Shah Abdul Karim always referred to his compositions as Baul Gaan. He explored the roots of Baul philosophy through his music, much like Hason Raja, Radharaman Dutta, Ukil Munshi, Durbin Shah and many others. Born in 1916 in Derai, an upazila of Sunamganj in Sylhet, Bangladesh, Shah Abdul Karim was raised in a musical family. Growing up in poverty, he did not attend school,