Fokir Lalon Shah was a spiritual leader, Baul singer, mystical poet, saint, reformer and foremost composer of baul songs. People do not know his real birth date, place, religion, even parent's name.
Research findings suggest Lalon Fakir was born in 1774. Lalon died at the age of 116 years. The details of Lalon's early life are debatable and impossible to verify. Lalon also recorded very little information about himself, as he considered his spiritual activities to be a private matter. According to tradition, he was born into a kayastha family in the village of Bharora in Kushtia. As a young boy, Lalon caught smallpox and was left abandoned in the Kaliganga River, a branch of Ganga, which flowed through Kushtia, in a critical condition.
Siraj Saint (Malam Shah), a Muslim fakir, and his wife Matijan picked up the child and nursed him back to health. Lalon was later inducted as a Baul fakir. He set up an akhra at Chheuriya in Kushtia, where he lived with his wife and a few disciples. Matijan was the first disciple of Lalon.
Lalon was devoted to love, freedom and peace and also expressed them in his songs. He taught the way of everlasting liberation. He strongly emphasized to decide the internal conflict and dominancy of false desires. Lalon Shah left no written copies of his songs, and they were transmitted orally and only later transcribed by his followers. kangal harinath majumdar (1833-1896) was his direct disciple. Rabindranath tagore was also inspired by his songs and published some of them in the monthly Prabasi of Kolkata.
Thousands of bauls and their followers together with the public came to the shrine (Akkra bari) to pay homage to their great spiritual leader and stayed there five continuous days and nights singing, praying which the bauls term as sadhu sheba or service to saints. But the perception it created was far from the traditional.
The festival spread over four acres of land and had covered areas outside shrine premises and over the dead Kaliganga River beside the historic Mohini Mills.
The Bauls are accommodated in the ground floor of a big two-storied building to avoid rain and the sun. A limited number of bauls are around the shrine under the open sky. In addition, a part of Lalon mela was organised in the open space on the western side of the Lalon shrine.The Awami league government constructed a huge cultural complex at Lalon Academy for preservation of Baul and Lalon culture.
It has included a four-storied building which is being used as library, archives, museum and office room, the other two-storied building is used as a resort for Bauls and an auditorium.
Lalon Shah, the great Baul spiritual leader spoke of humanism and unity of all human beings setting aside cast and class distinctions. It is learnt that Rabindranath Tagore was drawn towards him for such unique ideals. Many of his songs in Gitanjali bear strong Baul influence.
The caretaker of the shrine said, "Malam shah regularly recited the Quran. Once he made a mistake while praying, Lalon shah made a sound. As asking the meaning of sound, one night Lalon said to bring the Quran, and he showed the correct way of reciting it with excellent explanation. Malam shah was astonished to see a formally illiterate Lalon's wisdom. He was moved and became irregular to mosque. He spent most of his time with Lalon."
Malam shah did not have any child. One day a neighbour said, Malam shah now spent more time only with another's son. After hearing the rumor Lalan said, 'I will not live here anymore'. Mother Motizan showered Lalon with love and affection, "we don't have child. You came as a son, but now going!" After that Lalon changed his decision with the condition to live in a separated house. Malam made a round shaped new house with straw where Lalon lived and meditated.
Once Lalon traveled to the west of the district and returned back with Beshaka Fakir. In the gathering, followers asked - who is she? Lalon said, consider she is your 'Guru Ma'. After that Beshaka Fakir lived there forever. Brother, parents, relative, nobody came to look for her. In the mean time, Lalon shah's father Malam shah died. Lalon shah said, when I would die, please bury me beside my mother (Motizan). They are now together. The land of the shrine belongs to Malam sha. Before he died he registered the land under Lalon shah's name. Before, during festival huge people could not be managed so the government then extended the space in the bank of the river. Now two ceremonies are held annually. Once at dul purnima (full moon night) and another has been fixed at pohala Kartik.
Lalon composed numerous songs and poems, which described his philosophy. Among his most popular songs are, khachar bhitor auchin pakhi , jat gelo jat gelo bole , dekhna mon jhokmariay duniyadari , paare loye jao amay, milonhobe koto dine , aar amare marishne maa , tin pagoler holo mela etc.
Hindu and Muslim both communities wanted to communalize him. Hindus said he was a Kayastha and adopted by a Muslim cleric. However, Muslims said he was a Muslim by birth. Philosophically Lalon was none, as he always strove to go beyond all politics of identities.
Lalon composed about two thousands songs, which still provide spiritual inspiration and awareness. By his songs he guided people to be "maner manush" (perfect man), "shohoj manush" (simple man). He was against all forms of oppression, chain of command, and discrimination and caste system. He celebrated the freedom of mind and body and Lalon represents the Baul philosophy.
The "Baul" is a radical and worldly community. They are formerly illiterate and traveling singers but have extraordinary wisdom. They deny all worldly affairs in a desperate search for mystical joy of the soul by their songs and using Ektara (a one string musical instrument) and a dugdugi (a hand drum).
The great Lalon was not famous in his lifetime. But, his baul philosophy was introduced by Rabindranath and modern scholars. He was the greatest mystic-singer of the subcontinent. Lalon believed, the 'body' is the universe and the universe is the body. He was revolutionary, challenged modern life style, religions and practices with simple songs.
Other Bengali poets, such as Kazi Nazrul Islam, have also been influenced by Baul music and its message of non-sectarian devotion through love.
However, Lalon did not search contact with the middle and upper classes. He did not even want to come near Rabindranath Tagore, because Tagore came from a Zamindar family. When Tagore invited him, he did not go; both lived around the same time in Bengal. Another famous man of that time was Ramakrishna. But Lalon could never become like Ramkrishna, charming the elites of Kolkata. All his life he lived within the boundary of Kushtia.
In Kushtia , the Lalon shrine every year arranges the "Lalon Festival" the biggest gathering of Bauls and Bauls' performance. At present in Bangladesh modern signers also following the folk approach and word of Lalon songs. People from all across the world appreciate Lalon songs, particularly for their deep spiritual meaning and inspiration.
The writer is researcher and lawyer in Bangladesh Supreme Court
