Maqsoodul Haque a.k.a Mac Haque

Call it Bengalee Islam, Sufi Islam, Ma’arefoti Islam or whatever, the overarching truth behind the phenomenon’s finds roots in several coordinates that endeared them to the genetically secular Bengalees. For one, the idea of peace, brotherhood and respect for fellow human beings has always been integral in the belief systems of all major religions of the world with Bengal and Bengalee Islam being no exception. Secondly the lofty ideals of cohesion and assimilation that the Vaishnavite expounded where in no way dissimilar to what the Sufi Muslims where preaching and coalesced very well when they were making their initial inroads into India. And thirdly and most importantly, the Bengalee respect for food, agriculture and the natural cycles and its rejection of crass capitalism meant that these so-called ‘subordinate cultures of the riff raffs’ had many a common element to resist the aggression and oppression of the British rulers who had looted and pillaged India, leaving it to a state of pauperization. This is quite opposed to the wealth and prosperity witnessed before the British entered India. Therefore when it came to resistance, Bengalees had more reasons to challenge the imperial status quo, and all of it to consolidate itself with penchant for music and prayers.

Fair warning: Spirituality is tedious business. One has to read boring books whose contents will all too often help or force you to go to sleep. Spirituality most times will sedate you, not excite you. But for those of us who live life in raptures and ecstasies – the words of God, Saints, Sages, Hermits, Bauls and other ‘mad women and men’ dissolves us into exciting, uncontrollable crying sighing raptures all in Love, in Prem, Ishq in dissolving into our beings and telling the world – life goes on! 

Love of God is the strongest addiction known to mankind. Interestingly in these times of ‘digital addiction’ when overuse and misuse of our millennium devices such as phones, laptops, applications – even TV, near perfectly clones the disruptions to our brains – that otherwise can only happen among heavy heroin or cocaine abusers and zombies, Love&God is yet the strongest drugs going around in the planet and thankfully more powerful than the Hate&Kill drug – or am I mistaken again?

Nothing makes me more home sick, more nostalgic than the thought of visiting Assam. Trapped as it is by a providence of birth in Bangladesh (in 1957), born to proud Assamese Muslim parents who immigrated in 1952 to East Pakistan from Borholla and Jorhat, my life has been an endless limbo when it came to the question of identity. I was born a citizen of Pakistan and after 1971 by default became a citizen of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, yet I was raised as an innocent Assamese child by my parents with a 'cursed sense of simplicity', with strict regimen in the practice of the Assamese language at home, and appreciation of its rich culture and heritage, with songs and Bihu festivities and its observance within the tight knit communities in Bangladesh from ujoni Asom or upper Assam. I had every reason to hold my head high with pride. The greatest gift that I have inherited from my parents is an ability to speak the purest of Assamese in the Sibsagar-Jorhat dialect which leaves many, especially in Assam awestruck ! Yet in my impressionable childhood when it came to visiting Assam they were rare and in-between occurrences and would happen during my winter vacations from school or during the weddings of any of my maternal uncles or aunts – who were in the dozens! In Assam my earliest recollections is getting thoroughly spoilt with gifts that were heaped on me, playing mischievous games and pranks with my cousins who were over fifty in number, the visit to my parental Gorajan Tea Estate in Borholla on a horse driven buggy, and the incessant travels to Jorhat Town, Dibrugarh Tezpur, Guwahati, Furkating, and several more. The greatest treat in my visit to Assam would be the family picnics or the shikars or hunts organized by my uncles. It was with a sense of pride that I would hold in my hand the array of family owned 12 bore shotguns, the .22 bore rifles and of course the 'pride of the aristocracy' the Browning Citori double barreled guns. My parents never permitted me to shoot a gun without an elder overseeing me – nor did they permit me to shoot and kill animals, so my joining the shikars was mainly for the fun of it all and overnight camping and the occasional pigeon that I would defy my Dad's instruction and shoot anyway. However two things about Assam continued to attract me like a magnet and perhaps still does, its natural beauty and its people – who I have no hesitation to state are perhaps the finest, gentle, humorous and polite folks I have met anywhere in the world.

