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Lalon ( bn, লালন; 14 October 1772 – 17 October 1890), also known as Lalon Shah, Lalon Fakir, Shahji and titled Fakir,
Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
, 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 Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
,
Kazi Nazrul Islam , pseudonym = bn, ধূমকেতু, Dhūmketu , image = Nazrul.jpg , image_size = , caption = Nazrul in Chittagong, 1926 , birth_date = 11 ''Joiṣṭhyô'', 1306 '' Bônggabdô ...
and
Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...
. 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. Lalon founded the institute known as Lalon Akhra in Cheuriya, about from Kushtia railway station. His disciples dwell mostly in
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
and
West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
. Every year on the occasion of his death anniversary, thousands of his disciples and followers assemble at Lalon Akhra and pay homage to him through celebration and discussion of his songs and philosophy for three days. In 2004, Lalon was ranked 12 in
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's poll of the
Greatest Bengali of all time Soon after the completion of ''100 Greatest Britons'' poll in 2002, the BBC organized a similar opinion poll to find out the greatest Bengali personalities in the history of Bengali nation. In 2004, the BBC's Bengali Service conducted the opinio ...
.


Biography

There are few reliable sources for the details of Lalon's early life as he was reticent in revealing his past. It is not known exactly when, where and how Lalon was born. Lalon had no formal education. Sunil Gangopadhyay related in his book "Moner Manush" that Lalon, during a pilgrimage to the temple of
Jagannath Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra, and sister ...
with others of his native village, contracted
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
and was abandoned by his companions on the banks of the
Kaliganga River The Kaliganga River ( bn, কালীগংগা নদী) is a river in Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with ...
. Malam Shah and his wife Matijan, members of the weaver community in a Muslim-populated village, Cheuriya, found him faint and took him to their home to convalesce. While he was growing up, he found his mentor Siraj Sain, a Baul saint of that village. Lalon lived within the
zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...
i of the Tagores in Kushtia and had visited the Tagore family. It is said that zamindar
Jyotirindranath Tagore Jyotirindranath Tagore ( bn, জ্যোতিরিন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 4 May 1849 – 4 March 1925) was a playwright, a musician, an editor and a painter. He played a major role in the flowering of the talents of his you ...
sketched the only portrait of Lalon in 1889 in his houseboat on the river Padma. Lalon died at Chheuriya on 17 October 1890 at the age of 118. The news of his death was first published in the newspaper ''
Gram Barta Prokashika ''Gram Barta Prokashika'' ( bn, গ্রাম বার্তা প্রকাশিকা, links=no) is a Bengali weekly newspaper published by Kangal Harinath Majumder in April 1863. Initially, it was printed at Girish Vidyaratna Press in ...
'', run by Kangal Harinath. Lalon was buried at the middle of his dwelling place known as his Akhra. Researchers note that Lalon was a close friend of
Kangal Harinath Harinath Majumdar (22 July 1833 – 16 April 1896), better known as Kangal Harinath, was a Bengali journalist, poet and Baul singer. Early life and career Harinath was born in Kumarkhali village, Kushtia District, now in Bangladesh. He took up ...
, one of the contemporary social reformers and a disciple of Lalon.


Philosophy

Lalon was against religious conflict and many of his songs mock identity politics that divide communities and generate violence. He even rejected nationalism at the apex of the anti-colonial nationalist movements in the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
. He did not believe in classes or castes, the fragmented, hierarchical society and took a stand against racism. Lalon does not fit the "
mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...
" or "spiritual" type who denies all worldly affairs in search of the soul: he embodies the socially transformative role of sub-continental bhakti and sufism. He believed in the power of music to alter the intellectual and emotional state in order to be able to understand and appreciate life itself. The texts of his songs engage in philosophical discourses of Bengal, continuing Tantric traditions of the Indian subcontinent, particularly
Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
, Bengal and the
Gangetic plains The Indo-Gangetic Plain, also known as the North Indian River Plain, is a fertile plain encompassing northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, including most of northern and eastern India, around half of Pakistan, virtually all of Ba ...
. He appropriated various philosophical positions emanating from
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
, Jainist,
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
and Islamic traditions, developing them into a coherent discourse without falling into eclecticism or syncretism. He explicitly identified himself with the Nadiya school, with
Advaita Acharya Advaita Acharya (; 1434–1559), (born Kamalaksha Bhattacharjee; কমলাক্ষ ভট্টাচার্য),"Shantipur parichoy"-Kalikrishna Bhattacharaya&"Samajer Pratichhabi Bises Shantipur Sankhya."-editor-Satya Narayan Goswam ...
,
Nityananda Nityānanda (; born circa 1474), 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' ...
and Chaitanya. He was greatly influenced by the social movement initiated by Chaitanya against differences of caste, creed and religion. His songs reject any absolute standard of right and wrong and show the triviality of any attempt to divide people whether materially or spiritually.


