedom of thought and spiritual inquiry. Music is simply the path they walk.
That path is now facing mounting pressure in Bangladesh. The present unrest traces back to a government decision that initially promised progress. Authorities announced that music teachers would be appointed in schools to support the holistic development of children. The move triggered immediate opposition from religious groups linked to the Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh.
Bowing to the pressure, the Yunus-led interim government reversed its decision and removed music education from schools altogether.
The rollback led to protests. This time, the streets filled with Baul practitioners, students and people who identify with independent and free thought. Demonstrations erupted in Dhaka’s universities, while Baul singers took to the roads. Reports of harassment and attacks on Baul musicians began to surface.
Many observers see echoes of developments elsewhere. When the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US forces, schools and colleges were shut to girls, and women’s presence in public life diminished. The direction of recent decisions in Bangladesh has raised similar concerns among artists and intellectuals.
Bauls have long resisted narrow definitions. Their lives revolve around a search to find, lose and rediscover purpose. Music is their medium, not their destination.
The unease is widely felt among Baul practitioners and admirers across Bangladesh. One of them is Abdel Mannan, a Baul singer and writer who has authored dozens of books on Baul music and philosophy. He says the present situation is part of a long and painful pattern.
“Persecution of Baul faqirs (wandering mystics and minstrels) is nothing new. This has been happening since the British period,” he said.
History supports his claim. Well before India’s freedom struggle gained momentum, colonial authorities tightened control over Baul faqirs who encouraged independent thinking. Resistance to this repression eventually contributed to the Sannyasi Rebellion in eastern India.
In the 18th century, uprisings against the British East India Company spread across undivided Bengal and reached parts of Bihar. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s ‘Anandamath’ documents this movement, describing how a secret network posed serious challenges to British rule, with Hindu Bauls and Muslim faqirs standing side by side.
Recalling that legacy, Mannan says, “Lalon Faqir came later, but Baul faqirs faced these times even before him. The British used religious extremists to suppress faqirs. Many Bauls were killed and their villages were burned. After independence, nothing really changed. Whether it was the Bangladesh Nation Party (BNP), Sheikh Hasina or now Yunus, Bauls have faced attacks in every era. In this interim government, extremists have been given free rein. Yunus operates under American influence, and extremists are running things on the ground. They do not want Baul faqirs to exist here.”
Recent arrests have reinforced these fears. A Baul singer was taken into custody even though, as supporters point out, his lyrics spoke of Allah and echoed teachings found in the Quran. Despite this, he was arrested.
Many see this as part of a broader attempt to curb independent voices, with Wahhabi groups being used as instruments of pressure.
Asked about the future, Mannan seems to be concerned but resolute. “We have always faced such conditions. Bauls have survived. No matter how many attacks take place, Baul existence will not end. This government has not been able to erase us, and it never will. We are united. From the streets to the courts, we will fight for our right to exist,” he says.
Bauls are not the only ones affected. Writers and filmmakers have also faced persecution. Author Taslima Nasrin continues to live with the pain of exile. “Politics ultimately means using religion. I criticised Islam, and Muslim fundamentalists turned against me. Fatwas kept coming, the government stayed silent, and I was forced to leave Bangladesh,” she said last year.
Commenting on the country’s present state, she said, “The situation is very bad. Sheikh Hasina promoted fundamentalists because she wanted to stay in power. She sidelined the BNP, held elections on her terms, expanded the role of religion, elevated madrasa degrees to the level of college education and created a group of extremists within the Awami League. These preachers speak against women, Hindus and society itself.”
Groups such as Jamaat and the Hefazat-e-Islam have opposed music education in schools. Their demands led to the cancellation of recruitment plans for music and physical education teachers in primary schools. While independent thinkers opposed the move, Jamaat-linked organisations supported it. Protests by music lovers were met with violence, and several Baul faqirs were attacked.
During this period, noted Baul singer Abdul Sarkar was arrested while performing at a music show in Madaripur. Charges of inciting unrest, spreading violence and hurting religious sentiments were filed after a local imam (cleric) lodged a complaint against his performance.
Pro-Baul rallies in Dhaka were followed by attacks from groups operating under the banner of the Tawhidi Janata. Free thinkers fear that these restrictions may soon expand beyond music, affecting theatre, sports and cinema. Women’s freedoms already stand under pressure.
Baul music represents far more than a genre. Lalon Faqir’s songs carried a vision of a secular and humane society. Abbas Ahmed brought Baul elements like Bhatiyali, Marfati and Murshidi into modern folk music. Their songs remain popular across Bengal and Bangladesh.
Baul is often described as a philosophy rather than just music. Passed down through a guru-shishya tradition, it flourished with people like Lalon Faqir, who is believed to have composed thousands of songs that his disciples still preserve. These compositions explore humanity, mysticism, yoga and philosophy.
Bauls from Vaishnav traditions are known simply as Bauls, while those from Sufi backgrounds are called faqirs. Both focus on inner discovery, rejecting social divisions, illusion and rigid belief systems.
Every year, the Lalon Faqir fair at Kushtia draws Bauls from across the region. Many consider it Lalon’s birthplace. His akhara in Cheuriya village remains a spiritual centre.
This tradition blends Vaishnav and Sufi thought, using symbolism and metaphors to explain the meaning of human existence. It challenges religious boundaries and continues a journey of ideas that began centuries ago. In the 19th century, Baul songs gained popularity along with devotional literature on Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
In West Bengal, the Jaydev Baul Mela in Birbhum attracts thousands, including visitors from Bangladesh. Contemporary people like Purna Das Baul, often called the Baul King, have taken this music to global stages. Artists such as Parvathy Baul and Pabna Das Baul continue the tradition, while fusion bands such as Khayapa, Bolpur Bluez and Kartik Das Baul blend Baul roots with rock and electronic sounds, performing across Europe and the United States.
This heritage will survive only where free thought is allowed to breathe. If pressure mounts on the Ektara (traditional one-stringed folk instrument central to Baul music), its string may snap. Still, Bauls carry hope in their words.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
