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| Dial ‘K’ for Kashmiri ring tones in valley | | | Early Times Reporter
Srinagar | Oct 1
Where the mobiles have changed the communication scene and eased the jobs like marketing and management, it has developed a taste among users for Kashmiri language in valley whose neglect could cost the Kashmiri’s its identity. The latest happening thing on cell-phones in Kashmir is ring-tones and dialer-tunes of Kashmiri songs – old and new.
While teaching of Kashmiri language at primary level in schools is yet to streamline, it is one of the unique ways for people of the valley to remember that their mother tongue is Kashmiri. Also this is paving a way for the promotion of traditional music forms.
While elderly people are frequently taking to downloading traditional Kashmiri songs, some youngsters have also been attracted by the music of Rabab. Shahnawaz Amin, the owner of a mobile sale and service centre in Sopore, says, "More than half of middle aged men and women want Kashmiri songs as ring-tunes. One out of three youngsters also asks for Kashmiri song to be downloaded on his cell," he said.
While cell phone owners have a variety of songs to choose from, lighter traditional song forms, locally called the Chakeri, are more common. Take the case of Chakri song, Dupte nunam dal ki wawannai. This song is now available on every mobile software shop across the state as customers keep asking for the ring tune.
Other traditional Naats like sahiboo sath chem mai chene are also very much in demand given the Muslim dominated nature of the society. "It sounds good to ears than a Chakri or any other movie song," says Abdul Hamid, a clerk in PHE department.
While cell phone owners have shown inclination towards the trend, mobile service providers are cashing upon the opportunity by offering Kashmiri songs as dialer tunes and ring tunes through their databases. Leading the way is Airtel that offers famous songs like Shamima Azad's recent hit wathiv badliv panun taqdeer.
For Shazia Khan, a girl in her twenties, the Kashmiri song by the chief minister's wife – that buzzes on her cell-phone all the time – the song is very much to her taste. "I like this song. Others like Naats are also good," she said. "Is not it nice to hear your favourite song every time your phone rings?" adds she. Khan believes girls in valley are more attracted towards traditional songs than boys.
"It is an individual choice of every mobile user to select a song, but the rate at which Kashmiri songs and Naats are selected as ring-tunes and dialer-tunes is encouraging," says Ali Majboor, famous folk artist.
For literary personalities like Qaisar Nizami, this trend is "more than helpful" in Kashmir for promoting "our cultural music and language".
"It definitely promotes our culture and language," says Qaisar Nizami, renowned Kashmiri singer and music director. He believes that this trend should be encouraged in the valley, mostly amoung the younger generation. "This is an encouraging trend which should be promoted effectively for the promotion of our legacy," Nizami said.
Besides helping in promotion of Kashmir's traditional music, culture and language, ring-tones and dialer-tones also sound decent to users. "Kashmiri ring-tones are decent as compared to Hindi song. There is also no rebuke from my parents, after I have a local song a dialer tone," says Khan.
Writer, Rashid Maqbool, too views the development in positive terms. "Definitely up to a large extent the ringing-tunes based on Kashmiri songs can promote our own music. It can also develop a liking for the local poetry and thus promote interest towards our mother tongue among the user who otherwise has been taking to Hindi songs only," said Rashid.
However, there are some voices of discern, who say that ring-tones can't considerably promote the cultural music and language unless the basics of the same is not to be inculcated amoung the local populace especially amoung youngsters. Mohammad Amin Bhat, a local producer feels that until some innovative measures are not taken, a sense of belonging for the language and culture on the large can not be created among the later generations. "The trend can improve and promote our local music and language, but we should have to capitalize on it in a positive way," he said. |
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