Works

Lalon composed numerous songs and poems, which describe his philosophy. It is estimated that Lalon composed about 2,000–10,000 songs, of which only about 800 songs are generally considered authentic. Lalon left no written copies of his songs, which were transmitted orally and only later transcribed by his followers. Also, most of his followers could not read or write either, so few of his songs are found in written form.
Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
published some of the Lalon song in the monthly ''
Prabasi ''Prabasi'' ( bn, প্রবাসী) was a monthly Bengali language literary magazine edited by Ramananda Chatterjee. History and profile ''Prabasi'' was founded by Ramananda Chatterjee in 1901 and ran for over 60 years. It published many i ...
'' magazine of Kolkata. Among his most popular songs are: * ''Shob Loke Koy Lalon Ki Jat Shongshare'', * ''Khachar Bhitor Ochin Pakhi kyamne ashe jaay'', * ''Jat Gelo Jat Gelo Bole'', * ''Dekhna Mon Jhokmariay Duniyadari'', * ''Pare Loye Jao Amai'', * ''Milon Hobe Koto Dine'', * ''Ar Amare Marishne Ma'', * ''Tin Pagoler Holo Mela'' * ''Dhonno Dhonno Boli Tare'' * ''Emon Manob Jonom Aar Ki Hobe'' The songs of Lalon aim at an indescribable reality beyond realism. He was observant of social conditions and his songs spoke of day-to-day problems in simple yet moving language. His philosophy was expressed orally, as well as through songs and musical compositions using folk instruments that could be made from materials available at home; the
ektara Ektara ( bn, একতারা, hi, एकतारा, ur, اِک تارا, ne, एकतारे, pa, ਇਕ ਤਾਰਾ, ta, எக்டரா; literally 'one-string', also called actara, iktar, ektar, yaktaro, gopichand, gopichant, ...
(one-string musical instrument) and the duggi (drum). Songs of Lalon were mainly confined to the baul sects. After the independence of Bangladesh, they reached the urban people through established singers. Many of them started using instruments other than the
ektara Ektara ( bn, একতারা, hi, एकतारा, ur, اِک تارا, ne, एकतारे, pa, ਇਕ ਤਾਰਾ, ta, எக்டரா; literally 'one-string', also called actara, iktar, ektar, yaktaro, gopichand, gopichant, ...
and baya. Some started using classical bases for a polished presentation to appeal to the senses of the urban masses. According to Farida Parveen, a renowned Lalon singer, the pronunciation of the words were also refined in order to make their meanings clearer, whereas the bauls' pronunciations are likely to have local influence.


Legacy and depictions in popular culture

In 1963, a mausoleum and research centre were built at the site of his shrine in Kushtia, Bangladesh. Thousands of people come to the shrine (known in Bengali as an ''Akhra'') twice a year, at Dol Purnima in the month of
Falgun Falgun or Phalgun (; ne, फाल्गुण) or Phagun ( as, ফাগুন) is the eleventh month of the year in the Bengali calendar, the Assamese calendar, and the Nepali calendar. In the revision of the Bengali calendar used in Banglades ...
(February to March) and in October, on the occasion of the anniversary of his death. During these three-day song melas, people, particularly Muslim fakirs and Bauls pay tribute. Among the modern singers of Baul music Farida Parveen and Anusheh Anadil are internationally known for singing Lalon songs. M Shahinoor Rahman's thesis ''Bengali poet Fakir Lalon Shah: Oral poetry and tradition in the social context of contemporary Bangladesh'' on his life philosophy is one of the basic work. The Lalon Shah Bridge crossing the
Padma River The Padma ( bn, পদ্মা ''Pôdma'') is a major river in Bangladesh. It is the main distributary of the Ganges, flowing generally southeast for to its confluence with the Meghna River near the Bay of Bengal. The city of Rajshahi is sit ...
was named after him in 2004. A male student's dormitory in Islamic University, Bangladesh at Kushtia is named after him as Lalon Shah Hall.


