বাংলা 
English 
Fakir Lalon Shahiji (1774–1890) was a Bengali spiritual leader, philosopher, mystic poet and social reformer. Rejecting divisions of religion and caste, he composed songs of the knowledge and love of humanity. He died on 17 October 1890, which is observed as 1 Kartik 1297 of the Bengali calendar.
🎉 The 135th Tirodhan 2025
- Tentative dates: 17–19 October 2025 (it begins every year on 1 Kartik)
- Venue: the Lalon Akhra at Cheuria village in Kushtia
- Organisers: the Lalon Academy, the district administration and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs
The atmosphere of the akhra:
- Through the three-day mela there are song competitions, discussion meetings and sadhu-sangha.
- Devotees and Baul singers perform songs through the night; people sit and talk, eat and drink, and take their journey of spiritual union together.
- Every year hundreds of thousands of visitors arrive; they exchange guru–disciple feelings and take part in the camps.
🎶 Lalon's philosophy and cultural role
- Lalon's songs and thought reflect a universal philosophy, non-communalism, humanity and the search for the self.
- Rejecting divisions of nation, religion, caste and gender, he claimed equal dignity for all human beings.
- His influence can clearly be seen in the lives of the artist Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and other thinkers of the world.
🕍 Lalon's Akhra and the Lalon remembrance festival
- In 1963 the building of the akhra house and a research centre there made the place a place of attraction.
- Every year on 1 Kartik (especially on Annapurna Purnima and Tirodhan Dibas) a three-day programme and mela are held.
📅 Programme schedule (proposed)
| Date | Morning | Afternoon | Evening and night |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 October | Balyaseba and sadhu-sangha | Discussion meeting | Formal inauguration and songs |
| 18 October | Palabandhan and morning songs | Workshops / discussions | Night songs and the akhra festival |
| 19 October | Full assembly and balyaseba | Closing discussion | Closing and the mela of union |
🔍 Importance and acceptance
- Lalon's central message — "worship man and you will become the man of gold" — remains relevant today and raises a protesting consciousness against religious fanaticism, racism and hate-driven fascism.
- The Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the Shilpakala Academy, the district administration, the Baul community and ordinary people all play important roles.
- At every Tirodhan festival, thousands of devotees and followers from home and abroad mingle song, literature and the liberation of the mind — whether they have converted to a faith or live ordinary lives.
Fakir Lalon Shahiji's 135th Tirodhan Dibas is not merely a festival of memory but an eternal movement to light the lamps of non-communalism and humanity in people's hearts. This mela, made red with songs and the light of the evening, softens the mind and binds each to each in the bond of harmony — something we still need today. This event is not only the preservation of tradition; it is a lesson in values for the generations to come.
At the 2025 festival, with the hope of the meeting of millions of people, Lalon's dream — "one humanity, without the bonds of caste, religion and race" — will come fully to light.
