Tag: oral bits

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Kabir and a Kashmiri saying

Kabir’s 15th century sayings are a living phenomena in India languages. Everyone in North knows a Doha or tow. Did any of these sayings pass on to Kashmiri? Nothing much is know and linguistics seldom studied with a sense of wonder.

I recently came across these lines from Kabir in a song sung by Meghval community of Rajasthan.


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“Pehle toh guruji main janmyaPeechhe bada bhai
Dhoom dhaam sa pita re janmya
Sabse peechhe maai
Ber chalya mera bhai…“

O wise one, I was the first to be born
Then my elder brother
With great fanfare my father was born
In the end my mother
Time is slipping away…
[trans. via sayskabir]

The lines reminded me of a Kashmiri saying (that goes something like this…and given by anthropologist T.N. Madan in his study of Kashmiri Pandits):

God’e zaas be
pat zaai maej
telli mol
ti adi bude’bab

First was born
I
then mother
then father
and then
was born my
grandfather



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blasphemous bits

I would collect bits from people and sometime they would border on blasphemous. It seems impossible someone would sing this in Kashmir. This one by an unknown fakir from Sopore:
batt’e pae’th kar pooza
deedar labakh tanha
vat’ka’en chey kaabas manz
kyah maz’e chu sharaabas manz
pray like a pandit
alone, you will find Him
shiva’s stone is at kaaba
joy, is wine alone
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AIR interview of Dina Nath Nadim, 1971

An old radio interview of poet Dina Nath Nadim (conducted by M Y Taing) for All India Radio in around 1971.

Family history

Lal Ded
Poverty
Studies and JL Kaul
Hatred for community
Freedom to revolt against family and relatives
Hatred of regime
Lenin at a Tobacco shop, Bhagwaan Lenin
Anarchist Bomb making
Chakbast
Gandhi
Poem on Mej Kashmir his first in Kashmiri (interviewer goes wah wah but confuses Hindi and Urdu)
History of NC
Pandit convert to Muslim to join Muslim Conference in around 1933
Prem Nath Bazaz Marxim
Battan hienz Khenz
State Subject Movement and mining engineer Lambho Dhar Zutshi
then came Iyengar
Dina Nath Philasafer and his contribution to State Subject Movement
“Free-thinkers Association”
Mehmooda
Arrest
for atheistic verse
“I am poor”
Mushairas
Amil Darvesh
DP Dahr Poet
Ehsan Danish
Progressive poets
move to Kashmiri
but not before Hindi
Jalandhari
Lahoor
Faiz
Ramanand Sagar
Modernism
English
Making Marxism Kashmiri
Shams Fakir
Vladimir Mayakovsky
Naya Kashmir – Roos
Cornforth Marx. Only three chapters of Marx
Vakh
Shrukh
Vopar
failure with Vakh
shorter Vakh
safeed nazam haiku
Failure of Naya Kashmir
1957
member of communist party
teachers who supported him
Government who opposed him
Clarity
Bombur Yamberzal
music too, folk tunes from mother
marriage against wish
she died
Trade Union threw him out of his own school, moved to Lahore
Alone, met a girl
Love
Haeer
Love poems during this time
Honest: Sadiq, N.N. Raina, K.A. Abbas, Karra, Somnath Zutshi
Nazam at Mujahid Manzil
No Tea, No Chai
Cultural Front
Mahendra Raina
Rahman Rahi
Shela Bhatia
Decline of front in 1953
origin of communist party
Baskshi Gulam Mohammad didn’t do it
Kurban Ali, Ajay Ghosh, Dr Deen Mohammed Taseer
First member Mahmood
BPL Bedi author of Naya Kashmir document
maker of People’s Academy
Jia Lal Kalam and Sadiq would have been president
work with Bhagat theater as president
origins of ‘ras’ who came from outside Kashmir
Sat Lal Sitari
Basant Bagh Parsi theater. Amateur theater company. In urdu of Agha Hashar Kashmiri.
Alfred theatrical company
Saraswati dramatical sociey Karan nagar
national theater, Gaw kadal
Kashmir theater. First time women took part in it.
Attempt at making first Kashmiri film in 1928. He wrote script.
Script of R.C. Kak got approved.
Professor Jia Lal Koul was hero
Silent movie
Film banned on protest from pandits. It was on dowry.
Theater artist called ‘Ras Kath’
Satich Kahvit, first play, Nand Lal Mandloo
Actor Jagan Lal Saqi, Sudama Ji of radio 
Before Qabali Attack 
at Draibyaar, Mohan Lal Aima staged ‘Vidhva’
Visit to China
opinion on Chinese. Respect.
Visit to Russia
they influenced by East
he was there with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman [which gives the date of this interview]
Similarity between Tajakistaan and Kashmir
“it is like home”
On Kashmiri literature
Importance of Mehjoor
Bob Dylan stands no where
Traditional Humanism
Guṇaḍhya’s tale as known in Kashmir
opinion on Rehman Rahi
on Amin Kamil
Likes new poets Muzaffar Azim, Ghulam Nabi Gowhar, Vasdev reh, Radey Nath Massarat, Riaz Razi
First Kashmiri Story, “Jawabi Card” on radio, 1948. By Nadim.
Why his work is not yet compiled
Why Nadim
first name Makhmoor
Sehermakshi

