“Instead of guns, our voices speak for us. Music is our identity and nothing else”

The lyrics of an old Bollywood song that the two 22-year-olds, Shokeen Nabi from Budgam and Shah Zafar from Tangmarg, sing in a hall in Baramulla are loaded with meaning not just for Kashmir but for all of India: Jo vaada kiya woh nibhana padega; roke zamaana chahe roke Khudaai (Keep your promises, whether the world or god comes in your way). Not overly concerned with politics, their ambitions are focused on getting ahead in their music careers.

The turbulence in the Valley over the past five years has had an impact on them. Nabi is a post-graduate in political science but his focus throughout college was on music. When the government imposed curbs on internet following Burhan Wani’s killing in 2016 or when Article 370 was revoked in 2019, Nabi lost out on popularising his music through social media channels such as YouTube and Instagram.

Nabi’s ambition is to take his music beyond Kashmir and to be a national singer of repute apart from popularising folk music from Kashmir. “I want to be known as Shokeen Nabi of Kashmir, who has a passion for music and nothing else. This is my only identity,” says Nabi.

Zafar, too, is clear: “Politics has never been on my mind,” he says. His entire focus is on improving his singing and music production skills and he aspires to be a Bollywood playback singer. A child prodigy, Zafar has been winning plaudits since he was in primary school. He recently launched two songs that have been doing the rounds in the Valley. He says that both his studies and his musical ambitions have been disrupted by the turmoil in Kashmir. But Zafar remains determined. His message to his compatriots: “Our life is a god-given gift and we must make full use of it. Explore any talent you have in any field. Do not listen to people whose job is only to talk or make trouble.”

Like Nabi and Zafar, there are thousands of young Kashmiris aspiring for jobs and better opportunities. J&K’s population is among India’s youngest, with over 40 per cent below the age of 23. The rate of unemployment in the 18-29 age group, too, is among the highest in the country. It was 238 per 1,000 in 2017, double the all-India average of 102 per 1,000. A verse from the famous Kashmiri poet Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad ‘Mahjoor’ sums up the message for J&K’s youth and the Indian government. Loosely translated, the words read: “Arise, o gardener! And usher in the glory of a new spring.”