Shah Abdul Karim

Shah Abdul Karim was born on February 15, 1916, in Ujan Dhol in the flood-prone haor wetlands of Sunamganj. Living in extreme poverty and never receiving formal schooling, Karim learned the musical traditions of Baul, Murshidi, and Sufi song from wandering village bards, accompanying himself on the dotara.

Karim composed over 1,500 soul-stirring folk songs addressing spiritual mysticism, class exploitation, human rights, and the fragile beauty of life in the river basin. Songs such as Gari Cholena ('The Car Won't Move'), Ami Kool Hara Kolonkini, and Bonde Maya Lagaise became ubiquitous folk anthems across the Bengali-speaking world. In 2001, he was awarded the Ekushey Padak, Bangladesh's highest civil cultural decoration.