"The purpose of this Bangladesh centric paper is to present an overview of Baul music and its evolution from the 8th century until present times. While there are many scholarly and academic works in the Bangla language available as open source in the public domain in Bangladesh, there are few if any materials available for researchers or academics in the field in English language.

The writer of this paper thus aims to present the evolution and historical strides made by Baul music exponent and practitioners as well as the deep rooted spirituality and philosophies of the Fakirs and Shadhus - the ultimate stakeholders of the tradition, to capture the essence of their ingrained and very unorthodox belief system. Baul music and philosophy has dominated the thinking of Bengals cultural literati with regards to religion – its use and misuse, and it’s well documented power of syncretic assimilation of faith. The paper deals extensively with the Akhara tradition and offers a snapshot of Baul social system as well as transmission ladder of its venerated Saints and Sages.

It also dwells extensively on music and musicological history of the Bauls from ancient times to the present – underscoring important millstones and milestones of the Baul movement. Needless to mention the author presents the paper from the perspective of an insider to the Baul belief system – a practitioner, musician and writer who has for 27 years has explored the myriad aspects of Baul life in Bangladesh."

Identified as cultural icons in ideas or concepts the first overriding principle is no individuals, groups, communities or entities own National Cultural Icons. In fact proprietorship of such icons is owned by the public at large, the citizens of a country and to a large degree by the state, who in today’s world shoulder the gravest of responsibilities in preserving them. What is a matter of great pride is as far as conflicts of interests are concerned; on recognized national cultural icons, there are seldom any. It is the beauty of joint ownership by all of such icons, the commonalities of our instant appreciation that gratifies our senses of well being that makes culture such a delectable ‘commodity’ if we may. Culture after all is aimed as a feel-good retinue in human development, a marker of a nation’s progress, an indicator of its ethos and aesthetical development.

This document contains email exchanges with an Architecture student and me which may prove useful for those interested to know whether the Bauliana philosophy can be incorporated to a skillful discipline such as architecture. The name of the student and her institution is not mentioned here with respect to her confidentiality. RKM’s emails are in italics :

‘Transition’ is a word loaded with uncertainties for it narrows the width of examining issues over a time frame and leaves us pleasantly surprised at how much or how little we have managed to achieve. For instance, if we are to look at the transition in air transportation, from the Wright Brothers attempt to fly a ‘machine’ in 1903, to supersonic Concords, Man on the Moon in 1969, the Space Shuttles, Stealth bombers that defy radars, or the Aerial predator Drones that go into battle with no humanoid on board: all of it happened within the span of the last hundred years, a century that defied mans achievements in technology to the one that preceded it.

This write-up is about my transitional experience in Bangladesh over the last forty years of the century gone by. From the sixties, on to this new millennium it is all about the icons that made me emotive, frustrated or sensitized but for most part, kept me happy. I am sure many have shared similar transitions – bitter, as they may have been in some cases, they never failed to percolate hope. Hope is the essence of mans survival; no capital has to be expended other than expanding the spirit of a Soul, that understands precious little, but to move forward. Nature moves us on from a ‘cell’, to an embryo, a fetus, an infant, and child, pre-teen, post-teen. When we become ‘gray haired forty-something’ we take stock and say with futile benediction – ‘life itself is a transition’ and ‘hope for a better world way beyond’ what our limited faculty of the imagination affords us, for granted. Even in death man is programmed to remain hopeful.

For reasons ominous and best known to the powers that be, Hefazat an inconsequential group on the lunatic fringe is being primed to center stage of our attention as one among ‘powerful factors’ that caused the debacle of the ruling Awami League (AL) in the recent City Corporation elections. However, is that the truth, or is Hefazat just another expendable ‘bogeyman’ that is being used not only by the Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP) but also by the AL in the run up to Polls 2013? Is this to create an aura of a force much ‘larger and powerful’ than both and one we have to perforce align ourselves with ..or else?

