The music of Bangladesh spans a wide variety of styles. Bangladesh claims some of the most renowned singers, composers and producers in Asia. Music has served the purpose of documenting the lives of the people and was widely patronized by the rulers. It comprises a long tradition of religious and regular song-writing over a period of almost a millennium.
The Baul are a group of mystic minstrels of mixed elements of Sufism and Vaishnavism from different parts of 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.
Bengali music comprises a long tradition of religious and secular song-writing over a period of almost a millennium. Composed with lyrics in the Bengali language, Bengali music spans a wide variety of styles.
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 born in Jhenaidah, Bengal Subah. 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.
Badal Roy was an Indian tabla player, percussionist, and recording artist known for his work in jazz, world music, and experimental music.
The ektara is a one-stringed musical instrument used in the traditional music of the Indian subcontinent, and used in modern-day music of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
Moheener Ghoraguli was an Indian rock group from Kolkata, established in 1975. Their music drew from a wide variety of influences, including Bengali folk, Baul, urban American folk, and jazz. They sometimes described their style as "Baul jazz."
'Bapi' Das Baul is an 8th generation Baul performer of Bengali mystical folk music. He moved from Kolkata to Paris in 1993 and is now known for his fusion work with the groups Senses, Baul Bishwa, Zap Mamma, Fun-Da-Mental, trans global underground, State Of Bengal, Studio Pagol and others in the musical scenes of Paris and London.
Chittaranjan Park is an upscale neighborhood in South East Delhi and home to a large Bengali community. It was established on a rocky terrain in the early 1960s under the name EPDP Colony and later renamed after the deshbandhu (patriot) Chittaranjan Das in the 1980s. Nowadays it is considered among the posh localities in South Delhi due to a rise in the market price of its plots. Despite its growing cosmopolitan nature, it remains home to a large Bengali community and is home to Kolkata-style street-food stalls, Bengali cuisine, fish markets, temples, and cultural centers. It hosts many festivities and cultural events. Durga Puja is the most celebrated festival here which boasts magnificent marquee.
Santidev Ghose was an Indian author, singer, actor, dancer and maestro of Rabindra Sangeet.
Mirakkel is an Indian reality show on Zee Bangla hosted by Mir Afsar Ali and directed by Subhankar Chattopadhyay. It is produced by Subhankar Chattopadhyay Productions. The show features stand-up comedians who are judged by Paran Bandyopadhyay, Sreelekha Mitra and Rajatava Dutta. The band Bandage, with musicians Dwaipayan Saha, Nitin Mani, Suman Sinha, Subhajit Sarkar, Koushik and Saurav Bhattacharya, is responsible for the music. The Times of India has called it "one of the most popular shows on Bengali television", and the Daily Observer wrote that it "has garnered huge popularity in Bangladesh".
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.
Lee Lozowick was an American spiritual teacher, author, poet, lyricist and singer from Prescott, Arizona. He wrote over forty books on spiritual practice and parenting, many of which have been translated into French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and other languages. Some of the titles include: In the Fire, Conscious Parenting, The Alchemy of Transformation, The Alchemy of Love and Sex, The Only Grace is Loving God, and Enlightened Duality. He presented himself as a representative of the "Western Baul" tradition.
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.
Mimlu Sen is an Indian author, translator, musician, composer and producer.
