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From Baul to Bharat: The Battle for Bengal’s Soul
The New Indian Express Thrissur
|April 26, 2026
West Bengal does not vote in straight lines drawn by history.
It circles its past, argues with its ghosts, and then, almost theatrically, decides its future. The current contest between Mamata Banerjee and the BJP is not merely a political duel. It is a referendum on the meaning of Bengal itself: a proud cultural space built on language, art, and emotion? Or part of a larger national identity driven by religion and ideology? Radindranath Tagore didn’t just write poetry—he amplified Baul music and Lalon Fakir’s philosophy, turning Bengal into this deeply spiritual, fluid, almost rebellious cultural space
This story is from the April 26, 2026 edition of The New Indian Express Thrissur.
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