Film and literature

Lalon has been portrayed in literature, film, television drama and in the theatre. The first biopic of Lalon titled ''Lalon Fakir'' (1973) was directed by Syed Hasan Imam. ''Lalan Fakir'', an Indian
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
-language biographical drama film directed by Shakti Chatterjee released in 1978 and starred Ashim Kumar as Lalon.
Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...
wrote a poem in 1992 named "''After Lalon''", where he warned people against the dangers of fame and the attachments to the worldly things. In 2004,
Tanvir Mokammel Tanvir Mokammel (born 8 March 1955) is a Bangladeshi filmmaker and writer. He is the recipient of Ekushey Padak in 2017. He won Bangladesh National Film Awards total ten times for the films ''Nodir Naam Modhumoti'' (1995), ''Chitra Nodir Pare'' (19 ...
directed the film ''
Lalon Lalon ( bn, লালন; 14 October 1772 – 17 October 1890), 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 ...
'' in which Raisul Islam Asad portrayed Lalon.
Prosenjit Chatterjee Prosenjit Chatterjee (born 30 September 1962) is an Indian actor and producer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading actors in modern Bengali cinema. He predominantly works in Bengali cinema . He is the son of veteran Bollywood actor Bis ...
portrayed Lalan in the ''
Moner Manush ''Moner Manush'' ( bn, মনের মানুষ, lit=Ideal Person) is a 2010 India-Bangladesh joint venture Bengali-language biographical musical drama film based on the life and philosophy of Lalon, a noted spiritual leader, poet and fol ...
'', a 2010 Bengali film based on the life and philosophy of Lalon. The film was an adaptation of Sunil Gangopadhyay's
biographical novel The biographical novel is a genre of novel which provides a fictional account of a contemporary or historical person's life. Like other forms of biographical fiction, details are often trimmed or reimagined to meet the artistic needs of the fict ...
of the same name. This film directed by
Goutam Ghose Goutam Ghose (also spelled Gautam Ghosh born 24 July 1950) is an Indian film director, Actor, music director and cinematographer, who works primarily in Bengali cinema. He is the only Indian to have received the "Vittorio Di Sica" Award, Italy ...
, won award for the "best feature film on national integration" at the 58th Indian National Film Awards. It also won Best Film prize at the 41st International Film Festival of India held at Goa from 22 Nov to 2 December 2010.


Gallery

Image:Lalon Mazar, Kushtia, Bangladesh.JPG, Tomb of Lalon,
Kushtia District Kushtia District ( bn, কুষ্টিয়া জেলা, pronunciation: ''kuʃʈia'') is a district in the Khulna administrative division of western Bangladesh. Kushtia is the second largest municipality in Bangladesh and the eleventh ...
Image:Lalon Mazar by Saef 5.jpg, Lalon's disciples' grave Image:Lalon Mazar by Saef 9.jpg, Gate of the shrine of Lalon Image:Lalon Mazar by Saef 10.jpg File:Lalon's ORS - 2.jpg


See also

* Music of Bengal


References


Further reading

* Salomon, Carol (2017) ''City of Mirrors: Songs of Lālan Sā̃i''. Edited by Keith Cantú and Saymon Zakaria. Oxford University Press, South Asia Research Series, New York. * Muhammad Enamul Haq (1975), ''A History of Sufism in Bangla'', Asiatic Society, Dhaka. * Qureshi, Mahmud Shah (1977), ''Poèmes Mystiques Bengalis''. Chants Bauls Unesco. Paris. * Siddiqi, Ashraf (1977), ''Our Folklore Our Heritage'', Dhaka. * Karim, Anwarul (1980), ''The Bauls of Bangladesh''. Lalon Academy, Kushtia. * Capwell, Charles (1986), ''The Music of the Bauls of Bengal''. Kent State University Press, USA 1986. * Bandyopadhyay, Pranab (1989), ''Bauls of Bengal''. Firma KLM Pvt, Ltd., calcutta. * Mcdaniel, June (1989), ''The Madness of the Saints''. Chicago. * Sarkar, R. M. (1990), ''Bauls of Bengal''. New Delhi. * Brahma, Tripti (1990), ''Lalon : His Melodies''. Calcutta. * Gupta, Samir Das (2000), ''Songs of Lalon''. Sahitya Prakash, Dhaka. * Karim, Anwarul (2001), ''Rabindranath O Banglar Baul'' (in Bengali), Dhaka. * Choudhury, Abul Ahsan (editor) (2008), ''Lalon Samagra'', Pathak Samabesh.


External links


Lalon Geeti
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lalon 1772 births 1890 deaths Bengali musicians Bengali male poets Bengali philosophers Bhakti movement Bangladeshi culture