Mansur Fakir−Amar Nitai Chander Bazare

Mansur Fakir singing the Baul folk song Amar Nitai Chander Bazare with his son Aminul Fakir accompanying on the dotara. Although I do not understand much in this Bangla song, there is something about it which has held me in rapt attention over countless re-playings. Perhaps it is the transcendent theme of the song which, as I was able to gather from admittedly sketchy sources, concerns life beyond this one. Perhaps it is the rustic, almost impoverished, setting of the song which stands in stark contrast with the ebullience of the singer and the contented smile of his son which makes it so compelling. As if the song's meta-narrative is emphasizing the old eternal truth - that prosperity and happiness are very different things.