Lalon

Two-threewordsaboutFakirLalonShah(c.1774–1890)<br/>　　Earlylife<br/>　　ThedetailsofLalon'searlylifearecontroversialandimpossibletoverify.Lalonalsorecordedverylittleinformationabouthimself,asheconsideredhisspiritualendeavorstobeaprivatematter.Asaresult,accountsofLalon'slifeareoftencontradictoryandunverifiable.However,ageneralbackstoryofLalon'searlylifeexistsinthepopularculture.<br/>　　AroundtheageofsixteenhewasfoundfloatingbythebankofKaligangariver,sufferingfromsmallpox.HewastakentothehomeofMaulanaMalamShahandhiswifeMatijan,whobroughthimup.Lalonwasinanearcomatosestateformanymonthsandwhenherecoveredlapsedintocompleteamnesiafromwhichheneverrecoveredinlife.<br/>　　ThoughLalon'soriginsareunclear,itisbelievedthathehadnoformaleducationandlivedinextremepoverty<br/>　　Philosophy<br/>　　Lalonleftnotraceofhisbirthorhis'origin'andremainedabsolutelysilentabouthispast,fearingthathewouldbecastintoclass,casteorcommunalidentitiesbyafragmentedandhierarchicalsociety.Despitethissilenceonhisorigins,communalappropriationofthisgreatpolitico-philosophicalfigurehascreatedacontroversyregardingwhetherheis'Muslim'ora'Hindu'--a'sufi'orafollower'bhakti'tradition—a'baul'ora'fakir',etc.Heisnone,ashealwaysstrovetogobeyondallpoliticsofidentities.Lalonsang,“PeopleaskifLalonFakirisaHinduoraMussalman.Lalonsayshehimselfdoesn’tknowwhoheis.”<br/>　　Lalondoesnotfitintotheconstructionofthesocalled'bauls'or'fakirs'asamysticalorspiritualtypeswhodenyallworldlyaffairsindesperatesearchforamysticalecstasyofthesoul.Suchconstructionisveryeliteandmiddleclassandpremisedonthedividebetween'modern'and'spiritual'world.ItalsoconvenientlyignoresthepoliticalandsocialaspectsofBengal'sspiritualmovementsanddepoliticizesthetransformativeroleof'bhakti'or'sufi'traditions.Thisroleisstillcontinuedandperformedbythepoet-singersandphilosophersinoraltraditionsofBangladesh,aculturalrealityofBangladeshthatpartlyexplainstheemergenceofBangladeshwithdistinctidentityfromPakistanbackin1971.DepictingLalonas'baulshomrat'(theEmperoroftheBauls)asprojectedbyelitemarginalizesLalonasapersonbelongingtoaperipheralmovement,anoutcast,asifheisnotalivingpresenceandincreasinglyoccupyingthecentralcultural,intellectualandpoliticalspaceinbothsideoftheborderbetweenBangladeshandIndia(WestBengal).<br/>　　TounderstandtheBaul,istounderstandthestateofnothingnessassociatedwithhisrejection,bywhichitisnottobeconstrued,asawillingsuspensionofdisbelief,norarecklessabandonmentofresponsibilityorthatofbecominginordinatelyfatalistic.Itisalivingquesttogobacktothedynamicsofwhereitallbegan:toourinfancyasmuchasthefirstmomentsofcreation.Itisaquestwecannotundertakewithoutsomeproddingassistance,albeittoourwellcharted‘roots’,ifwehaveone?Clearly,lifeisablessedmomentofprocreationandanextensionofthecontinuouscycleofMotherNaturewhichrollsonover,whenweknowalltoowell,itisalsoaprocessthatsimplycannotberolledback.<br/>　　Itisincontextoflookingformeaningstoliving,versusthatofdeathwhichisasaninstant,ifnotcompletelytheendofreasoning,andtheprobabilitiesofalifedevoidofanswerstothefutureandwhereitultimatelyplacesus,istheharrowingspectreManiscondemnedtolifeinhisliving.Thispremiseofnotknowingwhere‘everything’ifeverendsisonethatsignificantlydilatestheimplicationandimportanceofNOW.