বাউল-ফকিরদের একটি কৃত্যমূলক ঐতিহ্যের বয়ান: লালনপন্থী সাধকদের সাধুসঙ্গের করণ-পরম্পরা | The Cultural Institution of Baul-Fakir Sadhusongo as Practised in the Lineage of Lalon: Description

Abstract

In this article dedicated to the memory of the daughter of her guru Fakir Nahir Shah, Ranjona Fakirani (Buri Ma), who passed away suddenly in July 2021, Deborah Eliette Cukierman (alias Deborah Zannat) takes on an important chapter in the Baul-Fakir culture: the sadhusongo As both a yogin sadhika and an academic researcher, she uses her own field observations and practices, discussions with sadhugurus of the Lalon lineage, and theories from anthropology and sociology, to weave philosophical meaning into the descriptions of what it takes for a sadhusongo to run out successfully. From the preparations and rules of invitation, to the event's full timeline, spanning from the songs of inauguration and set-up of the main asana (seat of the Divine) with offerings of food and flower, light and incense, through the habits of discussion in music medium, all the way to the high point of resolution steeped in narrative-based myths of Radha-Krishna no part of the cultural event is left untouched. Her hope is to help the reader produce a proper conception of what sadhusongos are about, and remove false ideas related to the lineage of one of the most talked about spiritual sects of Bengal, by showing in simple straightforward terms what idealist humanism can and should-be about.