Postcard from Kashmir: TM Krishna’s tweets in support of affected people
CHENNAI: Carnatic musician TM Krishna released a Twitter video reading the poem, Postcard from Kashmir, by Kashmiri author Agha Shahid Ali on Wednesday. His tweet read, “A postcard to phones in Kashmir which do not ring”.
The two-minute video has a picture of the poem with an audio overlay of Krishna’s reading. “This poem speaks about identity and belonging and what it means to have it snatched away. To an extent, it expresses the emotions of loss and what memory is in each of our lives. Considering all that is happening in Kashmir, the poem describes what it means to be Kashmiri, more than anything else,” he said.
Following the passing of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill 2019 on Monday, a lockdown was initiated in the Kashmir valley, and political figures Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah were placed under house arrest.
“The way Article 370 was removed from practice was absolutely wrong because the concurrence with the people of Kashmir or their elected representatives was not taken. The undemocratic fashion with which troops were sent in, shops were shut down, ex-Chief Ministers put in detention, is shocking for me,” he said, calling for dialogue and conversation to resolve the conflict.
The video is interlaced with sound bytes of automated messages of a call unable to go through, which Krishna says is what plays when one calls a number from Kashmir. This was an effort to contextualise what he calls the alienation of the people of Kashmir, coupled with removal of their rights.
Krishna ends the video with a rendition of Allah Thero Naam, Ishwar Thero Naam. Krishna explained his reasoning behind this by saying, “We live in a time where religions are pitted against each other. The politicians of this country and the people are creating more hate. In this hate, Kashmir too, is trapped in-between the blows. We cannot use religion to pit one against another. That is why we call out to both Allah and Ishwar.”
Krishna said that change can occur only when people change their mindset. “This is people’s problem. We always talk about Kashmir as a piece of land or as property. The only way Kashmir can really go beyond this perpetual cycle of violence is when we realise Kashmir is about the people of Kashmir,” he said.