Shah Abdul Karim

Baul Shah Abdul Karim (Bengali: শাহ আবদুল করিম; 15 February 1916 – 12 September 2009) was a Bangladeshi Baul musician and philosopher. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Baul musicians, he was called Baul Samrat (The Baul King). The Government of Bangladesh awarded him the Ekushey Padak, the country's highest civilian decoration, in 2001. Alongside his enormous discography of Baul music, Karim had contributed significantly to developing the Baul philosophy; his work is generally seen as the refined continuation of classic Bauls like Fakir Lalon Shah. Beyond Baulism, Karim's multidisciplinary contribution to several sectors including Body theory, Sufism, Ma'rifa, and Revolutionary music has made him one of the enduring examples of Bangladeshi secular pluralism.