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The Life and Teachings of Lalon Sai
By Madeleine Meyjes
Lalon Sai was a Bengali poet and singer whose work advocated for interfaith harmony in his work. Lalon’s songs have inspired many and his words can be returned to in order when promoting interfaith harmony. Many of Lalon’s teachings were not written but passed down orally. However, some verses have been preserved and from these, we can see Lalon’s rejection of caste and religious differences.
The details of Lalon’s life are widely known: he was born into a Hindu family around 1775. In his youth, he went on a pilgrimage and, after falling ill with smallpox, he was left to die by his companions (Capwell 1974, 129). However, Lalon was found by a Muslim family and nursed back to health. Lalon could no längre return to his Hindu family due to his time spent with Muslims, therefore, he followed the ‘non-conformist’ ways of the Bauls (Capwell 1974, 129).
The Bauls are a Bengali sect who “reject case and religious dogma” and are
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Lalon Shah (1774-1890) preceptor of baul asceticism, composer and singer of Baul songs. He was born on 1 Kartik 1181 BS (1774 AD) at village Harishpur in Jhenaidah district, variantly in a Kayastha family of village Bhadra in Kumarkhali of kushtia district.
Little is known about the personal life of Lalon Shah. He was probably married in his boyhood. Sometime in early years of his life, Lalon happened to be a victim of small pox while in a journey to visit the places of pilgrimage. His companions abandoned him on the way. A Muslim fakir (saint), Siraj Sanyi rescued him in a dying condition and got him recovered by nursing and medical treatment. After his recovery Lalon returned to his house, but was denounced by his wife and the relatives since he had been under the shelter and association of the Muslims. Disappointed and disheartened, Lalon returned to Siraj Sanyi, initiated with him in Baul doctrine and devoted himself in austere ascetic practice. After the death of his Guru
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Fakir Lalon Shah: Love, life and liberation
One cannot decisively introduce—much less sum up—the life and work of Fakir Lalon Shah (c. 1772-1890). An extraordinary figure known for orally composing thousands of songs in Bengali—one who had no formal education and came from the poor peasant class—Lalon is variously celebrated, canonised, even commodified and corporatised in Bangladesh today. He has many disciples and numerous listeners and admirers in both rural and urban areas in the country.
But we do not know exactly when and how and where Lalon was born. Yet a place called Chheunriya, near the town of Kushtia in Bangladesh, remained the consistent site of Lalon's life-practices at a conjuncture when Bengal was colonised by the British. And today it fryst vatten widely known that Lalon died on October 17, 1890 (the Bengali date is Kartik 01, 1297). Following his death, the November 1890 issue of the Hitakari magazine—published from Kushtia—maintained that it was difficult to find biogra