Lalon Shah

• Lalon Shah was a legendary baul of Bangladesh.

Bauls Bauls are bands of people who compose and sing
devotional folk songs in the villages. Though they
are generally seen all over Bangladesh, they are
mostly found in the districts of Kushtia, Meherpur,
Chuadanga, Jhenidah, Faridpur, Jessore and
Pabna. They do not follow any specific religious
belief, neither do they believe in idol worship or
differences in caste or creed. They are humanists
who believe that all men and women are equal.
They believe that nobody is a born baul, but one
needs a baul guru to become a baul. Lalon Shah
was one such baul guru.
 • Very little is known about the family background of Lalon
Shah. He is said to have been born in Harishpur village in
Jhenidah district in 1772 AD. Some scholars say that he
was born into a Hindu Kayastha family in Bhandara village

Abandoned in Kushtia district.

• Legend has it that when he was young, he caught
smallpox and was abandoned by his community. He was

and a new picked up in a critical condition by a Muslim faqir called

Siraj Sain who nursed him back to health. When he went
back home he was not welcome by his community.

community • So, he returned to Siraj Sain and was inducted by him and
came to be known as Lalon Shah Faqir. He married a
Muslim woman and set up his ashram in the village of
Chheuriya to compose and practise his songs. He had a
considerable number of followers who included both
Hindus and Muslims.
 • Lalon did not receive any formal education but he
had extensive knowledge of Hindu and Muslim
Universal religious traditions. He composed about two
thousands spiritual songs The contents of his
songs, though composed in simple words, speak of
spiritual songs his deeper understanding of the meaning of
human life and the philosophy of equality and
non-communalism.
• Lalon's songs were created in a rural context, but
the message these songs conveyed was universal
in nature. Therefore he gained popularity not only
among ordinary countrymen, but also among the
educated urban people. It is this universal message
which made Lalon's song spread far and wide but
also last through the centuries. This is why Lalon
had influence not only on his great contemporary,
the poet Rabindranath Tagore, but also on many
creative minds of today's Bangladesh.
 • There are no written copies of Lalons songs,

Works but they were later transmitted orally by his

disciples. Lalon died on 17 October 1890 at
his ashram in Chheuriya.
 • Lalon composed numerous songs and
poems, which describe his philosophy. It is
estimated that Lalon composed about 2,000
- 10,000 songs, of which only about 800
songs are generally considered authentic.

Work:
Lalon left no written copies of his songs,
which were transmitted orally and only later
transcribed by his followers. Also, most of
his followers could not read or write either,
so few of his songs are found in written
form. Rabindranath Tagore published some
of the Lalon song in the monthly Prabasi
magazine of Kolkata.
 Work
• Among his most popular songs are:
• • Shob Loke KoyLalon Ki JatShongshare,
• • KhacharBhitorOchinPakhikyamneashejaay,
• • JatGeloJatGelo Bole,
• • Dekhna Mon JhokmariayDuniyadari,
• • Pare LoyeJaoAmai,
• • Milon Hobe Koto Dine,
• • Ar Amare Marishne Ma,
• • Tin PagolerHolo Mela
• • Dhonno Dhonno Boli Tare
 Works
• The songs of Lalon aim at an indescribable reality beyond realism. He was observant of
social conditions and his songs spoke of day-to-day problems in simple yet moving
language. His philosophy was expressed orally, as well as through songs and musical
compositions using folk instruments that could be made from materials available at
home; the ektara (one-string musical instrument) and the duggi (drum).
• Songs of Lalon were mainly confined to the Baul sects. After the independence of
Bangladesh, they reached the urban people through established singers. Many of them
started using instruments other than the ektara and baya. Some started using classical
bases for a polished presentation to appeal to the senses of the urban masses.
According to Farida Parveen, a renowned Lalon singer, the pronunciation of the words
was also refined in order to make their meanings clearer, whereas the Bauls'
pronunciations are likely to have local influence.
 • In 1963, a mausoleum and research centre
was built at the site of his shrine in Kushtia,

Legacy and Bangladesh. Thousands of people come to

the shrine (known in Bengali as an Akhra)
twice a year, at Dol Purnima in the month of

depictions Falgun (February to March) and in October,

on the occasion of the anniversary of his
death. During these three-day song festival,

in popular people, particularly Muslim fakirs and Bauls

pay tribute. Among the modern singers of
Baul music Farida Parveen and

culture: AnushehAnadil are internationally known

for singing Lalon songs. The Lalon Shah
Bridge crossing the Padma River was named
after him in 2004.
 • Lalon has been portrayed in literature,
film, television drama, and in the theatre.
• The first biopic of Lalon titled Lalon Fakir
(1973) was directed by Syed Hasan Imam.

Film and • Allen Ginsberg wrote a poem in 1992

named "After Lalon", where he warned
people against the dangers of fame and
the attachments to the worldly things.

literature: • Lalon's songs were at a time so popular

that they were extensively vocalized by
the common people including the
boatmen in the river. Even today these
songs are getting popularity in all quarters
and have been included in the regular
programme of the radio and television.
Importance
of Lalon
Importance of Lalon
 In recent years, Lalon has inspired New
Agricultural Movement (Naya Krishik
Andolon), the well-known biodiversity based
ecological movements of Bangladesh as well
as inspiring young musical generations to
Importance build upon his oral and musical foundation.

of Lalon So, one can very well understand the great

difficulty of penning down Lalon’s enormous
contribution in few sentences.