What it takes to revive a folk ballad dominated by men. This Kashmiri woman has the answer

When 25-year-old Syed Areej Safvi set out to perform Ladishah—Kashmiri folk ballad—she didn’t expect to make history. Areej is now Kashmir’s first ‘Lady-shah’, called so since she is the only woman to perform the traditional form of solo-storytelling usually done by men.

“I did not choose Ladishah. I believe Ladishah chose me. I am emotionally attached to Kashmir’s culture, language, literature, tradition and history. Also, poetry fascinates me. I try to write poetry in Urdu language,” Areej tells The Federal, adding, “The love for my land always inspires me to do something for Kashmir, to speak up on socio-political issues, our culture and history.”

Traditionally, Ladishahs used to be creative socio-political commentators. Dressed in a pheran—Kashmir’s traditional woollen garment—a Ladishah with a headgear would entertain people with his satirical poems and acerbic socio-political commentary while playing a musical instrument. Witticism would be Ladishah’s hallmark or USP.

“I saw Ladishah as a political commentator too, but for me it was one of the first challenges to overcome. It is also about channelising one’s anger through creative means. Otherwise one would not succeed in this journey,” Areej says.

But clearly, it wasn’t easy being a woman.

Areej says there is “social taboo associated with a female donning the role of a solo-storyteller and a performer on the street. A part of my extended family does not approve of what I am doing as an artist.”

Members of her extended family taunted her by saying that the family of Syeds—socially considered an upper caste—should not be associated with this art-form (Ladishah). “Imagine, I had to listen to such distasteful and casteist remarks as well.”

Breaking stereotypes in the male-dominated solo-storytelling form, Areej in creative ways writes satirical poems and humorous content on matters of socio-political importance.

Challenges in Kashmir

Areej soon found out that commentary on Kashmir’s political landscape even in a satirical form was akin to walking on a razor’s edge.

“Initially, in my performances I wanted to talk about Kashmir’s political narrative using humour, satire and poetry. But it was not as easy as I had imagined. One does not enjoy creative freedom to talk about Kashmir’s political landscape. Personally, it was very tough for me,” she says.

For Areej, the creative journey has not been rosy all the time. The bumpy road has thrown multiple challenges at her. In a trice, she realised that a take on Kashmir’s political question even while employing creative forms of art was not a cakewalk.

“As an artist, you don’t have to put everything out there in the public domain in a direct form. One uses nuance, subtlety, satire and wit to make a point, but then I live in Kashmir. And in Kashmir, there are challenges on that count too,” she says.

Since the 18th century the image of a Ladishah has been that of a male storyteller, commentator and a satirist. That is perhaps why Areej’s entry as a female Ladishah is seen as a tectonic shift in this folk genre.

Ladishah in history

According to Arshad Mushtaq, a noted theatre director and communications professional based in Srinagar, “In the context of Kashmir, Ladishah was a poet, social commentator, a musician and a performer having a deep understanding of the community structures and its complexities. Besides informing and communicating about the happenings as a reporter, Ladishah would also offer informed perspectives.”

The tradition of travelling solo-storytellers has been a common occurrence in ancient Aramaic, Hebrew, Egyptian, Arab, Roman, Greek and Persian lands. “They (solo-storytellers) would weave the narratives and tell stories. They were patronised by courts and commoners,” Arshad Mushtaq tells The Federal.

In Kashmir, a Ladishah donning traditional attire would perform on the streets, in the lawns of the common masses, and apple orchards and paddy fields. Sometimes, on the stage too. People would shower accolades on Ladishah for commenting on complex matters using wit, humour and satire.

Mohammad Amin Bhat, another theatre director, a well-known language activist and president of literary organisation Adbee Markaz Kamraz, says that Areej opting to be a Ladishah is helping in preservation of Kashmiri language and heritage.

“A bold and young Areej has brought an innovative freshness to a male-dominated discourse. She has been able to connect with the younger generation,” Mohammad Amin Bhat tells The Federal.

Arshad Mushtaq argues that the downfall of Ladishah as a narrative device began “when it was hijacked for propaganda by the powerful regimes in lieu of meagre financial appraisements.”

According to him, a well-respected Ladishah for several decades was later reduced to a propaganda tool in the hands of the powers that be.

Areej though intends to revive the dying art of Ladishah. “Each time I write content for a new performance as Ladishah, I think that I am reviving this art-form.”

On a positive note, Areej is content with the public support that she continues to enjoy. “When I wrote creative content for my first Ladishah performance and uploaded a video on the internet, it was a real big deal. People, in general, liked the performance. Congratulatory messages started pouring in. People were happy and accepted me as Kashmir’s first female Ladishah.”

She has a reasonable social media fan following, but all that would not have been possible without the support of her parents.

“My parents have been my backbone, a massive support. My father keeps motivating me, saying that ‘not everyone would understand what you are doing. Give them time to understand you and your art’,” she tells The Federal.

Presently, the young artist is pursuing her master’s in clinical psychology through distance mode of education and simultaneously works as an academic content creator for a Noida-based organisation. As an orator she has done exceedingly well during her school and college days.

She has read Mirza Ghalib, the selected works of Kashmiri poets like Rasul Mir and Lalla Ded, Saadat Hasan Manto’s short stories, and books written by Afghan-American novelist Khaled Hosseini and Indian novelist Arundhati Roy besides others.

Her creative journey remains work in progress, though.