Internet revives traditional Kashmiri music

Srinagar, India, Nov 23 (PTI) Internet has been a surprise saviour of Kashmir's traditional music -- be it Chakker or Sufiyana, which had witnessed a downward spiral over the past two decades with the television and Bollywood boom. Once the only form of entertainment, before the advent of cable television and soap operas, the traditional Kashmiri music with all its intricacies was beamed across localities and neighbourhoods via valley's only radio station. It was an era of golden age for the Kashmiri singers of Chakker and Sufiyana. The names of the singers of that era still stir a nostalgia among older generation of valley residents. The Kashmiri music did not remain unaffected from the effects of militancy as some outfits termed indulging in it -- be it singing or listening -- as unislamic. The stagnation of the traditional music genres of the Kashmir region of the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir was coupled by the government's failure to provide growth opportunities to the singers and allegations of cronyism. The final hit that almost crippled the Kashmir's indigenous music industry was the advent of cable TV which supplied a barrage of soap operas and flashy Bollywood songs, leaving little time for the audience to listen to the Sufiyana and Chakker music. The Internet has now provided a surprise window to the tech-savvy youth to look into the past glory of Kashmiri music. A 23-year-old song -- Mouj (Mother) -- by Abdul Gaffar Kanihami which was uploaded last year on the video-sharing website Youtube has had thousands of hits so far. The data review of the song provided by the Youtube shows the video was watched across the world by people, mostly Kashmiris living in different parts of this planet. Mouj is a mix of Sufi-Chakker, composed and sung by Kanihami in his youth. More than two decades later, Kanihami says Internet is helping the valley's lost artists to make a comeback among the youth. "Internet is helping promote the music of Kashmir," Kanihami told PTI. "It is almost impossible for the youth to take five to six hours and then come to our Mehfils (musical gatherings) and listen to the songs and music. Through Internet, they can now do it at their home, wherever they are," he said. Kanihami, who is the General Secretary of Kashmir Gulowkaar (Singers) Society, is a veteran singer who understands the details and tenor of different Kashmiri music genres and poetry forms. "Sufiyana is mysticism, it has to be sung that way. You need patience, age and understanding to comprehend it. Chakker is folk, it is fast, it includes social issues, humour, stories of past," he said. Other notable and visible Kashmiri singers, whose works are available on the Internet and are being accessed includes Gulzar Ahmad Ganie, Ali Mohammad Sheikh, Abdul Rashid Hafiz, Mohammad Sultan Bhat, Ghulam Mohammad Dar, Waheed Jeelani and Ghulam Hassan Sofi. 'Tibetbakal', who was the most influential master of Kashmiri Sufiyana music and among the forgotten ones in the new generation, has also found a new life on the Internet. Kanihami says there is a change in the Kashmiri music industry "but no development". "The artists of Kashmir have been put in a cage, we are no encouraged to come before the world," he says, blaming government institutions of corruption. Waheed Jeelani, a famous new-generation Kashmiri singer, says the advent of Internet is a "healthy sign" for the music industry but maintains that people must take precaution while uploading the songs and videos as they are a "representation of Kashmir". "We have to think over it that the contents that are uploaded sometimes are not worth viewing. They mix the poetry with vulgar videos that is the only problem. Otherwise, times are changing and Internet provides an opportunity to take these songs to a completely new audience," Jeelani said. He said the unprecedented reach of Internet will surely help the Kashmiri music to grow. PTI