Nadim picked from a book of Karim ur logath in 1935

his friendship with Mehjoor who was with Congress at the time
Bazm-e-Kongposh. Music used to make new poets popular
Talk about Shiekh Abdullah 
Riot of 1933
Shiekh had beard
He had popular support
Zindabad
It was a time
Communist initiation at house of Dr. Mewa Ram Lakhwara
Bakshi and Sadiq
closer to Sadiq
Bakshi supported cultural activities
by Sadiq was more appreciative in true sense
His favorite nazam, “Myon Afsaan”
and “Lakhcukuklakhchun”
and “KazultuAftaab” for a commrade, unpublished. A random scene from a street in Kashmir.
A lesson in social history of Kashmir.

Listen, imagine and see.


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Tales of Kashmiri Boatmen


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An interview with Azim Tuman, former chairman of Kashmir Houseboat Owners Association (KHBOA). Recorded by me back in 2014

Watch for oral history of boats, houseboats and tourism in Kashmir. Of particular interest are the bits about evolution on houseboat, the way river transport worked, the major transaction points along the river, the role of a Pandit entrepreneur in the houseboat business around a century ago, the negative impact of 1947-48 war on tourism, how tourism revived in 60s and again in 1990s and the present concerns of the boatmen community.

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Short story of Bira, 1947

Peace brigades marching towards
Srinagar on the eve of taking over the emergency administration
of the State by Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah in 1947
Photographer: [K.N. (?)] Bamzai. [Photodivision India]

Collected this story in Jammu while walking my father’s Badi Maami to the main road as there was no light in the lanes. She had heard Kashmir interests me. In darkness, in between pauses of heavy breath, while slow walking, she told me about death of her brother in 1947.

Few remember those dead people now. Few know their stories. He died so young. My brother…Bira…Somnath Koul Bira. He was with Shiekh. He was part of Militia. The ‘National Militia’. They defended Kashmir.  When Kabailis attacked. They fought back. He died. There was communal unrest in Doda [then still part of Udhampur District]. Tribals were raiding. Hindus and Sikhs were killing Muslims. Muslims were killing Hindus. 700 people from Srinagar volunteered to go there as ‘Peace Bridage’. My brother was one of the leaders. Peace was established. But he never returned. There were stories. Stories of foul play. I was told he died even before reaching Doda. On the way they had to cross a bridge over Chenab. While crossing the bridge, they came under fire. I was told he fell in Chenab. He was gone.

Somnath Koul Bira was among the bright crop of young student leaders that came out of Lahore. Among his friends were Professor Apurab Somnath [Bakhiri] and Professor Durrani.

In 1947, a close to 600 Kashmiri Pandits were part of the Kashmir Militia. A lot of them communists.

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Somnath Bira
Photograph of Somnath Bira,
 young man at the back in dark coat, pomaded hair parted neatly and a fountain pen in breast pocket.
From personal collection of Somnath Bira’s  brother Jawahar Kaul Bira based now based in Gurgaon.
Shared by Anil Taku, nephew of Somnath Bira.

