in bits and pieces
“Ladakhi girls dancing at Nemu Camp, 18 miles before Leh. They have visited Punjab and hence their style of dress.” July 1949. Enaskshi Bhavnani for Photo Division India.
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| After the show Singers Hunder Nubra valley |
I asked them to sing a “Bodhi” song. They laughed and said,”Aap nay toh humay Bodh bana diya!”
They were Muslim, they sang love songs.
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Music courtesy of RaviMech Studio
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Although I have added captions to the video, here’s the listing details of 36 images provided by Michael Thomas.
1
00:00:05,000 –> 00:00:09,000
Srinagar, Kashmir – writing on side. 1903.
2
00:00:10,000 –> 04:06:40,000
Shepherdess, Kashmir. [Also, known as ‘the shepherd’s daughter”, from the book ‘The Charm of Kashmir’ (1920)]
3
00:00:29,400 –> 00:00:40,000
Mur Canal. Nalla-e-Mar.
4
00:00:46,000 –> 00:00:50,000
Nautch Girl
5
00:00:58,000 –> 00:01:04,000
A Kashmir Boat Girl
6
00:01:07,000 –> 00:01:20,000
A Boatman
7
00:01:22,000 –> 00:01:26,000
Kashmir Dungas
8
00:01:28,000 –> 00:01:34,000
Kashmir Woman Spinning
9
00:01:35,000 –> 00:01:45,000
A Peasant Girl, Kashmir
10
00:01:50,000 –> 00:01:54,000
Srinagar Above 7th Bridge, Kashmir
11
00:01:55,000 –> 00:01:59,000
Srinagar, River View from bridge
12
00:02:00,000 –> 00:02:11,000
Mar Canal
13
00:02:12,000 –> 00:02:16,000
Srinagar and bridge of Shops
14
00:02:18,000 –> 00:02:24,000
City and the third Bridge
15
00:02:26,000 –> 00:02:34,000
Shalamar Gardens
16
00:02:36,000 –> 00:02:42,000
Nishat Bagh
17
00:02:45,000 –> 00:02:47,000
Bara Mola (Baramulla/Varmul)
18
00:02:48,000 –> 00:02:53,000
A houseboat at Baramulla
19
00:02:55,000 –> 00:03:00,000
Town of Baramulla (Wrong caption, actually view of Srinagar)
20
00:03:03,000 –> 00:03:12,000
Dal Lake
21
00:03:16,000 –> 00:03:21,000
Crossing Woolar Lake
22
00:03:23,000 –> 00:03:30,000
Kashmir in Winter
23
00:03:34,000 –> 00:03:40,000
Srinagar, The Palace
24
00:03:43,000 –> 00:03:48,000
A Dungar or Kashmir Boat
25
00:03:50,000 –> 00:03:53,000
Lotus Lilies, Dhal Lake
26
00:03:56,000 –> 00:03:58,000
Photograph of Dal Lake. 1946.
27
00:04:01,000 –> 00:04:06,000
Boatman, Dall Lake
28
00:04:09,000 –> 00:04:14,000
Kashmir, Moonshee, Bach, Commissioner’s Boat
29
00:04:17,000 –> 00:04:23,000
Dall Lake. 1930
30
00:04:27,000 –> 00:04:31,000
The Presidency, Srinagar
31
00:04:33,000 –> 00:04:40,000
Srinagar, Another Bridge [Probably, Baramulla Bridge ]
32
00:04:43,000 –> 00:04:50,000
Gulmarg
33
00:04:54,000 –> 00:04:58,000
Pastoral View, Sind Valley
34
00:05:00,000 –> 00:05:03,000
Ladakhis and Yaks, Sind Valley
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Maybe, sometime soon I will make another presentation on the postcards in my collection.
On a side note, I wish more Kashmiris would start using captions for their video, especially on music video.
