বাংলা 
English 
Khoda Boks Shah (1334–1397) was born in Jahapur village under Alamdanga police station in Chuadanga district.
From boyhood he devoted himself to music. While studying in the fifth grade he joined a Krishnayatra troupe, and after that he never went back to school. Perhaps that is why our fathers and mothers feel a tremor of fear when they hear the name "Lalon".
One day a session of Baul songs was held in their village. Khoda Boks was left spellbound by the singing, and that very day he took initiation from Guru Shukchan Shah. In 1976 he cast off his worldly dress and put on the fakiri garb. His sadhana and bhajana began at Lalon's school. His chief field of practice was Lalon's songs; yet he was also well versed in the songs of a full seventy-four Bauls, among them Ramkrishna Khyapa, Ramlal Pal, Ramachandra, Rabi Shyam, Guruchand Gosai, Gopal Kashem Shah, Ekram Shah and Mofizuddin Shah.
Khoda Boks Shah composed songs of his own as well; even by a modest count their number exceeded eight hundred. Besides Guru Shukchand Shah, he also remained in the company of another guru named Bihal Shah for about thirty-six years. For a long time he served as a lecturer on Lalon's songs in the training department of the Shilpakala Academy. In 1983 the Bangla Academy honoured him with a fellowship as a connoisseur (bisharad) of Lalon music. In 1990 this sage of Baul song was honoured, posthumously, with the Ekushey Padak for his outstanding contribution to Lalon music.
His son Latif Shah is, like his father, a wandering Lalon sadhak. His father was his guru; and even in boyhood he took up Lalon's songs from him — he still sings those same songs today.
