Ecocentrism and Bauls: Lalon and Radharaman’s Meditative Activism

Lalon Sain and Radharaman Dutta, two of the famous nineteenth-century Bauls of Bangladesh, have composed folk poetry concentrating on the ancient traditions of ecocentrism; therefore, their folkloric and musical practices are relevant in contemporary ecocriticism. Both of them composed songs which celebrate earth as a mother and nature as an ecological system that needs to be prioritized above all necessities of human beings. This study examines the pastoral consciousness of Bauls on ecology and critically analyzes their ecocentric rituals coined as meditative activism. It also reveals that Lalon and Radharaman’s meditative activism celebrates the innate affinity of humans with other forms of life. Their esoteric philosophy and practices on and for the environment present their instinctual efforts to protect animals and wilderness. The essay examines some rare lyrical poetry of Lalon and Radharaman, reasoning that ecocentrism exists in one of the earliest forms of folklore in Bangladesh. It locates anthropocentrism and argues that the meditative activism of the Bangladeshi Bauls and nature mystics appropriates an ecocentric understanding of the earth and nature through their pastoral approach. To support their eco-poetic philosophy, this study examines their meditative method in practicing dhora-bauliana, the unexplored Baul ritual of bonding with mother earth, trees, and animals to rediscover the human instinct that protects nature from invasive actions.