Latest news with #Baul
Time of India
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Music, memory and identity converge in emotional ode to Bengal's spirit
Jonaki Mukherjee's rendition of 'Amar Sonar Bangla' was launched at a city event, celebrating Bengal's Baul tradition. Composer Debojyoti Mishra and Baul singer Gautam Das Baul graced the occasion, honoring the region's musical spirit. Mishra aimed to reconnect people with their roots through music, while Jonaki expressed the song's cultural significance and her personal connection to it. In a stirring celebration of music, heritage, and patriotism, the music video of Amar Sonar Bangla —sung by Jonaki Mukherjee—was launched at an evocative event held at a city restaurant recently. The evening was a confluence of nostalgia and reverence, celebrating Bengal's rich Baul tradition while offering a fresh rendition of one of the region's most iconic anthems. Graced by Jonaki Mukherjee, composer Debojyoti Mishra, and Baul singer Gautam Das Baul, the event paid homage to the timeless musical spirit of Bengal. The evening resonated with emotion as it brought to life the cultural and spiritual essence of the region's folk roots. Amar Sonar Bangla , composed by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905 during the Partition of Bengal, holds a unique place in history as the national song of Bangladesh. The tune is inspired by the Baul composition Aami Kothae Pabo Tare , written by folk singer Gagan Harkara. As a tribute, Gautam Das Baul performed this original folk piece, honouring its creator and reconnecting audiences with the song's spiritual ancestry. Jonaki's rendition offered a powerful reimagining of the classic, imbued with emotional depth and a contemporary voice. The arrangement, created by Debojyoti, skillfully blended traditional Baul influences with classical orchestration—bridging past and present to engage a new generation. 'Reimagining Amar Sonar Bangla felt like a spiritual responsibility,' Mishra shared during the launch. 'We wanted to reconnect people with the depth of our roots using the language of music. It is a tribute to the soul of Bengal.' Echoing this sentiment, Jonaki added, 'This song is woven into the cultural identity of our people. Singing it was not just a performance for me—it was a personal journey filled with emotion, reverence, and pride.' The evening concluded with a heartfelt musical performance that left the audience moved, carrying forward messages of unity, peace, and pride.
Malay Mail
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
A tradition for centuries, Sufi singers face threats as hardline Islamists gain ground in post-Hasina Bangladesh
KUSHTIA (Bangladesh), Aug 7 — Sufi singer Jamal has spent decades devoted to his craft but now fears for his future as hardline Islamists gain ground in post-revolution Bangladesh. Conservative Muslim groups regard Sufism as deviant, opposing its mystical interpretation of the Koran. The movement is highly popular in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, but followers say they have faced unprecedented threats since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year following a mass uprising. Hasina took a tough stand against Islamist movements during her autocratic 15-year rule, and since her ouster, Islamist groups have become emboldened, with security forces stretched. At least 40 Sufi shrines have come under attack in the past few months, according to official figures, with vandalism, arson and other violence linked to Islamist hardliners. Other estimates put the number at twice as high. Musical performances, once a mainstay at Sufi shrines, have sharply declined. 'It's been difficult for the last one-and-a-half decades but after August 5 things have deteriorated significantly,' said Jamal, on the sidelines of a musical gathering at a centuries-old shrine in Dhaka. 'We used to perform in 40 programmes per season but now it's down to 20 due to resistance from some people,' added the 50-year-old. In addition, Bangladesh's ascetic minstrels, Baul folk singers who wander on foot from town to town singing and begging for alms, are also feeling the heat. While separate from Sufis, they are also branded heretics by some Islamists. Sardar Hirak Raja, general secretary of the Bangladesh Baul and Folk Artists Association, said more than 300 musical performances had to be cancelled since last year because of pressure from Islamist hardliners. 'The Sufi singers are in crisis because there aren't enough programmes,' he told AFP. In this photograph taken on July 10, 2025, Sufi singer Jamal (centre) along with other singers, performs at the shrine of Hazrat Shah Ali Baghdadi in Dhaka. — AFP pic 'Inappropriate music' In northern Bangladesh's Dinajpur this year, a vigilante group vandalised a popular shrine, accusing it of hosting 'inappropriate music'. Similar disruptions have been reported across the country. Many of these attacks have been claimed by 'Tauhidi Janata' (people of faith), an umbrella group of Muslim radicals who insist music is forbidden in Islam. Hefazat-e-Islam — a platform of religious seminaries also accused of mobilising people to attack shrines — said it opposed musical gatherings. 'A group of people gather at shrines, consume cannabis and hold music fests, all of which are prohibited in our religion,' said its general secretary, Mawlana Mamunul Haque. Experts say the conflict between codified Islam and its mystical offshoots goes back far into the past. 