Bauls

“fools” in Bengali, Bardai in Hindi, Bards in Europe. The Bauls refer to groups of nomadic musicians travelling in Bengal and in North India while singing religious songs and begging for means of subsistence. They adhere to a philosophy close to the poet and philosopher Kabir. Their belief is a syncretism incorporating various aspects (Sufism, Buddhism, Tantra and Yoga). There is no difference between men and women and there is no god other than the god inside ourselves. In 2005, UNESCO proclaimed the Baul songs Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.