The picture of the week – A blind Baul
Bauls are wandering musicians in Bengal. They form their own social, religious and mostly family-oriented group and have been firmly in the rural culture of Bengal for centuries. One of the principles of the Baul philosophy is that the divine is not to be found in the hereafter, but in every human being. The word Baul comes from Sanskrit vatul and can be translated as “enraptured”. It refers to the ecstatic musical performances of the Bauls, which constitute a religious practice outside institutionalized religion. Baul was included in the UNESCO list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005.
