Fakir Lalon Shah

Lalon, also known as Lalon Shah, Lalon Fakir, Lalon Shai, and Shahji, was a Bengali spiritual leader, philosopher, mystic poet and social reformer. Born in what is now Khulna Division in Bangladesh, Lalon was a disciple of his father Malam Shah and Siraj Shah. He is regarded as an icon of Bengali culture, for inspiring and influencing many poets and social thinkers including Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Allen Ginsberg. Lalon's philosophy of humanity rejects all distinctions of caste, class, and creed and takes a stand against theological conflicts and racism. It denies all worldly affairs in search of the soul and embodied the socially transformative role of sub-continental Sufism and Bhakti.