- Depiction of the Great Sage
If Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is our political icon, if Rabindranath Tagore our cultural icon, if Dr. Muhammad Yunus our economic icon, then the great sage Fakir Lalon Shah is our philosophical icon.
For the couple of centuries, this sometimes very mysterious and misunderstood figure, has given the common man a voice against oppression, social injustice and religious intolerance. His songs spoke for humanity, his songs spoke of the quest for the emancipation of the soul. He spoke of God as ONE, without allegiance to any creed, caste or culture.
Born in Kushtia in 1774, Lalon Shah’s background is often shrouded in mystery. Popular legend goes that he was born into a Hindu family, and was taken in by a Muslim family when on one of his travels he was suffering from small pox. The head of this family was Sheraj Shai, whose teachings had a profound influence on him. When he returned back to his family, he was considered an outcast since he had taken shelter from a Muslim family. As for the real story…who knows? Its still a mystery!
But it is without a doubt that this great poet had a profound influence on Bengalee culture. Rabindranath Tagore, one of the pillars of modern Bengali art and culture, was known to be a great admirer of Lalon Shah. Infact it is even documented of how Tagore has confirmed that the man had a direct influence over a lot of his creations. As he said in his Hebart Lecture in London (1933), ‘Lalon Shah is a mystic poet, who discovered ‘soul’ and the meaning of ‘man’.’
In today’s age of fast cars and fast life, when the very soul of humankind is under attack, it is indeed a need of the hour to try and look back on the words of this great man, who reminds us of what it is to be a human, to work for humanity, and to search for God through our own actions and words everyday.
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