Osho Says “A Baul is a flowering. A Baul is a flowing energy. The Baul is not a seeker, the Baul is one who has found. The Baul is a SIDDHA: one who has looked into life and realized that all is available and there is no need to seek. One has just to participate in this mystery called life. He dances, he sings, he enjoys, he is blissful for no reason at all.”

Bauls are mystical musicians from Bengal. They sing from the Heart and pour out their feelings and emotions in their songs. Their music reflects bonds of the heart, subtly revealing the mystery of life, the laws of nature and the ultimate union with the divine. Baul is a mystic nomad dealing with human relations, emotions and spontaneously expressing their spiritual ideology through music & dance.

The music of the Bauls, Baul Sangeet, is a particular type of folk music. Its lyrics carry influences of the Hindu bhakti movements and the songs of Kabir. Their music represents a long heritage of preaching mysticism through songs in Bengali. Their lyrics intertwine a deep sense of mysticism, a longing for oneness with the divine. They seek the divinity in human beings. Metaphysical topics are dwelt upon in a humble fashion and in simple words. To them we are all a gift of divine power and the body is a temple, music being the path to connect to that power.

Bauls use a number of musical instruments: the most common is the ektara, a one-stringed “plucked drum” drone instrument, carved from the epicarp of a gourd, and made of bamboo and goatskin. Others include the dotara, a long-necked fretless lute (while the name literally means “two stringed” it usually has four metal strings) made of the wood of a jackfruit or neem tree. Drums like the duggi, a small hand-held earthen drum, and and khol; small cymbals called khartal and manjira, and the bamboo flute are also used. Ghungur and nupur are anklets with bells that ring while the person wearing them dances.