Based on an online conversation here’s what I could gather:

In 1947 (48) valley was invaded by the tribals led on by Pir Sahab of Manki Sharief (Syed Mohammad Aminul Hassnat, of NWFP) and supported by regulars of the Pakistan Army. In response, a group of young men in Srinagar called Progressive Group started a Peace Brigade as first line of defense. Around this time a group led by Puskkar Nath Zadoo went to Handwara to stall the march of invaders. The men had almost nothing in name of weapons. Pushkar Nath Zadoo lost his life in the attempt. Another group led by Professor Apoorab Somnath planned to head for Jammu. This group included Somnath Bira of Rainawari, Professor Hriday Nath Durani, Professor Mahmood Hashmi (Urdu lecturer from Amar Singh College) and artist P. N. Kachroo. Professor Durani had to return back from Qazigund on account of ill health. P. N. Kachroo couldn’t go because he was tired up heading the cultural wing of the group. On reaching Jammu, Professor Hashmi, a close friend Apoorab Somnath, sneaked away from the group ideologically and left for Poonch from where he crossed over to Pakistan and crossed sides. * Somnath Bira died at the hands of hostile forces near a place called Regi Nallah between Bhadarwah and Doda. His body was never found.
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*
Mehmood Hashmi went on to write a reportage in 1950 based on his experiences. ‘Kashmir Udaas Hai’ published in Pakistan is considered first of its kind book in Urdu. He worked in the parallel government for some years and then moved to England in 1970s where he continued to work for promotion of Urdu language.

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Feb, 2019

Pushkar Zadoo [via: FB]
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Ram Joo’s Lament for Sheep

Puj Waan
Kani Kadal
Srinagar
2008

As told by a grandaunt.

Ram Joo made his living in an odd way. He worked for municipality. He job was to visit slaughterhouses and stamp the dead animals with seals of approval in ink, declaring them fit or unfit for human consumption. A sensitive man, it is said the violence of his job eventually drove him mad. While stamping the dead sheep he took to singing to them, asking them:

Kata Kha’sh Kya’zi Kor’voy
Hai K’yah Gh’oom
Kata Mash Kosho’ya
Hai K’yah Gh’oomKata Kalas chuya doon
Hai K’yah Gh’oom
Sheep, why did they slay you?
Oh, what it did to me!
Sheep, have they sheared you?
Oh, what it did to me!
Sheep, is your head aching?
Oh, what it did to me!

The neighbourhood kids took to teasing him with the same lines. A sensitive man, it is said the experience eventually made him a saint. Around Habba Kadal area, he came to be known as Ram Joo Tabardar – Ram Joo the Woodcutter.

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A note on an interesting word and a phenomena. Picked from an Uncle.

Slaughterhouses and the areas around them tend to have a peculiar smell that may offend most people visiting. But the people living in the area never notice it. In Srinagar, slaughter houses were around Chotta Bazaar area. The people living in that area never noticed the smell. They had developed a gaenz’nas – meaning their nose had got numb to the stink.

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Aside: Earlier this year caught one of the most famous documentaries on the subject of animal slaughter, considered a milestone in the history of realistic documentary film making, ‘Le Sang des Bêtes’ by Georges Franju (Blood of the Beasts, French, 1949). [link, avoid if you are too sensitive]. A film that isn’t completely repulsive because it wasn’t made in color. It is not known if any saints were born in France after the film came out.

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Complete song added by Narinder Safaya, Ram Joo’s grandson. He adds [via FB]:

He [Ram Joo] had joined Srinagar Municipality around 1920. He was happily married, sired 4 children , three sons and one daughter. He worked as sanitary inspector for fifteen years. He was a spiritual person. He abandoned the job for reason stated by you. For this he was also teased as Ram Joo Maskas. He abandoned his family. His wife probably died of tuberculosis the same year when Kamla Nehru succumbed to T B in Switzerland [1936]. It said in our family she died of “HeH”. His children were taken care of his younger brother.Pt Shyam Lal Safaya (Taberdar) . We are from Chinkral Mohalla are known as Taberdars. My great great great grandfather Pt. Ganesh Dass Safaya got the nickname Taberdar as he had a partner who was Taberdar and he had been taken by him as partner in supply of fire wood business to the city dwellers through river by boats known as Bahech [Cargo boats]. In 1960 or 61 when I was 8/9 years old I remember Ram Joo came one day,  took tea and left. For five years we could not trace him. Ultimately my father traced him living in Rock Temple Tiruchirapalli.

1.Four days before Nirwana 2.During his eight years stay at Rock Temple, Tricinapali, T.N.

After return from Tricy.TN.

