Baul music is one of the well known folk music styles of
West Bengal.
Baul is considered to be derived from
Sanskrit, meaning either mentally unstable or restless. The songs are called Baul-Gan (song).
A Baul singer uses the Gopiyantro or Ektara as his main accompaniment. Dotara, khamak, ghungur, nupur and duggi are the other folk instruments. Religious content sets Baul music apart from the other Bengali folk forms. Baul shares the theme of separation, between Lord Krishna and Radha, his beloved. Baul distinguishes itself in its focus on the allegorical side of separation as that between the human soul and spirituality.
