by Dr Suheel Rasool Mir
Despite the partition of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947, the indigenous Dard-Shina rich musical legacy transcends borders, challenging concepts of border and borderline. Through its emotional resonance and charm, Dard-Shina music has the power to overcome boundaries and foster a sense of shared space called Dardistan.
Music has long been a vital medium for preserving cultural heritage, bringing communities together and transcending borders. It possesses a unique power to connect people across geographical and cultural divides. The tradition of music, dance, and singing is passed down through generations as a cultural expression of identity, fostering a sense of unity, solidarity, and shared roots among young people from diverse urban and rural ethnicities.
Music also serves as a powerful tool of resistance against cultural homogenization, enabling indigenous communities to protect their identities in the face of consumerism and commodification. While entertainment may be a secondary function of music, it plays a crucial role in engaging people with their history, tradition, and identity through songs, poetry, and dance.
In the Gurez valley, 130 kilometres northeast of Srinagar, the Habba-Khatoon Dramatic Club plays a vital role in preserving the unique Dard-Shina cultural heritage. Founded by Abdul Aziz Samoon in 1978, the club has gained popularity for its innovative fusion of traditional Shina music with modern sounds.
The club comprises a dozen local artists dedicated to promoting the Dard-Shina legacy through Dardi music, Shina lyrics, and traditional instruments like the harmonium, tumbaknear, flute, duf, and daddung. Each beat of these instruments holds a wealth of stories, longing, emotions, and hope, reflecting the rich cultural tapestry of Dardistan.
Farid Kaloo, 65, who leads the Habba Khatoon Dramatic Club, regrets the lack of resources required to preserve and popularise Dardistan’s rich musical legacy. “Every nation is known for its rich culture and tradition. We perform in our native Shina language, which is integral to our Dardic ethnicity. Without financial support and infrastructure, we voluntarily perform Shina songs, preserving the oral Dardic tradition of the Gurez Valley and bringing the region’s rich heritage to life. Emphasising the use of the Shina language in our local scripts promotes our linguistic heritage and ensures the younger generation remains connected to their mother tongue.”
The Gurez Valley, also known as the Valley of Dards, exemplifies the complex interplay between borders, borderlines, partition, and cultural resilience. The Dards of Gurez have shared music, histories, ethnicities, cultures, religions, and spaces across the borderlands between India and Pakistan. Despite the partition of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947, the indigenous Dard-Shina rich musical legacy transcends borders, challenging concepts of border and borderline. Through its emotional resonance and charm, Dard-Shina music has the power to overcome boundaries and foster a sense of shared space called Dardistan.
Dardistan encompasses the highest mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, Western Himalayas, and Pamir mountains, covering parts of northern Pakistan, eastern Tibet, eastern Afghanistan, Ladakh, and the Kashmir valley. The Dards are primarily found in the Chitral and Indus regions, including Gilgit, Chilas, Bunji, Hunza, Nagar, Punyal, Yasin, Koh, Gazar, Ashkoman, Astor, Skardu, Gurez, and Kargil.
The Gurez valley, once a gateway to the ancient silk route connecting Gilgit and Kashgar in China, is now divided along the Line of Control. The Dards of Gurez have strong ancestral, cultural, and historical ties to neighbouring Gilgit and Dardic-speaking communities in the Himalayas. The creation of nation-states post-WWII divided the Dard ethnicity, affecting their culture and tradition. Decades of dwindling population due to partition and migration have made preserving their culture and language increasingly difficult. The 1947 partition divided families, disrupting Dardic ethnic spaces and leaving displaced Dards with emotional fatigue.
Boundaries and borders have uniquely impacted Dard communities based on their geographic location and the region’s political dynamics. The partition and division of borders continue to haunt those who experienced loss and separation. The experience of loss, familial separation, and longing remains etched in the ‘community memory’. Despite the challenges and changes brought about by partition, the Dard people have shown resilience, maintaining their cultural identity and traditional way of life amidst historical transformations.