'Sufi singers and Bauls have been attacked repeatedly over the past decade but such incidents have become more frequent now,' said Anupam Heera Mandal who teaches folklore in the state-run Rajshahi University. 'Since they rarely file complaints, the crimes committed against them often go unpunished.' Bangladesh's interim government, headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has been criticised for going soft on the alleged vandals, with police making only about 23 arrests so far. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, who heads the country's cultural affairs ministry, downplayed the threat, calling the scale of the violence 'relatively low'. 'Whenever a festival is cancelled, we help the organisers hold it again,' Farooki told AFP. In this photograph taken on July 15, 2025, Fakir Nahir Shah (second left), a Baul from Saint Lalon Shah's shrine, sings devotional songs during a spiritual gathering in Bangladesh's Kushtia. — AFP pic 'More powerful now' But critics say the measures are insufficient. 'For mystical singers, the lyrics are not just words — they carry knowledge. Through music, they spread this philosophy,' said Faisal Enayet, a marketing graduate and Sufi music enthusiast. 'Some people are trying to silence them.' Sufi singer Shariat Bayati, whom Islamist groups have in the past targeted with police complaints, said the harassment continued. 'I couldn't hold a programme in my courtyard last March,' he said. 'Those who filed the cases are more powerful now and they keep threatening me.' Mystic practitioners, however, say they are turning to their core beliefs to weather the storm. 'For mystic singers, it's imperative to overcome anger,' Fakir Nahir Shah, one of the country's best-known Bauls, said at a recent gathering of ascetics in Kushtia, widely celebrated as Bangladesh's cultural capital. 'Modesty is the path we've deliberately chosen for the rest of our lives.' — AFP
The Australian
06-08-2025
- Politics
- The Australian
Bangladesh mystic singers face Islamist backlash
Sufi singer Jamal has spent decades devoted to his craft but now fears for his future as hardline Islamists gain ground in post-revolution Bangladesh. Conservative Muslim groups regard Sufism as deviant, opposing its mystical interpretation of the Koran. The movement is highly popular in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, but followers say they have faced unprecedented threats since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year following a mass uprising. Hasina took a tough stand against Islamist movements during her autocratic 15-year rule, and since her ouster, Islamist groups have become emboldened, with security forces stretched. At least 40 Sufi shrines have come under attack in the past few months, according to official figures, with vandalism, arson and other violence linked to Islamist hardliners. Other estimates put the number at twice as high. Musical performances, once a mainstay at Sufi shrines, have sharply declined. "It's been difficult for the last one-and-a-half decades but after August 5 things have deteriorated significantly," said Jamal, on the sidelines of a musical gathering at a centuries-old shrine in Dhaka. "We used to perform in 40 programmes per season but now it's down to 20 due to resistance from some people," added the 50-year-old. In addition, Bangladesh's ascetic minstrels, Baul folk singers who wander on foot from town to town singing and begging for alms, are also feeling the heat. While separate from Sufis, they are also branded heretics by some Islamists. Sardar Hirak Raja, general secretary of the Bangladesh Baul and Folk Artists Association, said more than 300 musical performances had to be cancelled since last year because of pressure from Islamist hardliners. "The Sufi singers are in crisis because there aren't enough programmes," he told AFP. - 'Inappropriate music' - In northern Bangladesh's Dinajpur this year, a vigilante group vandalised a popular shrine, accusing it of hosting "inappropriate music". Similar disruptions have been reported across the country. Many of these attacks have been claimed by "Tauhidi Janata" (people of faith), an umbrella group of Muslim radicals who insist music is forbidden in Islam. Hefazat-e-Islam -- a platform of religious seminaries also accused of mobilising people to attack shrines -- said it opposed musical gatherings. "A group of people gather at shrines, consume cannabis and hold music fests, all of which are prohibited in our religion," said its general secretary, Mawlana Mamunul Haque. Experts say the conflict between codified Islam and its mystical offshoots goes back far into the past. "Sufi singers and Bauls have been attacked repeatedly over the past decade but such incidents have become more frequent now," said Anupam Heera Mandal who teaches folklore in the state-run Rajshahi University. "Since they rarely file complaints, the crimes committed against them often go unpunished." Bangladesh's interim government, headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has been criticised for going soft on the alleged vandals, with police making only about 23 arrests so far. