‘Nazneen Yaar Maine…’ represents the mainstream values of Kashmiri culture

At a time when competing communities are investing enormous energies in valorizing their culture as “civilized” and that of others as “savage”, it is pleasant to see the artistic expression of shared Kashmiri culture, and that too in what is called “popular” or “pop culture”. And it includes knowledge, belief art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by people as members of society.

Indeed this is what binds together Lalla Vaakh (Lalla Ded’s verses) with Shiekh’s Shrukh’e (Shiekh Nooruddin’s shlokas or verses). This is what runs as a common thread in the blood and beliefs of Noor Mohammad and Raj Pandit, and Salim-Sulaiman, who are otherwise separated by long years in terms of their age, as well as living experiences.

A poem written and composed by a poet and folk singer of Kishtwar (Ghulam Nabi Dolwal or Janbaaz Kashtwari) some four decades back, is picked up and rendered by music composers of Sindhi (Rajasthani) lineage on modern strings and beats, complimented by a whole lot of other vocal and music artists, is the latest surprise on the tube.

It deserves special mention because it is, in a long while — or perhaps for the first time – that we see the shared Kashmiri culture being mainstreamed. It is very likely that all those who have re-created this “Nazneen Yaar Maine Ye Chu Mulakat…” did so purely for commercial considerations, or out of their love for music, without any political intentions or motives. But for a society torn apart by competing narratives vis-à-vis politics and culture – even by default, the musical venture has opened a new window into the mainstream values of Kashmiri culture, that is to say, interfaith peace and harmony.

There is already tons of literature on conflict resolution talking about the primacy of culture as a tool for negotiating some of the very tricky questions concerning people’s identities. Culture matters, they say. According to Richard H. Solomon, former president at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP): “When it comes to trying to facilitate an end to a conflict, it is important to have some understanding of the cultures of the belligerents; such knowledge will help a negotiator determine what the parties really want (and don’t want), and what they are prepared to do (and not to do).”

Kavin Avruch, the celebrated cultural anthropologist who has spent a lifetime theorizing how culture could be used to mediate peace between competing people sharing similar or even not-so-similar cultural spaces, stresses the use of culture as one of the many possible tools for understanding conflict, and possibly also of resolving it. “Much of the field of conflict resolution is based on the fundamental belief that resorting to physical violence in the process of social conflict is a prime example of wrongheaded problem-solving. The fact that most cultures at some point and in some circumstances sanction this solution is proof that culture needs to be not only analyzed and understood for purposes of conflict resolution but rethought and re-imagined – re-engineered – as well.”

In the case of Jammu and Kashmir, there is ample evidence pointing to different communities stressing their divergent political beliefs and goals, as also their distinct religio-political or ethnonational identities, and linguistic markers to highlight and bargain for basic needs. Of course in doing so, none have really been concerned about the resultant schisms, which certainly have impacted the overall complexion of this region in terms of its political power and importance, as also that of the individual entities.

For a long we have seen Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits at loggerheads, pulling each other down by whatever means and machinations they could mobilize. We have seen the combination of Gujjars and Bhakerwals being dismissive of every good thing (like concessions of reservation) coming to the Paharis. We have seen Dogras of the Jammu region being opposed to the Kashmiri people of the Valley, and those living in the Ladakh region (in erstwhile J&K) are not happy with both Kashmiris and Dogras. There are countless other fractures within and between the communities, like their economic and social status, whether they live in cities or towns or in the countryside (rural-urban divide) which have been manipulated by varied actors with ulterior political motives and purposes.

The shared culture of different communities, which could have been a factor for cohesion, has for some reason not been explored and exploited as a cementing force for peace. Instead, it has always been used to rip them apart. In Kashmir, for instance, there is a very attractive template of fraternity and harmony, say among the Pandits and the Muslims, in the culture both have lived and shared.

Kashmir has had Ustad Mohammad Abdullah Tibetbaqalsinging “Bel Tai Madal…” a Leela in Lord Shiva’s praise with a such sublime finesse that even to this day this masterpiece from the Sufiana maestro’s wide repository continues to be the most popular Aarti (Hindu ceremony in which lights with wicks soaked in ghee are lit and offered up to deities while singing hymns) of the Kashmiri Pandits. We have instances of Panditsingers entering the studios of Radio Kashmir Srinagar (now All India Radio, AIR Srinagar) to record Naats (poems in praise of Islam’s Prophet – PBUH) only after they underwent ablution(ritual cleaning Muslims do before prayers) first.

There are countless instances of Muslims learning Persian and even Arabic, including the holy Quran, from Pandit teachers.  Even to this day the milk and pudding (Kheer), and even flowers offered to the goddess – Mata KheerBhavani (Ragnya Devi temple)– come from Muslim households.

Even to this day, the elderly Pandits swear — “Dastgiras Path” – in the name of Muslim saint Dastgir Sahib (Shiekh Syed Abdul Qadir Jeelani, whose shrine is actually in Baghdad, Iraq). Pandits visiting the temple of Sharika Mata atop the Koh-e-Maran (Hari Parbat) hillock in Srinagar early in the mornings would necessarily descend via Makhdoom Sahib’s shrine to pay obeisance there as well. A temple (of Mata Kali) and Khanqah-e-Maula (mosque associated with Mir Syed Ali Hamdani) have existed together for centuries on the banks of River Jhelum. People of both communities have equal reverence for Cherar-e-Sharief (shrine of Shiekh Nooruddin Wali, whom Pandits also call Nund Reshi).

One can go on and on counting so many similar illustrations which signify commonalities between the two communities. In Kandi Baramulla, there is a village called Bandi. In this village lives a man whose name is Ghulam Muhammad — literally meaning the “Slave of Muhammad (PBUH)”. But this gentleman is known in the village as Muhammad Mandir (Mandir meaning a Hindu temple). Do you know why?

Ghulam Muhammad was working as a menial help and chowkidar at the Rani Temple in Gulmarg. Pandit exodus from the Valley during the early and mid-nineties saw this temple falling to ruins because there was hardly anyone visiting Gulmarg and certainly none going to the temple. Even the priest had left. But Ghulam Muhammad stayed put, guarding the temple and taking care of its upkeep in whatever manner he could. After the passage of some years when tourists from mainland India started trickling into Kashmir again, some of them would go to Gulmarg and many would visit the Rani temple also – of course only at the prodding of local tourist guides who would tell them this is the temple where the famous Bollywood number ‘Jai Jai Shiva Shankar’ for the film Roti was shot.

So whenever tourists would come, Ghulam Mohammad would open the temple doors for them so that they could pray. With time, Ghulam Mohammad started performing small rituals including Aarti for them, and steadily he became so proficient in it that he would give even a trained Brahmin priest a run for the money. This is how this Muslim priest acquired the sobriquet Muhammad Mandir!

This is the real Kashmir. But unfortunately, such realities of our culture have been lost to the din of exclusivity that every single community has chosen to preach and propagate, the consequences of which are there for everyone to see.

This is where Avruch’s suggestion that “culture needs to be not only analyzed and understood for purposes of conflict resolution but rethought and re-imagined – re-engineered – as well” makes a lot of sense.

“Nazneen Yaar Maine Ye Chu Mulakat” is a good beginning in this direction. The attempt must be encouraged and replicated big time. Music and poetry, of course, are easy picks, but there are other areas of unity, commonality, and camaraderie as well between the communities which need to the re-imagined and re-engineered to RE-GROW the broken ties and trust between them.