Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was an Indian Gaudiya Vaishnava guru who founded ISKCON, commonly known as the "Hare Krishna movement". Members of ISKCON view Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as a representative and messenger of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with bhajan-kirtan and dance had a profound effect on Vaishnavism in Bengal. He was also the chief proponent of the Vedantic philosophy of Achintya Bheda Abheda Tattva. Mahaprabhu founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism. He expounded Bhakti yoga and popularized the chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. He composed the Shikshashtakam.
The Baul are a group of mystic minstrels of mixed elements of Sufism, Vaishnavism and Tantra from Bangladesh and the neighboring Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley and Meghalaya. Bauls constitute both a syncretic religious sect of troubadours and a musical tradition. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many sects, but their membership mainly consists of Vaishnava Hindus and Sufi Muslims. They can often be identified by their distinctive clothes and musical instruments. Lalon Shah is regarded as the most celebrated Baul saint in history.
Nityānanda, also called Nitai, was a primary religious figure within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Bengal. Nitai was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's friend and disciple. They are often mentioned together as Gaura-Nitai or Nimai-Nitai. Followers often refer to Nityānanda as "Sri Nityananda", "Prabhu Nityananda" or "Nityananda Rama".
Lalon, also known as Lalon Shah, Lalon Fakir, Shahji and titled Fakir, Shah, was a prominent Bengali spiritual leader, philosopher, mystic poet and social reformer. Regarded as an icon of Bengali culture, he inspired and influenced many philosophers, poets and social thinkers including Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Allen Ginsberg. Lalon's philosophy of humanity rejects all distinctions of caste, class, and creed and takes stand against theological conflicts and racism. It denies all worldly affairs in search of the soul and embodied the socially transformative role of sub-continental Bhakti and Sufism.
The music of West Bengal includes multiple indigenous musical genres such as Baul, Ramprasadi, Bishnupuri Classical, Kirtan, Shyama Sangeet, Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Geeti, Dwijendrageeti, Prabhat Samgiita, Agamani-Vijaya, Patua Sangeet, Gambhira, Bhatiali, Bhawaiya, Bengali Rock.
Prithwindra Mukherjee, who retired in 2003 from his career as a researcher in the Human and Social Sciences Department (Ethnomusicology) of the French National Centre of Scientific Research in Paris, is an author of a number of books and other publications on various subjects.
The Ananda Puraskar is an award for Bengali literature awarded annually by the ABP Group to writers using Bengali, usually from West Bengal, India.
Radharaman Dutta, also spelt as Radha Raman Dutta, was an influential Bengali musician and poet. A prominent member of the Bauls, Dutta's body of work has led him to be considered as the "Father of Dhamail songs". His songs are widely covered by contemporary Bengali musicians and lyricist.
Paban Das Baul is a noted Baul singer and musician from India, who also plays a dubki, a small tambourine and sometimes an ektara as an accompaniment. He is known for pioneering traditional Baul music on the international music scene and for establishing a genre of folk-fusion music.
The Kartabhaja, also known as the Kartabhaja Sampradaya, literally, the Worshippers of the Master, is a religious community of West Bengal in eastern India, which came into prominence in the mid 18th century. It had a significant following in the late 18th century and early 19th century, but its following declined considerably in the early 20th century.
Gour Khyapa was a Bengali Baul singer and a philosopher. His philosophy was related to Tattva. He was famous for his songs related to Radha-Krishna. He taught philosophy at Vassar and Brown University.
Parvathy Baul is a Baul folk singer, musician and storyteller from Bengal and one of the leading Baul musicians in India. Trained under Baul gurus, Sanatan Das Baul, Shashanko Goshai Baul in Bengal, she has been performing both in India and other countries since 1995.
Selina Sharma (Thielemann) is an Italian-born Indian musicologist and vocalist. Her theoretical work concentrates on South Asia, in particular on the devotional music tradition of the Vraja region, the Bauls of Bengal as well as on the philosophical and spiritual aspects of music. Currently she is the Vice-Secretary and Academic Director of Vraja Kala Sanskriti Sansthana (Institute of Vraja Art and Culture) at Vrindaban.
Bhabendramohan Ray Chaudhury, better known as Bhaba Pagla, was an Indian lyricist, composer, and a devotee of goddess Kali. He is known for his contributions to Bengali folk music. His conventional education did not exceed the primary school level but his creations, mostly lyrics, had been sunk into a deep inner meaning and located in a high thought though common words used for cultural expression. The lyrics also had been composed by him with easy harmony to entertain the masses.
Basudeb Das Baul is a Bengali baul singer and musician from Bolpur in Birbhum district, West Bengal, India; who also plays khamak, ektara, and dotara as an accompaniment. He is known for pioneering traditional Baul music on the international music scene. He also works on the music score for the Australian film The Waiting City as a featured soloist in 2009. A critically acclaimed Bangladeshi movie "Hawa" also featured one of his celebrated song "Atta baje deri koris na" in his own voice.
Suhasini Das was an anti-British activist, social worker and politician from Bangladesh. She was a member of the Indian National Congress and an important figure in East Bengal, before, during and after Partition.
Le Chant Des Bauls - Manuche O Rautan is a 2002 Bengali Baul song album by Paban Das Baul, Gour Khyapa, Nimai Goswami and Mimlu Sen. It was released by Brussels based Belgian record company Fonti Musicali on 23 September in 2002.
Music of the Honey Gatherers is the second solo studio album by Bengali Baul singer and musician Paban Das Baul. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 24 May 2010 by Riverboat Records and World Music Network.