Songs like Meoun Dardistan (My Dardistan) evoke the pain of separation and longing for a unified homeland. For the Dard tribe, Meoun Dardistan serves as a powerful reflection of belonging to their homeland and cultural roots. Another song, Baagoun Bahar Ho Thoun Ye Junie by the late Abdul Aziz Samoon, is a romantic Dardi song that likens the beloved’s walk to the vibrant signals of a bright, beautiful summer.
Dard-Shina music reflects the diversity of Dardistan and acts as a unifying force, connecting Dards across borders and promoting coexistence. The blend of Dardi music and Shina lyrics tells stories of love, separation, longing, belonging, religious ethos, poetry, memory, suffering, and historical narratives. This indigenous tradition helps transmit social and ethnic heritage from generation to generation, evoking collective memory.
“We need to preserve our identity. It is every Gurez person’s responsibility to highlight their indigenous culture through music, singing, dance, art, storytelling, writing, and reading.” Tahir Magray observes, “I have seen people in high positions develop an urban, elite attitude, looking down on their own culture and language. This xenocentric attitude triggered my ethnic consciousness, leading me to join the Habba-Khatoon dramatic club to reflect Dardistan’s beauty. Dard-Shina music is a strong agency for reflecting cultural belonging. Music strengthens our sense of belonging, unity, and solidarity within the tribe.”
The Dardi musical attire’s vibes transcend borders, profoundly affecting emotions through ethno-soundscapes and cultural expressions. Dard-Shina music connects the emotions of divided Dardistan, fostering a shared sense of ethnicity beyond borders. The Himalayan Cultural and Heritage Development Council (HKDC) is playing a significant role in bringing Dard-Shina music to the national level, with Dard artists performing at various cultural festivals to keep the cultural legacy alive.
HKDC also educates the young generation of Gurez about Dardistan’s rich linguistic heritage through music, songs, and dance. Their music draws heavily on Dardistan’s traditions, blending Dardi instruments with Shina lyrics. The HK Dramatic Club is renowned for its traditional instrumental music, merging ethno-soundscapes with the rich musical traditions of the Dards, ensuring their musical ethos is preserved. These performances often feature folk songs narrating the history and everyday life of the Gurezi people.
Mohidin Magray, a 50-year-old local teacher, is concerned about the rapid urbanization of Dard-origin individuals. “At Habba Khatoon Dramatic Club, we are trying to revive and restore the Dardi ethos through music, songs, and dance. The Dard-Shina tribe can preserve its rich historical identity through storytelling, folksongs, music, and poetry. We aim to instil Dardic ethnic taste in the present generation through musical concerts, evoking collective memory and identity.”
Traditional dances like Nuotte, performed by men in colourful Dardi attire, are not just entertaining but also a way to rejoice in Dardistan’s glimpses. The club celebrates Gurez’s cultural heritage, promoting belongingness and unity among Dards.
Zakir Hussain, a 30-year-old geologist and HKDC member wants to inspire young Dards to conserve their ethnic identity. “Our tribe is small, with only 37,000 members. Modernization has disconnected the present generation from its history. They are lost, urbanizing, and detached from Dardi tradition and culture. HK Dramatic Club’s objective is to revive and perform traditional folk music, playing indigenous instruments and singing in local Shina language.”
In regions like Dardistan, marked by separation, common music can overcome longingness and cherish belongingness. Shared musical traditions can revive wounded Dardistan.
The Dard-Shina musical legacy has the potential to be a profound source of healing for the wounds of partition. The Habba Khatoon Dramatic Club in Gurez stands as a symbol of hope for the restoration and revival of the Dardistan lineage through music. The club’s dedication to traditional Dard-Shina music, dance, and singing ensures the Dard-Shina cultural flame continues to burn. This, in turn, inspires the young generation to cherish, protect, and popularise the unique Dard legacy.
(The author is a sociologist specialising in the borderlands of Kashmir and Ladakh, ethnicity, and marginalised communities. He is the author of the Cultural Encyclopaedia of Dard Tribe and is currently focused on early career research in these fields. Ideas are personal.)
