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Banyan Roots

Banyan Roots

Written by: Lucia Thomas
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About this listen

Banyan Roots is a podcast series in which songs and discussions from the Baul and Fakir, musical mystics of West Bengal, India and Bangladesh, guide conversations on history, ethnomusicology, and spirituality. Come curious listeners—musicians, scholars, spiritual seekers, and anyone drawn to traditional music and living devotional practices.

Featuring original field recordings of spontaneous jams and interviews with Baul musicians and teachers, each episode explores different themes of Baul philosophy - from awareness of the body and the breath, to the tangled roots of Bengal’s devotional traditions: Vaishnava Kirtan, Sufi Qawwali, and even traces of Vajrayana Buddhism. Listeners will be taken on an immersive journey through the remote villages of Bengal, experiencing aurally the chaotic streets, the heated debates, and the intoxicated mad music.

Banyan Roots is produced by Gene Nemirovsky and distributed by Amplisounds Radio.

Copyright 2026 All rights reserved. Music
Episodes
  • Songs of the Unknown Bird

    Songs of the Unknown Bird
    Jan 17 2026

    This first episode explores Deho Twatto “theory of the body” in the Baul context, where the body itself is the starting point for spiritual understanding.

    Songs:

    Baul Howa Sohoj Kotha Noy Composer: Kangal Horinath Singer: Babu Fakir

    Khachar Bhitor Ochin Pakhi Composer: Lalon Fakir Singer: Selina Fakirini

    Chirodin Pushilam Ek Ochin Pakhi Composer: Lalon Fakir Singer: Nurbaba

    Phaki Deowa Pakhi Re Tor Composer: Ammulyo Sarkar Singer: Uttora Baidya

    Instrumentals:

    Jekhane Shai’r Baramkhana

    Composer: Lalon Fakir

    Dotara Player: Amirul Fakir

    Gram Chhara

    Composer: Rabindranath Tagore Dotara Player: Amirul Fakir

    Khachar Bhitor Ochin Pakhi

    Composer: Lalon Fakir

    Violinist: Lucia Thomas

    Painting credit: Dipshikha Debnath

    For photos and more info please visit Amplisoundsradio

    Many thanks to Biplab Ghosh, Arnab Sengupta, Rina and Manosij Goswami for help in the field, to Gene Nemirovsky for audio engineering, to the Fulbright-Nehru program and to all the musicians and teachers who recorded for this show.

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    45 mins
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