In both cases, a reality check brings into forefront massive errors of our collective judgment. We have been conned into believing that Hefazat with all pretensions of being ‘defenders of Islam’ will make a change to our political landscape and in turn, the fate, ‘faith’ and fortune of Bangladesh is a lie of the highest order. Hefazat is surely not the last word for Islam in Bangladesh, nor is there any truth to the ruse of their ‘massive support’ all across the length and breadth of the country.

Evidently, there is a sinister pattern emerging this Ramadhan in Afghanistan and Pakistan where unheard of clerics are handing out vitriolic fatwas (edicts or decrees) targeting women and ones their respective governments are shockingly acquiescing to. No different is the case of Bangladesh

The enemy: Hefazatul Islam (defenders/protectors of Islam) it is called and just like our Blogger Comrades their strategies and agitation methodology have more elements of similarity than dissimilarity! Our worries peaked when these ‘pure Huzurs’ stunned us with their ultimatum to the Government that our Blogger Comrades ought to  be arrested, tried and hanged by the 6th of April 2013. Failing, they have threatened an occupation of Manik Mia Avenue, where they plan to erect an “Islamic Jagoron Moncho” with the ‘faithful’ from all over Bangladesh thronging and besieging Dhaka.

The allegations: They enemy says a) we are atheist b) we have insulted Prophet Muhammad c) we have disrespected the Holy Qur’an; apparently good enough reasons to get us hanged .

The Prediction: One can be rest assured that hundreds upon thousands of white skull caps will ride the crest of an imminent tidal bore – for the precise three points ‘championed’ by the enemy, (rightly or wrongly is a separate matter) is good enough reason to excite the passions of millions of pious – if not fanatical or fundamentalist Bengali Muslims, to take to the streets. And why do I say so?

The Pretenders: Do these hate filled so-called “defenders of Islam”, who in reality are Muslim pretenders, and are agents for murder mayhem, strife, disquiet and disorder in civic life; ever consider that attributes such as benevolence, forgiveness and mercy are also foundations of the Creators all encompassing omnipresence, in the course of human destiny? The concept of “God fearing Muslims” is a construct of hate merchants backed by Free Masonic agents, disguised in robes of religiosity, to misguide the pious and ‘religion sensitized’ masses. That this mindset of division dates back to periods of Islamic history, post the death of Prophet Muhammad, is rarely, if ever acknowledged.

The 6th April siege of Dhaka: I am glad 04/06 happened, for the purpose, attitude, appearance, and the intent of the enemy has never been clearer than now. What they have already spelt out implies a pledge to slide us back into the dark pits of medievalism, confine women to homes, perforce enforce the hijab, ban female and coeducation systems, ban music, ban fine arts, specially sculpture  and anything considered deviant or not in conformity of what in their perception is ‘Islamic’.

The 5th May crackdown on Hefazat: We get to see the likes of Allama Shafi riding insanely expensive SUVs and helicopters, while his half-fed ‘supporters’ are coaxed and threatened to join his murderous jihad on fellow Muslims, are made to endure a ‘long march’ to Dhaka? How more corrupt and vulgar can these fake ‘god men’ be? How long shall we be in fear of these so-called ‘apolitical theologians’ that are no different from sections of our corrupt politicians? And after a day spent haranguing the ‘faithful’ with screams of imaner lorai (fight/resolve of faith) where they promise in public view and that of the world, never to leave their ground, never to return home if their demands are not met, to sacrifice their blood, to become immortal shaheeds (martyrs) — and all it takes is 17 minutes of security forces action, for the ‘millions’ to flee, to literally disappear into thin air.

