Meet Yawar Abdal, a 23-year old from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. His tryst with music started at an early age. He used to write songs and practice all day to the imaginary tunes made in his mind.
Growing up in a culture where Kashmiri music and Sufi poetry was very much respected, Abdal was determined to represent his rich culture to the audience outside the valley.
In 2010, he came to Pune for his studies and started singing in his colleges which were appreciated by the fellow students and motivated him to take music as a career option.
Inspired by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and music band Junoon, Abdal produced a single “Tamanna” released in the first week of June this year. The multilingual song, sung in Kashmiri, Urdu and Persian is based on the poetry of three legendary poets: Mehjoor, Mirza Ghalib and Amir Khusrow.
“This song defines some of the stages of ‘sufis’ where they try to come out of this world and stop desiring for the materialistic world. The only thing they desire is the love of their beloved,” said Abdal.’
The song which was uploaded on Youtube has garnered more than 300,000 views and has become an instant hit in the Valley.
“I tried to bring forward the ancient Sufi poetries through my music, which our youth is unaware about. The poets like Mehjoor, Soche Kraal, Rasul Mir, Neami Saeb, Shamas Fakeer and many more are still unknown among our youth in the valley. Our culture is very rich in poetry and Sufism, so it’s necessary we put forward it and respect it,” says Abdal.
When asked about the response he received despite singing in three different languages, he said, “Initially, I thought fusing three different poetry that too Persian, Urdu and Kashmiri would make it difficult for the people to understand but I was wrong. People loved it so much that I think this love and support would never let me stop doing this.”
