Foni Borua

Foni Borua (1915 – 22 June 2001) was a Bangladeshi musician. He was a pioneer of folk culture and modern Kavigan (lyrical folk debates). In recognition of his contributions to music, the Government of Bangladesh awarded him the country's second-highest civilian honor, the Ekushey Padak, in 2001.^[1][2]

Foni Borua was born in 1915 (17 Shraban, 1322 in the Bengali calendar) in the village of Panchkhain in Raozan, Chittagong, which was then part of the Bengal Presidency under British India (now in Bangladesh).^[3] His father was Nandakumar Barua and his mother was Shyama Barua. Foni lost his mother at an early age. He studied up to class three at the village school.^[4]

He initially chose the life of a mendicant monk (śramaṇa), but left it after some time and moved to Burma (now Myanmar). There, he worked as a painter's assistant—painting trunks and floral designs. While in Rangoon, he was introduced to kavigan through the performances of Motilal Barua and eventually became his disciple. After three years, he returned to his village and earned a living by singing Buddhist devotional songs (Kirtan) and continuing his work as a painter. He also repaired torches, fixed watches, did soldering work, and ran a small workshop offering these services.^[5]

• Ekushey Padak (2001)