Baul : A Continuing Tradition

Bauls are bards, composers, musicians, dancers and actors all rolled into one, and their mission is to entertain. Through their songs, pauses, gestures, and postures, these nomadic mendicants spread the message of love and ecstasy to lands far and wide. In a land devoid of mechanical entertainment, Baul singers were a major source of entertainment once in the British era. Tagore was fond of their songs and many of his best creations were evidently inspired by the Bauls. 

Tagore as Baul : painting by Abanindranath Tagore

Perhaps the best known Baul of yesteryear was Lalan Fakir. Lalan songs called lalongeeti in Bangladesh are still very popular and singers sings these with myriad improvisations. Along side these modern singers also exist the traditional Bauls. 


People still love to watch them sing and dance, their narration of folk tales, and even commentary on contemporary issues through highly melodious songs and an extraordinarily high-pitched rendition. Although their lyrics speak the language of the village folks, their songs are appealing to one and all. The songs are simple and direct, profusely emotional, enjoyable, and needs no special knowledge for appreciation.

Lee Lozowick

In the previous post, we had spoke about Parvathy Baul, perhaps the most known face of these wandering minstrels. This week we will speak about Lee Lozowick (aka Lee Khepa Baul or Lee Kṣepā Baul,  an American spiritual teacher and a Baul. Lee was largely responsible for popularizing  this tradition to the west. Lee had come to India in search of enlightenment and became a disciple of Yogi Ramsuratkumar. Then later he took to Baul and earned the name of Khepa Baul (Mad Baul). 

Although he resonated deeply with the Vedantic traditions of India, devoting himself and later his students to the wandering Baul minstrels,  he however did not stay with the school for long. In his last days, he had adopted so many ways of preachings and philosophies, that he had  carved a unique and unconventional path through the postmodern spiritual landscape of the west mocking sacred cows with his “crazy wisdom” approach, fronting a series of blues-rock bands, and adopting the role of a spiritual guru.