Kashmir Day: Buoyant Kashmiris ambivalent about their future
Modest crowd lines stairs to watch performances set to mark solidarity with Kashmiris at amphitheatre at Lok Virsa.
Artists and artisans perform at Lok Virsa and Rawalpindi Arts Council on the occasion of Kashmir Day. PHOTO: MYRA IQBAL & MUHAMMAD JAVAID/EXPRESS
RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD:
The melancholic hum of the ‘rubab’ thickened the air above the amphitheatre at Lok Virsa on Wednesday, where a modest crowd lined the stairs to watch performances set to mark solidarity with the people of Kashmir. While much of the signage was cloaked in the political as it rose and fell to the cadence of a breeze, artists who had travelled to Islamabad for the event were more buoyant, and largely ambivalent about the future.
“We wish for Kashmir to be whole again, not etched and divided for politico-economic gain,” says Rehmat Bano, an 18-year-old vocalist who calls Muzaffarabad home, though often wonders about life beyond the peripheries that protect her family. Bano holds that while a bus service was initiated in 2008 in a bid to bridge some of this gap, the measure was barely adequate in reconnecting the fractured terrain, or the hearts of the people.
Arif Mahmood was bent over a carpet, weaving with intense concentration, at a small enclave outside the museum where artisans displayed Kashmiri embroideries and other handiwork.
“Gabba,” he explained, running his fingers over the weave of the cloth, distinctly different from the unrefined wool beneath the yard of the embroidered rug sitting on his lap.
The 55-year-old artisan lives in Goodar, a small village some square miles from Muzaffarabad and visits the capital on such occasions with the hope of sales, which are sparse in his own hometown. A certain measure of complacency has settled upon him, like the calluses that define his fingertips, though like Bano, he too wishes for the ease of existence.
“The world knows how things are in Kashmir, I see no need to open those wounds, but we will be roused only when we are promised porous borders and free movement,” He explained, plunging his needle into the thick fabric with precision.
While rain-clouds hovered over prospects, families filtered in and out to linger by the food stall, where sizzling seekh kebabs, pulao and gushtaba - a kind of meatball with gravy - were digested with Kashmiri chai or to watch artisans at work, while perusing through intricately embroidered shawls, and ornate handicrafts. While some unwound in the amphitheatre to lend an ear to the traditional hum of sarangi, sitar, tabla and rubab, others absorbed the musical ambience while strolling outside.
Several NGO’s had set up stall in a bid for solidarity with Kashmir, including the Kashmir Centre which operates from Rawalpindi through the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Government Department with the mandate of projection and publicity.
“Our presence ensures that we are in complete solidarity with Kashmir and that it is an indelible part of our geography and culture,” expressed Najeebul Ghafoor Khan, Press and Publicity officer at the centre.
The day-long festival was organised by the Lok Virsa highlighting the contribution of Kashmiri immigrants who are trying to keep their identity and cultural traditions alive.
More than 25 master artisans including Zulfiqar Ali Ghazi, (papier mâché), Mukhtar Dar, Dilshad Qayyum and Munir Sheikh (gabba), Qazi Ali Muhammad and Arif Mahmood Sheikh (namda), Taj Muhammad Tajal and Sher Zaman (carpet weaving), Nisar Ali, Abdul Waheed Rathar and Gule Zehra (shawl), Ghulam Nabi Butt (stainstitch embroidery), Muhammad Amjad, Yasmin Bano, Rubina Zulfiqar, Muhammad Siddique and Mustafa (embroidery), Saleem Malik (wood carving), Muhammad Irfan Sheikh (walnut wood carving) participated in the artisans-at-work exhibition.
Kashmiri folkloric ensemble “Taleh-Ruz” (named after Kashmiri embroidery) comprising Bano Rehmat, Halima Bibi, Rubina Khanum, Rizwana Khan, Muhammad Altaf Mir, Ghulam Muhammad Dar, Ghulam Rasul But, Muhammad Akram But, Jeevay Lal, Amir Hussain, Anis Ahmed, Amanat Ali, Jalis Ahmed, Chaudhry Banaras, Raja Imran, Raja Anwar, Muhammad Sain and others also performed at the open air Theatre. Famous Kashmiri Gatka party from Muzaffarabad also performed throughout the day.
Visitors also enjoyed Kashmir cuisine rista, roghan josh, tabaq mas, aab gosht and goshtaba, hot and mouth watering all washed down with Kashmiri green tea.
RAC event
A variety of programmes featuring tableau, speech and Kashmiri songs competitions and a photographic exhibition were held at the Rawalpindi Arts Council. Students from various schools participated in the contests and sang popular Kashmiri songs highlighting the beauty of the valley. The students also condemned India’s occupation of the valley. “Indian atrocities have made the paradise a living hell for its people,” said Sohana, a student of CRM School System.
Poets and intellectuals Aftab Zia, Naseem-e-Saher and Iqbal Tabassum adjudged the competitions.
