The Origin, Ideals and the Socio-economic Status of Fakirs in Bengal

Author(s): Shekhar Biswas

Abstract:

The Baul and Fakir communities are a unique asset of Bengal. This community is not found in any other part of India. Mainly through music these two communities express their philosophy and ideology. The difference between Baul and Fakir is only their origin, here I have also discussed the origin of Faqir community. The Bauls are not as respected and well-known Fakirs as they prefer to remain behind the scenes. As much practice or research has been done on Fakiri music, not as much has been done on their life style in this article, I have tried to shed light on the socio-economic status, food habits and their daily life, besides discussing about the basic ideas and philosophy of Fakirs. And while talking about the Fakirs of entire Bengal, I have mentioned the names of some popular Fakirs of these two districts, Nadia and Murshidabad.

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Pages: 11-13     |    53 View     |    6 Download