[4][5][6][7][8] It has recurrent themes of the "working class", mahouts, mahishals (buffalo herders), and gariyals (cart drivers).
Lyrics express pangs of separation and loneliness of their womenfolk,[9] with elongated tones accentuating pain, longing and "deep emotion".
[10] Bhawaiya is generally believed to have originated in the 16th century under Biswa Singha,[11] and has evolved into stage performances since the 1950s.
According to Abbasuddin Ahmed, this music is like the random and pleasant wind blowing from North Bengal called Bhawaiya.
[15] Bangladeshi film director Shahnewaz Kakoli's movie Uttarer Sur (Northern Symphony) is based on the life of a Bhawaiya singer and tells the story about the gradual demise of this music in the northern part of Bangladesh due to poverty.