Baul Fusion Music

Baul refers to a devotional sect, a mystic philosophy and a sacred musical genre of Bengal that are inextricably linked with one another. Bauls are a group of mendicant minstrels strongly opposed to formal religious practices, rites, customs and scriptures who dedicate their entire lives for the realization of the inner soul or the moner manush through the medium of music. Despite traditional Bauls’ attempts to preserve musical purity, Baul music’s contact with other musical influences has transformed it over the years leading to the production of a new musical genre known as Baul Fusion music two decades ago. This study examines the transformation of traditional Baul music into a new musical genre labeled Baul Fusion music.The study begins by tracing the emergence of Baul music following the evolution of the cult and its philosophy. This is followed by an examination of the gradual transformation of traditional Baul music into a new musical genre that has come to be known as Baul Fusion music. It draws on genre theories of music and interviews with contemporary Baul and non-Baul musicians and analyzes contemporary Baul music in order to explain its transformation into a new genre