Lalon Shah (1774-1890)

Lalon Shah, GURU of Baul self-discipline, musician and singer of Baul songs. He was born relating to the order of one Kartik 1181 Bangla (1774 AD) at village Harishpur in Jhenaidah district, variable in a very Kayastha familial of village Bhadra in Kumarkhali of kushtia district.

Little is understood simply roughly the non-public liveliness of Lalon Shah. He was in all probability married in his childhood. Someday in to come back years of his simulation, Lalon happened to be a victim of little pox albeit in a very journey to go to the places of pilgrim’s journey. His companions by yourself him apropos the mannerism. A Muslim Mohammedan (saint), Siraj Sanyi reclaimed him in a very deadly condition and got him recovered by nursing and medical treatment. When his mate and therefore the relatives to the fore, however, denounced his recovery Lalon came to his home, he had been frozen the shelter and attachment of the Muslims. Defeated and demoralized, Lalon came to Siraj Sanyi, initiated together with than him in Baul philosophy and devoted himself in austere sober apply. When the death of his Guru, Lalon ancient his akhda (monastery) at Chheunriya about the bank of the Kaliganga, and passed his days there in asceticism, composing and singing pious songs and music.

Lalon had no institutional education. By his projecting to the non-inheritable deep data upon the non-secular doctrines of the Hindus and Muslims, the manifestation of that is found within the songs composed by him. He composed regarding 2 thousand 5 hundred pious songs. His songs area unit loaded in a mystic trend of thought and in inventive capability. Composed in simple language his songs area unit important and spectacular, and area unit indicative of ideal of human liveliness, humanism, and non-sectarian perspective. His disciples conjointly Kangal Harinath Majumder, Dudu Shah, Pagla Kanai etc attained name as the musician of Baul songs.

Lalon denounced caste distinction, and he has sung: Sab lokey koi Lalon ki someone samsare /Lalon koi jater ki rup dekhlam  e najare (All the individuals nom de guerre to what caste Lalon belongs to here upon earth/Lalon says, I actually have not nonetheless seen what’s the shape of a caste). It is for his or her non-sectarian dynamism and universal urge that the songs of Lalon area unit at the same time common to the individuals from each the Hindu and Muslim communities. His songs once Khanchar bhitar achin pakhi, Barir kachhe Arshi Nagar, Amar Gharkhanai ke biraj kore all are the priceless treasure of Baul belief literature.

The main theme of the songs of Lalon is that the thought that ‘the body is that the chair of all truths’, and therefore the Baul restraint is predicated upon mastery of the guru or don. The most need of Baul temperate apply is to trace and acquire the company of the inherent and formless God World Health Organization will abandon be achieved by divine love, grip, and meditation. The guru devises the magnification of pious discharge commitment and salvation.

This philosophy has allegorically been expressed within the songs of Lalon.

To his someone non-secular thought has been appendage the humanitarian social thoughts. In his songs behind Sab loke koi Lalon ki, jat samsare, Jat gelo Jat gelo bale, Sabe bale Lalon  Hindu ki Javan, Emon samaj kobe-go srijan hobe. Lalon has indicated a suggestion for the emergence of a non-secular, racial and caste discrimination at hand bureau.

Lalon’s songs area unit distinctive not solely in non-secular and social price, on the other hand, distinctive in studious and musical qualities. In lightness the philosophy that ‘the body is that the seat of all truths’ even notwithstanding he sometimes used fable and allegory in his songs, his language is spontaneous and simply intelligible. For his fantastic poetical gaining and lucid kind of freshening, his songs emerged inventive once poetical flavor. Although structured at intervals the orbit of Bhatiyali and Kirtan music, Lalon’s songs represent a particular sky that has declared their standing perspective within the trend of Bangla folk-flavor as ‘Baul music’.

Lalon’s songs were of an amount consequently common that the people, as well as the boatmen within the stream, extensively experienced them. Even nowadays these songs are becoming quality in each one perch and are enclosed within the regular programme of the radio and tv. No manuscript of songs of Lalon has so far been discovered. Maybe a number of his disciples collected and compiled them at an additive date. rabindranath tagore collected a manuscript of Lalon’s songs from Lalon’s akhda at Chheunriya and had 298 songs derived therefrom. He in agreement twenty songs out of them and got them revealed in four consecutive problems with the Prabasi.

In his written speech upon Chhanda (prosody) in Calcutta University in 1341 baccalaureate, Rabindranath Tagore highlighted the prosody of 3 songs of Lalon. Besides, in his Hibbert Lecture a faith of Man (1930), in his lecture upon associate degree Indian faith delivered in France, and within the preface of the scrapbook Haramoni of Mansuruddin (Poush 1334), Rabindranath gave upon bank account upon faith and Philosophy once insinuation from the songs of Lalon. Therefore, Rabindranath for the primary epoch attracted the eye of the educated category of the country and of the planet individuals to the songs of Lalon.

Lalon died upon one Kartik 1297 (17 Gregorian calendar month 1890) at Chheunriya at the age of 116. He was arranged to burning at Chheunriya. Per annum, upon the occasion of dolyatra (March-April) and upon the death day of Lalon, his disciples and devotees collect at his Mazar premises and pay deference to the departed guru through diversion of the saints and presentation of songs for 3 days.

By : Contributor, Art Culture BD