"What are the lofty ideals of Ramadhan and the practice of Sawm that Muslims are supposed to aspire for? Is it merely going to be fasting all day that ends with gluttonous binging on food in the early evenings until night? If it is the ‘pang of the poor’ we are supposed to feel, do the so-called ‘poor’ have the luxury of indulgence of a kind we the ‘well to do’ or affluent most arrogantly tend to believe is an act of faith that ‘pleases’ our Creator?

Our so-called ‘religious sentiments’ are more easily ‘bruised’ than our human sentiments when rational questions are asked. Islam condones blind faith and superstitions, yet there is no denying that very few who indulge in the penultimate rites of penance Sawm have even the
faintest notion about its significance. All we get to read in newspapers, and all we get to see in discussions by Alems and Ulemas on television are about the do’s and don’ts of rituals that
have anything at all to do with Islam or the injunctions of the Qur’an."

The social, academic and intellectual construct given to the Baul  movement ofBengal for centuries have been attempts by the elite status quo to box-in the music, lifestyle and philosophy of Fakirs, Sadhus and Sages of our time, thereby limiting them to easily explainable parameters and expected norms, practices of spirituality.

Baul philosophy is however unique in that it challenges these constructs in the epochal tangents setting it apart from other ‘religions’ or beliefs. Our dominant heritage culture, especially those practised by the marginalised majority, the construed ‘subalterns’ has therefore traditionally been in conflict and at odds with the city centers The objective of this essay is to give readers a concise yet coherent understanding to the basis of the Baul creed, its history, philosophy, complex spirituality and lofty ideals. It also aims to present us an opportunity to appreciate why the teachings of Fakir Lalon Shah has become so pertinent in present day Bangladesh which is beset with sectarian strife of an unimaginable magnitude, and perhaps lessons we may inculcate to the way forward..

It has been a little over one hundred days that the protest in Shahbag commenced and in the intervening, the movement has had its fair share of bouquets and brickbats, in fact more of the latter than the former. Shahbag nonetheless represents a significant cultural statement in the history of Bangladesh and will be studied closely for times to come. Despite all the partisan politics that has no doubt sullied the movement’s image and made it loose its initial appeal and credibility, history will record the mass movement for its sheer uniqueness in encapsulating a civilian resistance strategy and non-violent uprising of the people.

What started out as an expression of collective contempt on the Qader Mollah verdict of 5th February 2013, became a phenomenon that morphed and gripped our imagination in ways we had not witnessed in our forty-two years as a nation. It was the actors that made all the difference, and that in itself was a pleasant surprise. The young with no connections to 1971, and who were born years after the momentous period in our history, were among the first to cry foul, and took to the streets to demand that the War Criminals be given stiffer penalties, which by implication meant capital punishment or, the death penalty.

"To understand Azam Khan and his music one has got to look at the way the World was shaped in 1971 and the tumultuous events that followed in the years thereafter. It was nearing times for the Vietnam War of 21 bloody years to come to an eventual conclusion (1975). In the US, a new movement evolved to address the consciousness of the young. Disparagingly they were termed 'hippies' – in other words social outcasts, riff raffs, good for nothings.

