Mystic singers, wandering minstrels, the Baul of Bengal preserve one of the oldest and fascinating Indian Subcontinent tradition. Bauls constitute both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many sects. Born from the meeting of different religious expressions, such as Tantrism, Buddhism, Sufism, Vaishnavism & Islamism puts man at the very centre of universe. T hey consecrate their existence to dance, music and singing, conveying intimate joy, universal brotherhood, discovering of divine in man's heart. Though Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable. Baul Song is almost exclusively performed by Bauls (hermits) who are followers of Sufism in Bangladesh. (Note that traditionally bauls were Hindus; Sufism was started following the lifestyle of Lalon Shah.) In Bangladesh, in the early days of Bauls who claimed to be Muslims
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