The Bauls are travelling musicians and singers who spread their songs of divine love across their country - Bengal and Bangladesh (East Bengal). The initiates took their inspiration from various spiritual sources which have crossed Bengal ever since the 11th century (buddhism, sufism, vishnuism) while still maintaining a strong sense of personal freedom. In their quest for the divine they ignore conventions, dogmas and rituals. They reunite their ordinary life-style with ardent devotion. The Baul ascesis is of utmost simplicity and differs by its realistic and popular poetry which is rich in its subtle teaching and also by its musical and vocal art which are totally unique.

The name baul is derived from sanskrit term: vatula, meaning "he who is carried away by the wind or who is flighty". Their songs are rich in enigmas and paradoxes wich are intended to surprise us and transport us to another form of reality.

Living Tradition

The Baul tradition has been passed down both orally and ancestrally. The songs have been handed down from parents to their children or from gurus to their disciples. The majority of the songs of initiation stemmed from the exchange of spiritual ideas between disciples and their masters. Others were inspired from songs of popular saints from Northern India (such as Kabir, Tulsidas, Surdas).

The Baul movement attained its peak of splendour in the 18th century, essentially influenced by the bengali mystic and reformer, Chaitanya, who awakened the people's devotion to Krishna. The most delightful of the Baul songs were written by Lalân Fakir, a sufi saint from this era, and who came from East Bengal. His poems are still interpreted to this day. Some Baul poets continue adding to the repertory. During religious festivals they gather before the throngs and improvise their latest compositions.

Each family has its own particular repertoire which may comprise hundreds of different songs. There are several different categories - vishnuite songs of devotion, songs of initiation rites, songs of quest, songs of love (Krishna and Radha), contesting songs and songs of wisdom. Sometimes different categories are mingled in the same song. Each Baul respects his own style which is in harmony with the feeling and the inspiration of the moment.

The universality, the freedom and the depth of their messages impressed the greatest of classical poets from Bengal. The best known of those influenced is the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was greatly inspired by the spirit of freedom, the mystic conception of divinity and love, and also the graceful tune of the Baul songs. He compared their spontaneous songs, with their turns of phrase and imagery, to "the humble flowers in the fields".