Banyan Roots

by Lucia Thomas

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.

Latest episodes

Showing 8 · updated from the feed

Episode 8 - In the Sunset of Our Lives

In the Sunset of Our Lives, the final episode of this podcast series, will illuminate the importance of non-attachment in the Baul/Fakir path, and share some ancient Budd

Aug 28
52 min

Episode 7 - Light of the Guru

Light of the Guru is the third episode from the Banyan Roots series to explore bhakti - devotion, this time with a focus on the teacher. We will hear discussions from thr

Jul 24
45 min

Episode 6 - Khwajababa and the Bengali Sufi Tradition

Kwajababa and the Bengali Sufi Tradition is the second episode to explore bhakti - devotion, this time with a focus on Islamic symbolism. Some songs will be extolling the

Jun 26
42 min

Episode 5 - In the Garden of Krishna’s Love

In the Garden of Krishna’s Love is the first episode to explore bhakti - devotion, and specifically songs showing devotion to Hindu Gods and Goddesses. We will hear from

May 22
48 min

Episode 4 - Rejecting Caste: All are Brothers of my Heart

“Rejecting Caste – All are Brothers of my Heart" is a further exploration of manus twatto - the theory of humanity, this time focused on jat, or caste. Some Fakiri singer

Apr 24
41 min

Episode 3 - Lalon’s Liberation: Worshiping in the Temple of the Mind

The Baul songs in this third episode challenge divisive religious identities and beg for a society where all humans treat each other well. It will share some background o

Mar 27
40 min

Episode 2 - Searching for the Man of the Heart

Searching for the Man of the Heart explores how Baul songs use the metaphor of the house to describe the human body, which, for the Baul, is the starting place for realiz

Feb 27
40 min

Episode 1 - Songs of the Unknown Bird

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 H

Jan 17
45 min