I don't know why some people wont to run down something that brings a sense of normalcy in Srinagar-Adnan Sami
8:03 AM
There may have been more than a hint of a message in inviting the man who gave up his Pakistani passport to embrace India to perform in Kashmir, but Adnan Sami laughs that off as easily as he does singing Mehbooba Mehbooba Mehbooba there
Anshul Chaturvedi (BOMBAY TIMES; October 9, 2017)
What is the background to the Srinagar concert? Was it at your initiative, or the government's?
The initiative was completely from the government's side. They called me up and said we want to do something like this in Srinagar, in a bid to promote tourism and as part of our efforts to create normalcy, and would you be willing to do it? Without even blinking an eye I said yes, it would be an honour to be part of such an endeavour. And I said I would want to do something like this as a service to the country, not as a business, so I did it completely gratis. I was very excited. It was an historical moment.
It's one thing to try to organise a concert in Srinagar - that in itself is an aberration given the way things have gone the past year or so. But to have that concert by the most prominent Pakistani citizen who renounced his original citizenship to take up an Indian passport that had very strong under tones and messages being sent across, don't you think?
(Laughs and laughs, then comes back to being politically correct) Regardless of what the insinuations and undercurrents may be, for me what was most important was to be part of an activity, in whatever magnitude, that was part of an effort to bring some peace to that place which is otherwise a surreally beautiful heaven on earth. As a musician, to be part of anything that promotes peace is very rewarding. I said at the concert as well, I hope this is the beginning of many such activities in the valley.
Was it entirely coincidental that, invited to a government-hosted concert in Srinagar, you were found singing Mehbooba Mehbooba Mehbooba?
(Attempts to draft coherent answer amidst laughter) Arey... frankly ... it was coincidental. See, actually, I often begin my concerts with that one since it was my first Bollywood song to be released (Ajnabee, 2001), it's like taking the audience on a journey, my own journey through all this. Mazey ki baat yeh thi that we had a meeting with her and her family in the afternoon. And it was only when I went on the stage and by reflex began to begin with that number, was when I myself realised ki iss ke toh mainey badal jaate hain (resumes laughing)!
Kashmir has not been the quietest place the past few months. Did you have any security-related apprehensions?
There was, understandably, very heavy security, since they wanted to ensure that everything goes through without, you know, without any incident, which, by the grace of God, it did. Of course it required a tremendous amount of security. When you are doing something like this for the first time, it is understandable that you are extra careful about everything. But at the end of it when they saw the enthusiasm of the public, when they saw the keenness of the local youth to participate in such an activity that was just wonderful. By the time it ended, and we had Lift Kara De as the final song, the entire audience stood up and sang and they danced and they enjoyed... it was quite a spectacle! And when people wanted to stand up and dance and come near the stage, the security didn't stop them they let them be. Which was wonderful. It wasn't as if people were cordoned off on security grounds. And in fact, given the fact that MoS Home Kiren Rijiju was also there...
Why am I not surprised at Rijiju being present at an Adnan activity and vice versa?
(Laughs again) No, listen, the interesting part, since I was on the stage and I saw this, was that despite the fact that he was sitting in the front row and people came in front of him and began dancing, nobody made any effort to even stop that. Short of people actually climbing onto the stage, I don't think anyone was restricted from anything - so it was not like an oppressive security-obsessed activity, which I thought was very welcome!
What you did promotes music in Kashmir. But did you have time to think about the music of Kashmir - it barely exists in popular consumption anymore. We hear of it occasionally, but beyond the santoor performances on state-run channels, where do you really see it anymore? What names do you think of if you say 'Kashmiri music'?
I know what you are saying. I'll tell you something interesting. After I reached Srinagar, I had an interesting interaction, a very casual one, with many local artists. Some of them sang, some of them played instruments and I was stunned to see that among them were some absolutely incredible artists. And I was asking myself, why is their work not known anywhere outside where they are physically? Inka kaam baahar kyun nahi aaya aaj tak? I was saying to them ki aap iss cheez ko sirf yahan tak mat mehdood rakho, iss ko baahar duniya mein aana chahiye. And they said, hum bhi bahut tadap rahe hain yeh karne ko, lekin agar log baahar ubharne ki koshish karte hain toh fatwe nikal aate hain. They still remember woh bechaari bachchiyon ke saath hua tha, the ones who tried to form a girl band (in February 2013, Kashmir's first all-girl rock band, Pragaash, comprising three teenagers, was forced to disband after death threats on social media and a fatwa by a cleric ordering them to stop as he deemed music “unIslamic“). This is very tragic. I hope concerts become a regular activity so that the locals also get a chance to perform on a wider stage.
The fatwa-centred ideology killing off music is not dissimilar to the story you would be working on for your first film, on an Afghan musician forced to flee his native country.
Absolutely. Which is why I understand their frustration, how they are bound down. (Pause) We perform all over the world, but joh wazan, joh symbolism kal ka tha, that is far bigger than any other concert I have done and it is not just that the government organised it, but that the people supported it. That was incredible.
You're sure they did? Dozens of Twitter posts spoke about empty chairs and all that.
Yes. Aur mazey ki baat pata kya hai? For a concert that began at around 7pm, when it was dark, woh dopahar ke dhai baje ki photographs laga kar khush ho rahe hain. Who will be there at 2.30 in the afternoon? Since the concert was outdoors, the sun will tell you at what time the photos have been taken! They were trying to create that impression - but the sad part is that no matter which side of the political spectrum you are on, why are you trying to run down something that is non-political, something that brings an evening of normalcy to your own people?
Perhaps because locals attending a concert - more so, a concert by you, given your history - doesn't fit in with the narrative of what they need to sell each day?
