Syed Tajamul from Shopian district of Kashmir was pursuing bachelors in one of the colleges of Chandigarh, when he started a musical band along with some of his Kashmiri friends. Little did he know that the band would soon be joined by music enthusiasts from different states of India.
Though the music band Saaz-e-Kashmir started from Chandigarh, the artists in the band are from various states of India.
“Music is a powerful force. It evokes emotions, serves as an outlet of expressions and brings people together,” said Tajamul.
The band has performed in many states across India and in contemporary times, it aims to preserve folk music.
“My fellow artists, who are non-Kashmiris, have memorized the popular Kashmiri songs and the same goes for me too. I sing Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and I am trying to learn more so it goes like whether you know the language or not, you have to learn the song,” he said.
Tajamul is a classical folk singer and through his singing, he wants to preserve the folk music of Kashmir.
“Rasheed Hafiz, Ghulam Hassan Sofi, Raj Begum are the legends of folk music and we have to keep them alive through our efforts. I would’ve performed with bigger labels earlier as I had some proposals and opportunities but I feel it’s not the right time. I started with regional language songs which were well received by the people,” he said.
He said that there are people who like to listen to traditional songs and the Kashmiri songs have a separate fan base across the country.
While talking about the audience reaction to his performances, he said, “In one of the music events, the HOD of the department of my college, got so impressed by our performance that he wanted to join us. After college hours, I used to be his music teacher.”
The group has 8 members but more artists are roped in depending on the requirement of an event.
About the Kashmir music industry, he said, “The artists of Kashmir are gems but the resources are very limited. When our scenic beauty can attract the people from Bollywood, why can’t our music industry do so. We have a treasure of folk music which needs to be unearthen.”
In future, Tajamul looks forward to experimenting with the music. “I will make music while keeping the respect for the regional music,” he added.