The house at Chinkral Mohalla

Story of the house by Narinder Safaya:

Taberdar house at Chinkral Mohalla. It is about 200 years old. One Pandit Sukh Ram Safaya was a minister with one of the Afghan Rulers. He had a sister who was married to son of a big landlord in Marraz (now district Anant nag). The woman was very beautifully. From this marriage she had a son. The local Afghan governor of the area had an eye on her.  For protection, she was sent in the dark of night by her husband to her brother’s house. Her husband was killed by the said local governor. As Sukh Ram Safaya was very influential revenue collector, nothing bad happened to him. The woman stayed with the brother after being widowed. The child, Nank Chand, grew up under the protection of his maternal uncle and as such came to be known as Nank Chand Safaya. His uncle gave this house to him. Nank chand’s son was Pandit.Ganesh Dass Safaya Taberdar, grand father of Swami Ram Joo Taberdar. In the last decade of nineteenth century, the upper storey got gutted and was rebuild by Pandit.Ganesh Dass. We added a floor to it in 1970 and changed the roof to tin from birch and soil. From our kani we could see ring of mountains which cover the entire valley.

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Santosh Painter

Cut out this bit about Ghulam Rasool Santosh (Srinagar, 1929 – Delhi, 1997) from docu “Contemporary Indian Painting” (1985) by K. Bikram Singh. [Full film here]. famous for paintings replete with tantric motifs. Trained under N.S. Bendre.

Gandharbal Kashmir by N.S. Bendre.
Previously: Kashmir Canvas of Bombay Progressives

G. R. appended his Hindu wife’s name ‘Santosh’ to his after marriage. Daughter married a Hindu and son a Sikh. Lived in Delhi.

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Add caption

My favorite G. R. Santosh anecdote that I first heard at Hari Parbat from an uncle:

When pandits started building a ‘modern-updated’ temple on Parbat, G. R. Santosh was a much saddened man. He had spent quite some time studying the hill looking for tantric motifs in its rocks, offering an entire aesthetic theory based on what he saw in the hill.  Now there was a wall coming around the main syen’der-ed rock. He pleaded, he cried, told them to stop and not mess with the yantra. The work continued. A new temple  came up around a rock caught in between marbled walls. A work that still continues.

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Pestonji’s White Horse, 1983

White horse outside
‘Bank of Baroda’,
Pestonjee Building, Kothibagh,
Residency Road

I knew this one was going to be a special book but what I didn’t expect was an image of a prized memory of Srinagar City: Pestonji’s White Horse.

Raghubir Singh’s ‘Kashmir: Garden of the Himalayas’ (1983) has the photograph explained as, “The white wooden horse was a joke-present from one polo-playing Maharaja (Jaipur) to another (Kashmir). A White Horse whiskey dealer rescued it from a junk heap and installed it in front of a building in Srinagar which he rents to a bank.”

Although the book does not mention it, yet I had heard so much about it (although not the story about its origin), I knew I was looking at the famous Pestonji Ka Ghoda. 

Pestonji name figures in history of Kashmir right from late 1800s to the early times of Sheikh Abdullah (Jinnah and his wife apparently stayed with him during a trip to Srinagar in 1920s).

A shopping mall now stands in its place.

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The book took almost 14 days. Whoever said world has become smaller hasn’t obviously tried bringing in a book from overseas. Originally costing Rs. 280. It cost me around Rs.1600 for a second hand first edition. Some more on the book later. And also some more rare books. And when I get some time some old writings of an incredible Parsi on Kashmir, its lore, Pandits and their ways of life.
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Update: From my father’s camera. The White Horse (rather a replica?) now in November 2013, alone in a M S Shoping Mal, Residency Rd, Regal Chowk, Rajbagh, Srinagar.

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Ja’tee tee, Ritual Burning of Kangri

I witnessed the scene for the first and only time probably in the beginning of spring of year 1989. I must have been seven when I saw my uncle dancing with a burning Kangri. That was the last time I witnessed the ritual of Ja’tee tee. The scene stuck in my mind. The joy of it. Then we moved to Jammu in 1990 and that was that.

 In Jammu, this year, after spending months trying to motivate my uncle, I finally got him to reenact the ritual around this Teela Aetham (‘Eigth of the oil/sesame’, held on the 8th day of the bright fortnight of Phalguna month of the lunar calendar).

The ritual is simple. We pick an old worn out Kangri, take out its earthen pot, fill the remenant wooden remains with dry grass, tie a rope to it one of the handles, set the Kangri on fire, hurl is around in circles singing: Ja’tee tee, Ja’tee tee… It’s alight, it’s afire.

In Kashmir the ritual would be held on a river bank and at the end, the lit Kangri would be hurled into the river. This Pandit ritual symbolized end of winter and the beginning of spring.

I made this short video and later showed it to my grandmother who then remembered an old ditty for Ja’tee tee.


video link

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