Even a few years back, walking with a girl on the streets of Jammu & Kashmir would have invited the wrath of militants and cultural zealots.
The music scene in the Valley is looking up
SRINAGAR: Even a few years back, walking with a girl on the streets of Jammu & Kashmir would have invited the wrath of militants and cultural zealots.
Dancing to catchy Kashmiri numbers was also considered a taboo. But all that has changed. Thanks to musical boom and digital revolution, Kashmir is undergoing a generational change with boys and girls dancing together, cutting albums and earning big bucks.
Rabia, 18, is one of the new entrants in the music scene. A matriculate, she has featured in one of the music videos and played different characters in serials produced by private companies.
“I have been working for the last one year. I have featured in one of the songs in a music album. I have also played different characters in three serials. I am quite satisfied,” she said.
Local cable television channels, dancing troupes and new music companies are acting as catalysts of this change. The fledgling musical industry of Kashmir is now trying to come to grips with modernity.
“Three years back, only traditional and folk songs were the focus of the music industry. It has changed now and the focus has shifted to the musical video albums,” said Zahoor Ahmad, owner of the Music and Tape Industry (MTI), one of the pioneers of the music industry in Kashmir.
Industry sources say the annual turnover of the musical companies have crossed Rs one crore and more and more companies are joining the digital bandwagon in Kashmir.
“There are only four or five registered music companies in Kashmir. But there are people other than these registered companies who are cutting the albums in Kashmir,” said Zahoor.
A music video costs between Rs three lakh to Rs four lakh in Kashmir. A dancer is hired for Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per day. “Fifty per cent of dancers are being brought from Jammu. The rest we hire from Kashmir,” said Zahoor.
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