Several Kashmiri music artists, who came together for the first-ever virtual concert in Kashmir during the ongoing COVID19 pandemic mesmerized the audience globally.
Named ‘Qaraar‘ (Solace), the 3-hour concert held on Sunday by Kashmiri vocalists and instrumentalists on Facebook was aimed to cheer people up amid the pandemic.
Famed singer and chairman of The Kashmir Music Club, Waheed Jeelani and journalist, Nazir Ganaie, who organized the event, said that despite technical hiccups and internet proliferation the artists were able to connect to the larger audience globally.
“We got an overwhelming response from the listeners across the globe,” the organizers said. “There were viewers connected from all across the globe, mostly our Kashmir diaspora. That was a great beginning to a humble initiative which not only brought artists in distress together but also connected the people, living during this pandemic,” they said.
Apart from the singer Jeelani and Ganaie (Rabab player), singers like Archana Jalali from Ottawa in Canada, percussionist (Nutt), Abdul Rashid Shah, vocalists including Ishfaq Kawa, Raja Bilal, Altaf Sahil and Assistant Professor and vocalist, Dr Shaista Ahmad among others at the studio enthralled the online audience.
Jeelani said it was a step to connect people during these trying times. Jalali, a noted singer, performed live with Kashmiri audience and artists.
“The idea came because of the lockdown. We wanted to connect with people, provide some solace to their hearts in these times when art and entertainment got affected,” he said.
The singer said the idea was to keep the art and culture alive and launch a platform for artists since art gatherings were unlikely to be allowed even after the lockdown was lifted.
Jeelani said The Kashmir Music Club would provide a platform to artists from other sectors as well in the future. Several eminent artists have hailed the idea and wished well to the organisers.
“I am delighted to know that you have initiated to hold an online digital music concert. I am sure that artists who are indoors because of the COVID 19 pandemic and have no platform to perform, such an online digital concert will prove as a milestone in the field of music in Kashmir,” noted Kashmiri singer Shamima Dev Azad said.
Santoor maestro Bhajan Sopori, noted-theatre actor MK Raina, former ADG Doordarshan Ashok Jailkhani and other artists while appreciating the idea, released promotional videos on social media to support the initiative.
“We would do some more projects on the Valley’s rich Sufi and folk music, which would not only boost the local artists but it would infuse new lease of life into some dying art forms,” said Ganaie.