<br/>　　Works<br/>　　Laloncomposednumeroussongsandpoemswhichdescribehisphilosophy.Amonghismostpopularsongsarekhacharbhitorauchinpakhi,jatgelojatgelobole,dekhnamonjhokmariayduniyadari,paareloyejaoamay,milonhobekotodine,aaramaremarishnemaa,tinpagolerholomela,etc.<br/>　　ThesongsofLalongivesubliminalexposurestothereality/truththatliesbeyondourmaterialplane/realism.Theygiveafeeloftheindescribable.Toanengrossedlistener,hissongsbrieflyopenandcloseanarrowpassagetopeepthroughtotheotherworldbeyondtheopaqueglassceilingofthisworld.Lalonsublimatesthefindingsoftheprincipalorientalphilosophiesandmysticism,foremostofwhichwouldinclude(a)Achinta-vedavedbadofLordChaitanya(theanitonomousrealismofindividualsoulandSupersoul,bothofwhicheternallycoexist.TheyarningoftheindividualsoultounitewiththeSupersoul,bothofwhomresidewithinthesameindividualbody,whichweareallgiftedwith.Thiseternaljourneystrivestoachievetheinfinitesimalproximitybetweenthetwo,andasitprogressesitbecomesdifficulttodistinguishthejourneyitselffromthesalvation/mokshya/nirvana);(b)sufism,(c)KundaliniYoga(transcendingoftheindividualsoulthroughthesixchakras),(d)themirroringofmicrocosmandmacrocosminalldimensionsofthespiritualdomain;and(e)panentheism.Lalonhasdemonstratedultimatedexterityofliteraryminimalism.<br/>　　Lalonalwayskeptsilentabouthisoriginsothathedoesnotgettypecastintoanyparticularreligiousgroup.Hewasobservantofthesocialconditionsaround,andthisreflectsthroughhissongswhichspokeofdaytodayproblems,inhissimpleyetdeeplymovinglanguage.Itissaidthathehadcomposedabout10,000songsofwhich2000-3000canbetrackeddowntodaywhileothersarelostintimeandheartsofhisnumerousfollowers.MostofhisfollowerscouldnotreadorwriteandsounluckilyfortheloversofBaul,veryfewofhissongsarefoundinwrittenform.Lalonhadnoformaleducationassuchbuthissongscaneducatethemosteducatedofmindsthroughouttheworld.Longbeforefreethinkersaroundtheglobestartedthinkingofaclasslesssociety,Lalonhadalreadycomposedaround1000songsonthattheme.<br/>　　Lalon'ssongsterselyrefuteanyabsolutestandardof'rightandwrong'whichclaimstopassthetestoftime.Hissongsshowthetrivialityofanyattempttodividepeoplebothmateriallyorspiritually.<br/>　　Influence<br/>　　LalonShahhadaperceptibleinfluenceonthepoetRabindranathTagore,whointroducedhisownformofsongthathassimilaritywiththeBaultraditionofwestBengaltotheworld.Hismusichadbeeninfluencedbythediversityofmysticfolksongs.<br/>　　In1963,amausoleumandaresearchcentrewerebuiltatthesiteofhisshrine,theplaceofknowledge-practices.ThousandsofpeoplecometotheshrineknowninBengaliasakhratwiceayear,Dol-Purnima,inthemonthofFalgun(FebruarytoMarch)andinOctober,ontheoccasionoftheanniversaryofhisdeath.Duringthesethree-daysongmelas,people,particularlyfakirs(Muslimdevotees)andbauls(sectionofHindubelievers)paytributetoLalon.<br/>　　AmericanpoetAllenGinsbergwasinspiredbyLalonShahinwritinghispoemAfterLalon,includedinthepoetrycollection&quot;CosmopolitanGreetings.&quot;GinsbergadoptsapoeticstylesimilartoLalon'sownstyle,frequentlyrepeatinghisownnamewithinthepoem.<br/>　　Amongthemodernsingers,FaridaParvinhasrecordedover300songscomposedbyLalonShah.AnothernotableexponentsofBaulmusicisShehnazBaily,whoserecordedworksarerarebutavailableinBangladesh.BangladeshifilmdirectorTanvirMokammelmadethemovieLalon(film),in2004,whereRaisulIslamAsadportrayedthecharacterofFakirLalonShah.