The torture by Hindu fundamentalists and the onslaught of casteism led to a group of simple, illiterate and down-trodden villagers, both Hindus and Muslims, in Bengal in the 17th century to follow the simple words of alternate religions. These sub-religions, which identified man as the supreme being and saw the Almighty among the mass instead of restricting it within the walls of a temple, gained popularity and thrived for years in the hamlets of Bengal. They were answers to the upper castes. Theirs was the philosophy of rustic life expressed in the most humble words of religious leaders and is in contrast to the sibylline verses of Vedas and Puranas.
Sudhir Chakravarti in his book Along Deep Lonely Alleys: Baul-Fakir-Dervish of Bengal (Gobheer Nirjon Pothey), which has been translated to English by Utpal K. Banerjee, traces the vanishing sects and sub-sects and tries to find the truth in the followers’ devotion.
Among the dervishes of erstwhile undivided Bengal of the 17th century is Lalan Fakir, whose songs “your poet Tagore had jotted down… to get Nobel Prize or some such thing? That has a valuation, I believe, of many hundreds of rupees”.
The simplicity of thoughts and the lucidity in expression helped these sub-religions to attract the mass. The most important feature of the bauls (mendicant singers of folk philosophy) and dervishes was that they accepted people from all religions and looked down upon none. These religions taunted casteism, Brahmins and Brahmo. “Whom do you discard as the lowly men?/Perhaps Braja’s Krishna in their den/Calling them ‘sudra’, ‘chanral’, ‘bagdi’ has had its day/And will now fall in total decay/Their usage would die as we say, this is our ken.”
The quest for the real self and the meaning of existence are what these sects focused on. In fact, considering the socio-economic-political fabric of the time when these religions gained popularity, it could be said these folk philosophers gave the depraved lot a vent through which they breathed fresh air of life and love.
Chakravarti travels through the villages of Bengal to identify the seats of the numerous sub-religions, interacts with the stoic singers and the worshippers of dervishes to delve deeper into their philosophy and find the “real man” — “The one who knows the secret of one’s birth/Knowing about all splits: is peerless on earth/Semen, seed and sap combine/To create this body of mine/Not knowing one who creates, conserves: I’ve no mirth!
The author also assimilates the views of different intellectuals who wrote about the sub-sects over decades. Many of these historians relegate these alternate religions to mere distorted and demoralised practices. But Chakravarti tries to find the essence of these decades-old beliefs, or superstitions to the modern world, and creates a platform for argument on the authenticity of the humble rituals in the light of changing times.
The book is well-researched and gives an insight into the lives and times of the dervishes as well as the customs, beliefs and impact of the sub-religions. He follows the deep, lonely alleys in search of truth only to find a milieu if hearts at fairs and festivals.
~ NM
Book: Along Deep Lonely Alleys: Baul-Fakir-Dervish of Bengal; Author: Sudhir Chakravarti (Translated by Utpal K. Banerjee);
Publisher: Niyogi Books; Pages: 390; Price: Rs 326 (Hardcover)
