Songs of Lalon: Unraveling Issues of Marginalization and Quest for Equality

The exercise of power relations and establishment of hierarchies have constantly pushed the less powerful to the margins and the weaker sections respond to the marginalization in an interesting manner. This article attempts to examine how the folk songs of Lalon Fakir, a mystic bard of undivided Bengal serve as a protest against multiple repressive authorities enforcing Brahminical hegemony, gender disparity, and colonial oppression. By drawing upon the framework of Subaltern Studies, this article also engages in exploring how Lalon’s personal crisis drove him to ponder on the predicament of the abandoned and the struggle against imposed notions of sanctity. These contemplations led to the formation of the Baul-Fakir community to resurrect the identity of the marginalized sections. In this context, the re-reading of the history of Lalon Fakir, misrepresentation of Baul-Fakirs in colonial archives, and the blossoming of the Baul-Fakir tradition become crucial to our understanding of the response to large-scale oppression. In conclusion, one may say that Lalon remains a soulful protagonist who responds to the social crisis and wishes to filter out the mundane issues of power, authority, and domination for a wider prevalence of humanity.