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, who heads the country's cultural affairs ministry, downplayed the threat, calling the scale of the violence "relatively low". "Whenever a festival is cancelled, we help the organisers hold it again," Farooki told AFP. - 'More powerful now' - But critics say the measures are insufficient. "For mystical singers, the lyrics are not just words -- they carry knowledge. Through music, they spread this philosophy," said Faisal Enayet, a marketing graduate and Sufi music enthusiast. "Some people are trying to silence them." Sufi singer Shariat Bayati, whom Islamist groups have in the past targeted with police complaints, said the harassment continued. "I couldn't hold a programme in my courtyard last March," he said. "Those who filed the cases are more powerful now and they keep threatening me." Mystic practitioners, however, say they are turning to their core beliefs to weather the storm. "For mystic singers, it's imperative to overcome anger," Fakir Nahir Shah, one of the country's best-known Bauls, said at a recent gathering of ascetics in Kushtia, widely celebrated as Bangladesh's cultural capital. "Modesty is the path we've deliberately chosen for the rest of our lives." sa/sai/abh/djw/sco
News.com.au
06-08-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Bangladesh mystic singers face Islamist backlash
Sufi singer Jamal has spent decades devoted to his craft but now fears for his future as hardline Islamists gain ground in post-revolution Bangladesh. Conservative Muslim groups regard Sufism as deviant, opposing its mystical interpretation of the Koran. The movement is highly popular in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, but followers say they have faced unprecedented threats since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year following a mass uprising. Hasina took a tough stand against Islamist movements during her autocratic 15-year rule, and since her ouster, Islamist groups have become emboldened, with security forces stretched. At least 40 Sufi shrines have come under attack in the past few months, according to official figures, with vandalism, arson and other violence linked to Islamist hardliners. Other estimates put the number at twice as high. Musical performances, once a mainstay at Sufi shrines, have sharply declined. "It's been difficult for the last one-and-a-half decades but after August 5 things have deteriorated significantly," said Jamal, on the sidelines of a musical gathering at a centuries-old shrine in Dhaka. "We used to perform in 40 programmes per season but now it's down to 20 due to resistance from some people," added the 50-year-old. In addition, Bangladesh's ascetic minstrels, Baul folk singers who wander on foot from town to town singing and begging for alms, are also feeling the heat. While separate from Sufis, they are also branded heretics by some Islamists. Sardar Hirak Raja, general secretary of the Bangladesh Baul and Folk Artists Association, said more than 300 musical performances had to be cancelled since last year because of pressure from Islamist hardliners. "The Sufi singers are in crisis because there aren't enough programmes," he told AFP. - 'Inappropriate music' - In northern Bangladesh's Dinajpur this year, a vigilante group vandalised a popular shrine, accusing it of hosting "inappropriate music". Similar disruptions have been reported across the country. Many of these attacks have been claimed by "Tauhidi Janata" (people of faith), an umbrella group of Muslim radicals who insist music is forbidden in Islam. Hefazat-e-Islam -- a platform of religious seminaries also accused of mobilising people to attack shrines -- said it opposed musical gatherings. "A group of people gather at shrines, consume cannabis and hold music fests, all of which are prohibited in our religion," said its general secretary, Mawlana Mamunul Haque. Experts say the conflict between codified Islam and its mystical offshoots goes back far into the past. "Sufi singers and Bauls have been attacked repeatedly over the past decade but such incidents have become more frequent now," said Anupam Heera Mandal who teaches folklore in the state-run Rajshahi University. "Since they rarely file complaints, the crimes committed against them often go unpunished." Bangladesh's interim government, headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has been criticised for going soft on the alleged vandals, with police making only about 23 arrests so far. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, who heads the country's cultural affairs ministry, downplayed the threat, calling the scale of the violence "relatively low". "Whenever a festival is cancelled, we help the organisers hold it again," Farooki told AFP. - 'More powerful now' - But critics say the measures are insufficient. "For mystical singers, the lyrics are not just words -- they carry knowledge. Through music, they spread this philosophy," said Faisal Enayet, a marketing graduate and Sufi music enthusiast. "Some people are trying to silence them." Sufi singer Shariat Bayati, whom Islamist groups have in the past targeted with police complaints, said the harassment continued. "I couldn't hold a programme in my courtyard last March," he said. "Those who filed the cases are more powerful now and they keep threatening me." Mystic practitioners, however, say they are turning to their core beliefs to weather the storm. "For mystic singers, it's imperative to overcome anger," Fakir Nahir Shah, one of the country's best-known Bauls, said at a recent gathering of ascetics in Kushtia, widely celebrated as Bangladesh's cultural capital.
