NOON CHAI

Noon chai or sheer chai as called by Kashmiri pandits is favourite tea of every Kashmiri person though i prefer Lipton chai  more than noon chai.
Noon is a typical Kashmiri tea served every breakfast and evening  in every house of Kashmir.
Noon chai is made in special pot called “samovar”.It is served with traditional Kashmiri breads like czochworu,czot,lavasa etc made by kashir kandur, kashmiri name to bakery found every nook and corner.

 Noon chai is traditionally made from special tea leaves,milk,salt, pistachios,almonds,cardamon and cinnamon.A pinch of baking soda is added to help give it more of  a pink color.
DECODING THE MYSTERY:
It sounds like an epilogue to a mystery thriller.Many believe that tea was introduced in Kashmir by Mirza Haider from Yarkand,some believed it came from Tibet as it resemble the butter tea of Tibet.
Different opinion may exist but unlocking the origin is like jigsaw puzzle. 

The Poetry

The graphic poetry of Rasul Mir,the great Kashmir also know as "Keats of Kashmir"

I hope one day

Being filmmaker in Kashmir is either person have gone nuts or practically being unemployed.In Kashmir either doctor,engineer,lawyer,teacher,contractor or shopkeeper.

Film making in Kashmir is a distant dream.If you want to be filmmaker you have to moved out of Kashmir.

In Kashmir very few films have been made in past.
The first kashmiri to be made was Maniz raat,which i got chance to see on Lok sabha tv few moths ago.
Second film to be made was Habba khatoon,thought i don't know weather it was film or made for local tv channel Doordarshan.
After that no feature film have been in Kashmiri though few claim they have made.
once such film is Akh daleel loolech, a love story set against background of tyrannical dogra rule.They claim that they made a feature film after long gap and was box office success since there are not cinema hall to show film.
Another film "Khudi" loosely based on Ayn Rand's fountainhead". The director of a film Ali emraan khureshi also claim same but i don't want to go in detail as he is good friend.
Lately i saw the trailer of "Gandukh"a Urdu film inspired by Iranian cinema by young kashmiri guy.I like the trailer but only wish the film was made in kashmiri rather than Urdu.

All these film are good start for Kashmir own  film industry but we have long way to go.

We don't have equipment and professional.No distributor ,financiers and cinema hall.Most of cinema hall closed after militancy.

Govt. or j and k bank  could start a film development board to grant fund to make film but they are indifferent.

I hope one day Kashmir will have there own film industry, filmmaker, film awards....i hope one day.

BOOUNE.....dying slowly

I breath in while the tree breaths out,
I breath out while the tree breaths in

Our symbiotic partnership
Is the rhythms tree heart beat  ...............


  Booune , known as chinar in English,the most prominent feature of Kashmir's beauty which can be found at every nook and corner of Kashmir.

It is said Chinar's name Booune is derived  from the name of Hindu Goddess, Bhawani. Chinar tree  it  is said were brought to Kashmir  by the Mughal from Iran in 1586 AD when Akbar annexed the valley within his domain  through it is also argued that species of Chinar grown here are of Greek origin.It is a historical fact that Akbar planted about 1200 plants of  Chinar  near the sacred shrine of Hazratbal.
  But introduction of Chinar in Kashmir by Mughal however does not stand the test  of history.In his book,Akbar Nama, Akbar  wrote  that along with  his 34 guards took the shelther in a hallow trunk of Chinar   tree  when  rains over  took  Srinagar. Thus chinar  was already in Kashmir valley when Mughals annexed it within their domain.
  These majestic Chinar tree are slowly extinguishing from Kashmir  due to the two main reasons, the indifference of the state government and arrogance of common  people  towards Chinar.
  In the name of development and prosperity Chinar sites have been replaced by cement structures, macadamized and furred roads. The greedy and unscrupulous people obtained a  green signal to fell a Chinar after it classified as dry  and dead in collusion with some corrupt officers.

  Over the past three decades, the number of Chinar in valley has declined drastically from around 42000 in 1970,the dwindled by more than half in  17394.
  There is good aesthetic reason why Chinar should be preserved as well as vital biological and ecological one.
   If the majestic Chinar are neglected soon they will be extinction from Kashmir which is part of our  rich heritage. 

Kashmir & sufi music

The word Sufi came from Arabic word "Suf" which means pure.Sufis are called so because their inner world is purified and enlightened by the light of wisdom, unity and oneness.
In Sufi music,the songs of the poet-singer invariable between the moods of the lovers and the saints, the beloved.

It's said that sofiana mosiqui came to Kashmir from Iran in  15th century.Over the years, it has established own identity by incorporating Kashmiri music.When one listens to Tajik music, one can hardly find any difference between Kashmir and Irani music.There are only a few families in Kashmir who are practicing this musical form in Kashmir. Whereas the tallest ustad Ghulam Mohd. Qaleenbaft is unable to move out because of health problems, Ustad Ghulam Mohd. Saznawaz and Ustad Abdul Ghani Namathali are imparting training to their family members and are the practicing artists.Ghulam Mohammad Saznawaz is the only existing master of Kashmiri Sufiyana Music in the world. He has opened a school to teach his genre of music, although it does not attract many students from Kashmir because of religious and social prejudice.

Kashmiri musicologist is struggling to revive the 500 years old sofiana mosaqi drawn from Sufi traditions...music which is dying after decade of neglect.

Though the advancement of technology has given newer topics to Kashmiri music, yet still we find the neo-poetry of Kashmiri Sufi songs  through in a very meager number.

There is no denying the fact that sufism and spiritual form the sheet anchor of Kashmiri poetry.
 

RASUL MIR'S POETRY

Poetry of great kashmiri poet, Rasul Mir, who was also know as Keats of Kashmir.

HAFIZ NAGMA

   Hafiz Nagma is one form of Sofiana mosiqui. In, Hafiz Nagma, a dancer is a female while her accompanist on various instrument are  male. The instrument used in Hafiz Nagma is santoor,sitar,Kashmiri Saz, wasool and tabla.Hafiz moves her feet on music notes.

    Many of these dancer stayed and worked in Shalimar garden.The bungalow, lit by candles and lanterns,was used for performance and entertaining vistors.

    In Mughal era, in which this dance was introduce, Hafiz Nagma was very popular.

    Azeezie was one of the most popular Hafiz dancer in 1860's and appeared in Baker & Burke catalogue.

kashmiri dancers 1870s photograph