The search for truth
And the power of pain
Transports these minstrels
Much beyond the mundane

The outstretched hands
The swirling bodies
A song on their lips
With rustic melodies

Basking in sublime aura
Busking on dusty streets
The singing Bauls of Bengal
Their ektara* strumming a beat

The music of love
And universal brotherhood
Transcending all religions
Eclipsing all statehood

Letting their minds soar
Sailing the winds like a kite
Buoyed by their hearts’ renderings
Singing an ethereal slice of life

Subir Chakraborty / 10th June 2018

*ektara : one-string instrument used in traditional music in the Indian sub-continent