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bangladesh mystic singers face Islamist backlash
Sufi singer Jamal has spent decades devoted to his craft but now fears for his future as hardline Islamists gain ground in post-revolution Bangladesh. Conservative Muslim groups regard Sufism as deviant, opposing its mystical interpretation of the Koran. The movement is highly popular in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, but followers say they have faced unprecedented threats since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year following a mass uprising. Hasina took a tough stand against Islamist movements during her autocratic 15-year rule, and since her ouster, Islamist groups have become emboldened, with security forces stretched. At least 40 Sufi shrines have come under attack in the past few months, according to official figures, with vandalism, arson and other violence linked to Islamist hardliners. Other estimates put the number at twice as high. Musical performances, once a mainstay at Sufi shrines, have sharply declined. "It's been difficult for the last one-and-a-half decades but after August 5 things have deteriorated significantly," said Jamal, on the sidelines of a musical gathering at a centuries-old shrine in Dhaka. "We used to perform in 40 programmes per season but now it's down to 20 due to resistance from some people," added the 50-year-old. In addition, Bangladesh's ascetic minstrels, Baul folk singers who wander on foot from town to town singing and begging for alms, are also feeling the heat. While separate from Sufis, they are also branded heretics by some Islamists. Sardar Hirak Raja, general secretary of the Bangladesh Baul and Folk Artists Association, said more than 300 musical performances had to be cancelled since last year because of pressure from Islamist hardliners. "The Sufi singers are in crisis because there aren't enough programmes," he told AFP. - 'Inappropriate music' - In northern Bangladesh's Dinajpur this year, a vigilante group vandalised a popular shrine, accusing it of hosting "inappropriate music". Similar disruptions have been reported across the country. Many of these attacks have been claimed by "Tauhidi Janata" (people of faith), an umbrella group of Muslim radicals who insist music is forbidden in Islam. Hefazat-e-Islam -- a platform of religious seminaries also accused of mobilising people to attack shrines -- said it opposed musical gatherings. "A group of people gather at shrines, consume cannabis and hold music fests, all of which are prohibited in our religion," said its general secretary, Mawlana Mamunul Haque. Experts say the conflict between codified Islam and its mystical offshoots goes back far into the past. "Sufi singers and Bauls have been attacked repeatedly over the past decade but such incidents have become more frequent now," said Anupam Heera Mandal who teaches folklore in the state-run Rajshahi University. "Since they rarely file complaints, the crimes committed against them often go unpunished." Bangladesh's interim government, headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has been criticised for going soft on the alleged vandals, with police making only about 23 arrests so far. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, who heads the country's cultural affairs ministry, downplayed the threat, calling the scale of the violence "relatively low". "Whenever a festival is cancelled, we help the organisers hold it again," Farooki told AFP. - 'More powerful now' - But critics say the measures are insufficient. "For mystical singers, the lyrics are not just words -- they carry knowledge. Through music, they spread this philosophy," said Faisal Enayet, a marketing graduate and Sufi music enthusiast. "Some people are trying to silence them." Sufi singer Shariat Bayati, whom Islamist groups have in the past targeted with police complaints, said the harassment continued. "I couldn't hold a programme in my courtyard last March," he said. "Those who filed the cases are more powerful now and they keep threatening me." Mystic practitioners, however, say they are turning to their core beliefs to weather the storm. "For mystic singers, it's imperative to overcome anger," Fakir Nahir Shah, one of the country's best-known Bauls, said at a recent gathering of ascetics in Kushtia, widely celebrated as Bangladesh's cultural capital. "Modesty is the path we've deliberately chosen for the rest of our lives." sa/sai/abh/djw/sco
