By: Shabir Ahmad Mir
Ladi Shah Ladi Shah at your door
Knot your tongue and talk no more.
Lend your ears to my words true,
May liars die of bird flu.
No longer we live in Paradise
All praise our Leaders’ sacrifice.
Ladi Shah Ladi Shah at your door.
Knot your tongue and talk no more.
Ever since they had to clamp down
We only meet at crack down
No dog is killed because of law
And for humans we have the AFSPA
Also Read: An encounter with a Scarecrow
Ladi Shah Ladi Shah at your door.
Knot your tongue and talk no more.
See how backward we are O dear !
Noah’s Deluge reached us last year
And the internet that works everyday
May we have before the doomsday.
Hundreds dead and thousands blind,
Untold-PSA Quarantined:
Yet everything is fit and fine,
The expert says on news at nine
Ladi Shah Ladi Shah talk no more.
It is enough now close the door.
Note: Ladi shah is a traditional folk genre of ballad songs sung by wandering minstrels in Kashmir. Both the song and singer are known as Ladi shah. The Ladi shah would wander from village to village and compose on spot Ladi shah ballads as a melodious satire on various social political and cultural facets.
Ladi shah used to be sung on the beats of a crude instrument called as dhukar comprising of two headed metal rod with iron rings thrown over it, the singer would strike the rings and sing to the melody with a refrain. It is literally impossible to compose Ladi shah in all its wit, humour and melody in any other language other than kashmiri but unfortunately off late this genre is dieing a silent death. This attempt in english is a very vague one, the intention has been to retain two core components of Ladi shah- humour and satire with some melody.
