Manuche ekta kaler gari

\"Manuche ekta kaler gari\" is a Baul folk composition performed by Paban Das Baul. The track appears as the fifth entry on the album Le Chant Des Bauls - Manuche O Rautan, released on 2002 by the Italian record label Fonti Musicali. The album adopts a CD format and compiles traditional and contemporary Baul music from Bengal.

The song spans 5 minutes and 55 seconds. Paban Das Baul delivers the vocals and accompanies the performance with his signature ektara (a single-stringed drone instrument) and khamak (a percussion-resonator hybrid). The lyrical content reflects Baul philosophy, blending metaphysical themes with earthly metaphors. The title translates roughly to \"Man is a chariot of time,\" a recurring motif in Baul poetry that explores human existence as a transient journey.

Le Chant Des Bauls - Manuche O Rautan serves as part of a broader effort by Fonti Musicali to document and distribute regional folk traditions. The album features Paban Das Baul as the primary artist, though collaborative details with other musicians remain undocumented in available sources. The recording captures live or studio sessions with minimal post-production, preserving the raw, improvisational quality characteristic of Baul performances.

The track exemplifies the fusion of devotional and secular elements in Baul music. Paban Das Baul’s rendition adheres to the kirtan-like call-and-response structure while incorporating rhythmic variations. The composition avoids fixed scales, instead relying on microtonal inflections typical of the genre. No official music video or alternate versions of the track exist in public records.

Critical reception of the album focuses on its role in introducing Baul music to European audiences. Fonti Musicali distributed the CD primarily in Italy and France, with limited circulation in South Asia. The label did not release subsequent editions or remastered versions. Additional context about the recording location, producers, or session dates is not available in published materials.