The Bauls are mystic minstrels living in rural Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. Their music and way of life have influenced a large swath of Bengali culture, most powerfully the compositions of Rabindranath Tagore. Bauls earn their living from singing to the accompaniment of the ektara, a simple one-stringed instrument, and a drum called dubki. Baul poetry, music, song and dance are devoted to finding man’s relationship with God, and to achieving spiritual liberation. Their devotional songs can be dated back to the fifteenth century. Baul music represents a particular type of folk song, carrying influences of Hindu bhakti movements as well as the shuphi, a form of Sufi song. Songs are also used for instruction by the guru to teach his disciple in Baul philosophy, being transmitted orally from singer to singer. The language of the songs is continuously modernized thus giving it current relevance and meaning. These songs are Masterpièces of the Oral and Intangible inheritage of the Humanity since 2005 thanks to the UNESCO.

» See Baul Songs