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| Kashmiri Pundit Playing the Flute Every Note in Kashmiri Music is overlaid with Grave Notes, to give brilliance to the performance Photograph by Pandit Vishinath Kampassi |
“The melodies belonging to the lakes and rivers are of course unlike those of the mountains. Never shall I forget the charm of being paddled in our shikara, one beautiful moonlight night on the Dal Lake in Kashmir, with our crew singing softly a well-known boatman’s song punctuated by the rhythemic stroke of the paddles. An equally idyllic memory springs to my mind of the fine forests on the mountainous sides of the Lolab valley, and, seated beneath the shade of a lofty pine, a slender stripling playing plaintively upon his simple wooden flageolet. This mournful melody was called “The Parrot” and its theme was a tale of a lady taken captive to Kashmir, who released her favourite parrot to carry a chenar leaf in its beak as a message to her lover. “
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| “Shikara” on the Dal Lake with Kashmiri Fluting A Shikara Ride on the Dal Lake, on a Beautiful Moonlight Night, with the Crew Singling Softly a Boatman’s Song Punctuated by the Rhythmic Stroke of the Paddles, Leaves an Idyllic Memory Photograph by Pandit Vishinath Kampassi |
Continuation from previous post related to Kashmiri songs by Chicago based band Lamajamal. This particular song stood out from the album.
The authentic Kashmiri version by Raaj Begum and Naseem Akhtar can be heard here at Funkar.org.
The poet is Mirza Ghulam Hassan Beg Aarif, a scientist who wrote poetry. The ghazal was particularly popular on Radio Kashmir in 60s and 70s.
Lyrics shared by Abid Mohmood Shafiee (Thanks to Pickee Kaul for getting him to share it over at the Facebook page of this blog)
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| Window Watcher. 1950s |
Rum gayem sheehshass
begour govaa baane meoun
Sakiyaa, waiyieth rateyaa jaanaan meoun
Aaminee khaasen, thaevoemas mas barieth
Maetch be tas path, ye Aamni mastaani meoun
Sakiyaa, waiyeth rateyaa jaanaan meoun
Zev kaleyem , az kautin kadenum shaahas
Maetch be tas path, tasspatii mastaan meoun
Sakiyaa, waiyeeth rateyaa jaanaan meoun,
Ulfattche tal waahi kadneum, yaari aaem
Chaesmanan manz kusii wanies afsaane meoun
Sakiyaa, waiyeeth rateyaa jaanaan meoun,
Rum gayem sheehshass
Begour govaa baane meoun
Sakiyaa, waiyieth rateyaa jaanaan meon
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Update
2017
Young Kashmiri Pandits singing it in Delhi!
Kashmiri folk songs by Chicago based band Lamajamal (arabic word for ‘beauty’) [Youtube]. The album ‘Saazuk Safar’ (2012) was commissioned by funkar.org. It’s like debut of Kashmiri music on modern world music scene. Listen to traditional sound in a new way…I particularly liked the tracks ‘Rum Gayam Sheeshus‘ (sung by Asal Monfared) and instrumental ‘Hay Vayas‘
Original version of ‘Rum ghyam sheeshas byegur gav bane myon‘ by Raaj Begum and Naseem Akhtar at Funkaar
Note: Repercussion of Kashmiri habit of not having any formal credit system for artistic works and too much dependence on oral culture, as no one introduces the poet before reciting his/her work: Four decades ago, the name of the poet who composed it and the song was on lips of every Kashmiri. Now, it took me hours to find the name of the poet who composed this ghazal. I finally found it in a book by S.L. Sadhu on Kashmiri literature published in 1974. The poet is Mirza Ghulam Hassan Beg Aarif.
