One sector that has been affected the most from the global pandemic has been tourism and one of the tourism spot affected is Shantiniketan in West Bengal, which is home to the Baul community. 

The Baul or Bauls are a group of mystic minstrels of mixed elements of Sufism and Vaishnavism from Bengal region, comprising Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Barak Valley. The community constitutes both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition. And, although Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable. In 2005, the Baul tradition of Bangladesh was included in the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Coming to their rescue, Musical composer Debojyoti Mishra along with crowdfunding platform Ketto, has set up a fundraiser for the 144 Baul community families. The money collected would be used to support them with basic food for daily survival for the coming three months. A monthly kit would include 30 kgs rice, 1 kg dal, 1-litre oil, 8 kgs potato, salt and turmeric and cost about Rs 2,000. 

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