Chaudhry Sarfraz Afzal, Parliamentary Secretary for Sports, Youth Affairs, Tourism and Archaeology in his speech highlighted the plight of the Kashmiris and said that Kashmir dispute was the key to durable peace in the South Asian region.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2014.
The melancholic hum of the ‘rubab’ thickened the air above the amphitheatre at Lok Virsa on Wednesday, where a modest crowd lined the stairs to watch performances set to mark solidarity with the people of Kashmir. While much of the signage was cloaked in the political as it rose and fell to the cadence of a breeze, artists who had travelled to Islamabad for the event were more buoyant, and largely ambivalent about the future.
“We wish for Kashmir to be whole again, not etched and divided for politico-economic gain,” says Rehmat Bano, an 18-year-old vocalist who calls Muzaffarabad home, though often wonders about life beyond the peripheries that protect her family. Bano holds that while a bus service was initiated in 2008 in a bid to bridge some of this gap, the measure was barely adequate in reconnecting the fractured terrain, or the hearts of the people.
Arif Mahmood was bent over a carpet, weaving with intense concentration, at a small enclave outside the museum where artisans displayed Kashmiri embroideries and other handiwork.
“Gabba,” he explained, running his fingers over the weave of the cloth, distinctly different from the unrefined wool beneath the yard of the embroidered rug sitting on his lap.
The 55-year-old artisan lives in Goodar, a small village some square miles from Muzaffarabad and visits the capital on such occasions with the hope of sales, which are sparse in his own hometown. A certain measure of complacency has settled upon him, like the calluses that define his fingertips, though like Bano, he too wishes for the ease of existence.
“The world knows how things are in Kashmir, I see no need to open those wounds, but we will be roused only when we are promised porous borders and free movement,” He explained, plunging his needle into the thick fabric with precision.
While rain-clouds hovered over prospects, families filtered in and out to linger by the food stall, where sizzling seekh kebabs, pulao and gushtaba - a kind of meatball with gravy - were digested with Kashmiri chai or to watch artisans at work, while perusing through intricately embroidered shawls, and ornate handicrafts. While some unwound in the amphitheatre to lend an ear to the traditional hum of sarangi, sitar, tabla and rubab, others absorbed the musical ambience while strolling outside.
Several NGO’s had set up stall in a bid for solidarity with Kashmir, including the Kashmir Centre which operates from Rawalpindi through the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Government Department with the mandate of projection and publicity.
“Our presence ensures that we are in complete solidarity with Kashmir and that it is an indelible part of our geography and culture,” expressed Najeebul Ghafoor Khan, Press and Publicity officer at the centre.
The day-long festival was organised by the Lok Virsa highlighting the contribution of Kashmiri immigrants who are trying to keep their identity and cultural traditions alive.
More than 25 master artisans including Zulfiqar Ali Ghazi, (papier mâché), Mukhtar Dar, Dilshad Qayyum and Munir Sheikh (gabba), Qazi Ali Muhammad and Arif Mahmood Sheikh (namda), Taj Muhammad Tajal and Sher Zaman (carpet weaving), Nisar Ali, Abdul Waheed Rathar and Gule Zehra (shawl), Ghulam Nabi Butt (stainstitch embroidery), Muhammad Amjad, Yasmin Bano, Rubina Zulfiqar, Muhammad Siddique and Mustafa (embroidery), Saleem Malik (wood carving), Muhammad Irfan Sheikh (walnut wood carving) participated in the artisans-at-work exhibition.
Kashmiri folkloric ensemble “Taleh-Ruz” (named after Kashmiri embroidery) comprising Bano Rehmat, Halima Bibi, Rubina Khanum, Rizwana Khan, Muhammad Altaf Mir, Ghulam Muhammad Dar, Ghulam Rasul But, Muhammad Akram But, Jeevay Lal, Amir Hussain, Anis Ahmed, Amanat Ali, Jalis Ahmed, Chaudhry Banaras, Raja Imran, Raja Anwar, Muhammad Sain and others also performed at the open air Theatre. Famous Kashmiri Gatka party from Muzaffarabad also performed throughout the day.
Visitors also enjoyed Kashmir cuisine rista, roghan josh, tabaq mas, aab gosht and goshtaba, hot and mouth watering all washed down with Kashmiri green tea.
RAC event
A variety of programmes featuring tableau, speech and Kashmiri songs competitions and a photographic exhibition were held at the Rawalpindi Arts Council. Students from various schools participated in the contests and sang popular Kashmiri songs highlighting the beauty of the valley. The students also condemned India’s occupation of the valley. “Indian atrocities have made the paradise a living hell for its people,” said Sohana, a student of CRM School System.
Poets and intellectuals Aftab Zia, Naseem-e-Saher and Iqbal Tabassum adjudged the competitions.
Chaudhry Sarfraz Afzal, Parliamentary Secretary for Sports, Youth Affairs, Tourism and Archaeology in his speech highlighted the plight of the Kashmiris and said that Kashmir dispute was the key to durable peace in the South Asian region.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2014.