Obsession is a trait of personality. Great works of art, literature, culture, research, and poetry cannot be accomplished if one is not obsessed with the field of activity. Putting one’s mind and heart in the work at hand and then zealously pursuing it can work wonders. Inventors, researchers, scientists, writers and all the other great men travel far and wide surpassing all the odds for achieving their goal.
Once I met a gentleman in a bus in Kupwara with whom I shared the seat . While talking with him, it came to light that he was researching on Hazrat Sultan ul Arifeen Makhdoom Sahib, a great saint of Kashmir, and was in search of some manuscripts, old books or relics of the saint. The zeal of his research had made him to travel from Banihal to Kupwara, not an easy journey those days indeed.
One great poet-writer of our times came to see me and I asked him on what subject he was presently writing. His answer was amusing. His topic of writing and research seemed very ordinary and simple on the face of it. “Brother, these days I am writing on Kashmiri Qasaba”. said he. Qasaba was a headgear worn by Kashmiri women in the olden days. He then explained in detail what it was, and how it looked like, and its different shapes and shades etc. His next topic would be Kashmiri Kangri, and things like that. The choice of his topics reflected his love for Kashmir, and all that was and is of Kashmir – Kashmiri Art and Culture. He is no more in this world now.
There are many of us who love to talk, write, and research on Kashmiri art and culture. Some of us are obsessed with it irrespective of their profession or field of activity. There is a full fledged department also to encourage and enhance such activity. This is need of our times otherwise we will forget about our civilization culture and art altogether.
When we say that we love our mouj Kashir then we should love its culture also. Let us talk about Qasaba for instance. It shows the richness of our culture and tradition. Qasaba is a breathtakingly beautiful traditional headgear of Kashmiri women which has now gone almost extinct. It was specially designed to add to their personality and had intricate designs. It had many folds held together like a turban and was decorated. Its flowing scarf at the back side narrowed down towards the heels and its use was regarded as a protection from cold climate, also a symbol of elegance and nobility.
I remember my childhood days when the women of our village would gather in the ground on Eid day, adorned with snow white qasabas and would sing the traditional Rouf after making two rows facing each other. The scarves of their Qasabas would flow from their backs upto their heels. One naughty boy amongst us would go and tie their scarves with one another. When the women found their scarves tied together with each other, they would give a hefty laugh and their Eid rouf would end, on a happy note.
Peerzada Abdul Rashid is a retired Telecom Engineer