Rock until the late sixties was unheard of in Bangladesh and our part of the world in its native language. 1971 is significant. We had entered a truly happening global cross-cultural exchange phase in the history of the world. The fall-out in Bangladesh was marked in the persona of Azam Khan. Guitar, drums and keyboards made its bold entry into our cultural domain. Accusations of cultural revisionism were in the air. Our elders and the teeming middle class in general, not familiar with the emerging new soundscape gave it a sinister label 'Oposhongskriti' or counter-culture. The parochial and stagnant notion of mainstream Bengalee culture from our grandparent's times was set to be literally brutalized into much needed reforms. This was going to be no win-win situation for rockers, therefore politicized and abusive culture vultures were deployed by the establishment to confront the disquiet. However the shape, definition and course of culture would change for the better in the years to come, and something our puritanical patronizing cultural cognisanti could ever imagine - not even in their wildest dreams. Never in history did Bengal ever have a renaissance of such a magnitude.It is therefore absurd to even suggest that anybody other than Azam Khan could have risen up to the occasion and taken on Rock's mantle on his lean shoulders for yet - another fight. He bore all insults and ignominy heaped on him with fortitude, resilience and humor. He was the penultimate hero. Neither his credibility as a front line freedom fighter nor his patriotism could ever be questioned. The simplistic yet powerful messages emerging from his songs could not be rubbished. The son of the Muses in Bengal had arrived and he was destined to change our attitude and importantly the music scene of our country forever. Nothing in the world stood between him and his mission. This was to be no guerrilla theater; it was far more arduous and hazardous than bargained for. The Government of the day as much as our parents was uneasy with this errant yet mercurial former freedom fighter. What unfolded would change the course of our cultural history forever."

Culture, its strength, and far reaching implications in social, national and political life, has remained the most dangerously misunderstood human phenomenon in Bangladesh's aesthetic development. In our constant yearning for 'excellence' - culture in Bangladesh has by far remained a force that has rarely been cultivated and nurtured towards those basic human instinct's : understanding and appreciation, to the way forward.

In Bangladesh culture always had the natural capacity and ingredients in huge bounties to enrich itself through exchange and 'fomenting', of newer trends and attitudes. Had we allowed only an iota of 'space' for sustained nourishment, it would have helped gel unique new dimensions, with far reaching implications.

Instead we have chosen to restrict and restrain positive inclinations that time demanded, and have rejected them without enquiry or understanding, expeditiously tagging them that one all encompassing sinister label, 'threats from aliens' or 'alien culture'. We have traditionally shied off acquiring knowledge, more than what our 'text books' could offer.

There is fundamentally more to Baul spirituality and scripture than merely the music and lyrics that one comes by, and conceivably nobody can ‘delve deep’ into the music form without having some basic understanding and concepts about its tottyo. This book
is an attempt to understand and explain the intricacies of the Baul scriptures. The esoteric couplets, sentences and arguments that usually have moral or historical over tone, the pointed reminders, the signature lines, and the over all thrust of arguments within a very short periphery of time, the alankar (embellishments), all mesh in and combine to create a completed aura of ethereal munificence. Baul music with exceptions follows different traditions and Guru’s in every district of Bangladesh, and sometimes each has its own unique Guru Shishya parampara (student/teachers discourses), leading on to birth of newer, progressive and more challenging schools of thoughts.

While Fakir Lalon Shah is the most celebrated of sages of Bangladesh, the schools of Baul thought encapsulates perhaps several hundred more sages and men of great wisdom, whose writings and philosophies continue to inspire and whose graves
more often than not, take on the shape of shrines, usually devoid of any religious or sectarian symbolism. Being an oral tradition Baul music ironically is also one of our near extinct heritages as most of the works have either disappeared or have been claimed by
unscrupulous people over time. Studies on authorship of many Baul songs (including those of Lalon) and their relevance to original scores and or manuscripts remains a very complicated process and is mired by many unfortunate controversies. To top it off, it is believed that while there were over 300 different types of Baul melodies or tunes; today we are left with scarcely 35. While researching the Bauliana album, I could identify only 20 authentic tunes.

The essays ‘Bauliana: Worshipping the Great God in Man’ in 2003 were written through a feeling of guilt and remorse. While I did receive praise for my work for the musical album of 1996, troubling me intently was a feeling of not been able to share the many
words of wisdom that were imparted to me by the Baul’s over the years to a wider audience, teachings I was sure would benefit a lot of later day enthusiasts. I had made scores of notes at the time, as also consigned most of the teachings to memory but there was always a deep apprehension, that unless my writings were passed on hand to
hand; all the hard work that went into it, will fail my original intention i.e. opening newer dimensions into reading on Baul music, lyrics, philosophy and way of life.