Yes! That shows your mindset. That shows that you are genuinely not happy with anything that brings normalcy to your region. It's a very dangerous attitude and it is so frightening that aise logon ko kuch logon ne guru maana hua hai...
The initiative was completely from the government's side. They called me up and said we want to do something like this in Srinagar, in a bid to promote tourism and as part of our efforts to create normalcy, and would you be willing to do it? Without even blinking an eye I said yes, it would be an honour to be part of such an endeavour. And I said I would want to do something like this as a service to the country, not as a business, so I did it completely gratis. I was very excited. It was an historical moment.
It's one thing to try to organise a concert in Srinagar - that in itself is an aberration given the way things have gone the past year or so. But to have that concert by the most prominent Pakistani citizen who renounced his original citizenship to take up an Indian passport that had very strong under tones and messages being sent across, don't you think?
(Laughs and laughs, then comes back to being politically correct) Regardless of what the insinuations and undercurrents may be, for me what was most important was to be part of an activity, in whatever magnitude, that was part of an effort to bring some peace to that place which is otherwise a surreally beautiful heaven on earth. As a musician, to be part of anything that promotes peace is very rewarding. I said at the concert as well, I hope this is the beginning of many such activities in the valley.
Was it entirely coincidental that, invited to a government-hosted concert in Srinagar, you were found singing Mehbooba Mehbooba Mehbooba?
(Attempts to draft coherent answer amidst laughter) Arey... frankly ... it was coincidental. See, actually, I often begin my concerts with that one since it was my first Bollywood song to be released (Ajnabee, 2001), it's like taking the audience on a journey, my own journey through all this. Mazey ki baat yeh thi that we had a meeting with her and her family in the afternoon. And it was only when I went on the stage and by reflex began to begin with that number, was when I myself realised ki iss ke toh mainey badal jaate hain (resumes laughing)!
Kashmir has not been the quietest place the past few months. Did you have any security-related apprehensions?
There was, understandably, very heavy security, since they wanted to ensure that everything goes through without, you know, without any incident, which, by the grace of God, it did. Of course it required a tremendous amount of security. When you are doing something like this for the first time, it is understandable that you are extra careful about everything. But at the end of it when they saw the enthusiasm of the public, when they saw the keenness of the local youth to participate in such an activity that was just wonderful. By the time it ended, and we had Lift Kara De as the final song, the entire audience stood up and sang and they danced and they enjoyed... it was quite a spectacle! And when people wanted to stand up and dance and come near the stage, the security didn't stop them they let them be. Which was wonderful. It wasn't as if people were cordoned off on security grounds. And in fact, given the fact that MoS Home Kiren Rijiju was also there...
Why am I not surprised at Rijiju being present at an Adnan activity and vice versa?
(Laughs again) No, listen, the interesting part, since I was on the stage and I saw this, was that despite the fact that he was sitting in the front row and people came in front of him and began dancing, nobody made any effort to even stop that. Short of people actually climbing onto the stage, I don't think anyone was restricted from anything - so it was not like an oppressive security-obsessed activity, which I thought was very welcome!
What you did promotes music in Kashmir. But did you have time to think about the music of Kashmir - it barely exists in popular consumption anymore. We hear of it occasionally, but beyond the santoor performances on state-run channels, where do you really see it anymore? What names do you think of if you say 'Kashmiri music'?
I know what you are saying. I'll tell you something interesting. After I reached Srinagar, I had an interesting interaction, a very casual one, with many local artists. Some of them sang, some of them played instruments and I was stunned to see that among them were some absolutely incredible artists. And I was asking myself, why is their work not known anywhere outside where they are physically? Inka kaam baahar kyun nahi aaya aaj tak? I was saying to them ki aap iss cheez ko sirf yahan tak mat mehdood rakho, iss ko baahar duniya mein aana chahiye. And they said, hum bhi bahut tadap rahe hain yeh karne ko, lekin agar log baahar ubharne ki koshish karte hain toh fatwe nikal aate hain. They still remember woh bechaari bachchiyon ke saath hua tha, the ones who tried to form a girl band (in February 2013, Kashmir's first all-girl rock band, Pragaash, comprising three teenagers, was forced to disband after death threats on social media and a fatwa by a cleric ordering them to stop as he deemed music “unIslamic“). This is very tragic. I hope concerts become a regular activity so that the locals also get a chance to perform on a wider stage.
The fatwa-centred ideology killing off music is not dissimilar to the story you would be working on for your first film, on an Afghan musician forced to flee his native country.
Absolutely. Which is why I understand their frustration, how they are bound down. (Pause) We perform all over the world, but joh wazan, joh symbolism kal ka tha, that is far bigger than any other concert I have done and it is not just that the government organised it, but that the people supported it. That was incredible.
You're sure they did? Dozens of Twitter posts spoke about empty chairs and all that.
Yes. Aur mazey ki baat pata kya hai? For a concert that began at around 7pm, when it was dark, woh dopahar ke dhai baje ki photographs laga kar khush ho rahe hain. Who will be there at 2.30 in the afternoon? Since the concert was outdoors, the sun will tell you at what time the photos have been taken! They were trying to create that impression - but the sad part is that no matter which side of the political spectrum you are on, why are you trying to run down something that is non-political, something that brings an evening of normalcy to your own people?
Perhaps because locals attending a concert - more so, a concert by you, given your history - doesn't fit in with the narrative of what they need to sell each day?
Yes! That shows your mindset. That shows that you are genuinely not happy with anything that brings normalcy to your region. It's a very dangerous attitude and it is so frightening that aise logon ko kuch logon ne guru maana hua hai...
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