Thousands of followers of Baul Samrat Lalon Shah have been pouring in from parts of the country, with some from even abroad, at the three-day festival being held at his cemetery at Chheuriya, Kushtia. But, it is taking nearly an hour for the followers and visitors to reach the venue as the crowd there kept swelling. Balyaseba and Punyaseba, two of the vital segments of the festival, were held engaging around 5,000 bauls on Tuesday. The Lalon Academy and Kushtia district administration have jointly organising the festival in association with the Cultural Affairs Ministry to mark his 127th death anniversary. The most prominent figure in Bangladesh’s baul tradition, Lalon Shah had died on the first day of Bangla month of Kartik in 1297 (October 17, 1890) at the age of 116.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 17, 2017 15:00 UTC