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| April 2013. Delhi. |
“I have seen the best companies in Kashmir, though perhaps the best —the Bhaggats of Syebug— died off in the famine of 1877, and men now sigh : ‘ Alas ! poor Yorick,’ and speak of their excellent acting. The Bhaggats portray village life in a most vivid manner. Their dresses and make-up are excellent, and they represent most faithfully the internal working of a village community. It is said that Maharaja Gulab Singh acquired a very intimate knowledge of village administration from the Bhaggats’ performances, and I have picked up some hints from them as to the methods of the patwari, the village accountant. The plot is very much the same. The Raja rides by, burning to redress injustice, and his Wazir seizes on the patwari and the lambardar and calls for the village accounts. The unfortunate villager who has brought his grievance to the Raja’s notice is at first very loud and noisy in his complaints, but as he sees the Wazir and the patwari laying their heads together he becomes silent and sits as one fascinated. The denouement is that the Wazir finds that the patwari is innocent, and the complainant receives a severe flogging. Other scenes of village life are depicted, and one of the most favourite representations with the country-people is the sowing, plucking and spinning of cotton. I shall have some more to say about these interesting Bhaggats later on. They relieve the sadness of village life in Kashmir.
their long black hair and stroller mien, and although they are practically
a peculiar people so far as marriage goes, they sometimes recruit their
companies by enlisting a villager. They combine the profession of singing
and acting with that of begging, and are great wanderers, travelling down
to the Panjab where they perform to Kashmiri audiences. With the
curious exception of the Akangam company, which is formed of Pandits,
the Bhaggats are all Musalmans. They are much in request at marriage
feasts, and at harvest time they move about the country, and in a year of
good harvest will make a fair living on the presents of the villagers. Their
orchestra usually consists of four fiddles with a drum in the centre, or of
clarionets and drums, but the company often contains twenty members or
more. Their wardrobe is frequently of great value, and several companies
which I have met are said to have dresses and properties worth more than
Rs. 2,000. Their acting is excellent and their songs are often very pretty.
They are clever at improvisation and are fearless as to its results. They
have songs in Kashmiri, Persian and Panjabi, but the Kashmiri songs are the only ones which I have heard. The story of the Akangam Bhaggats is peculiar. Brahmans considered acting to be degrading, and even now the Brahmans of Kashmir regard the Akangam players with contempt. But
the Brahman players say that they took to the stage by the express order
of the goddess Devi. The legend relates that many years ago Devi
appeared to the ancestor of the Akangam Pandits, and, placing a fiddle in
his hands, said, ‘ Play upon this fiddle.’ He protested his inability, but on
the goddess persisting, he took up the bow and played unearthly music.
He was bidden by Devi to sit under the deodars of Akangam [Akingam, Anantnag (the story now)] and play in
her honour. For some years he and his sons obeyed the goddess’ behest,
but unable to withstand the prejudices of his caste, he finally declined to
play any more. On this he was stricken with blindness and wandered
away to the Liddar valley. In a dream Devi appeared to the Magistrate of
the Liddar, and told him to take the old Pandit back to Akangam. On
reaching Akangam the Pandit recovered his sight, and since that day he
and his descendants fiddle away without further protest. These Pandits
never send their children to school, as they believe that Devi would resent
it and would kill the children. The Bhaggats are very pleasant people and
their mirth and good humour form a cheerful contrast to the gloom of the
Kashmiri peasant. They acknowledge two leaders or Sardars who arrange
that the circuits shall not clash. They have a peculiar argot (phirkat) which they employ in stage directions.”
~ Walter Rooper Lawrence’s ‘Valley of Kashmir’ (1895).
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| Krishna Boya Greb, Kashmiri Minstrel, 1911 (seems to be holding a ‘dutar’) |
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| Shalimar Gardens. William Simpson. 1823. About the performance he wrote,it was “the sweet delusion of a never to be forgotten night.” |
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| Newsclip about Ratan Devi’s performance in New York Vassar Miscellany News, Volume X, Number 18, 25 November 1925 Interesting note by Willain Buttler Yearts. |
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Finally tracked down Kashmiri songs documented by the couple in 1911.
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