Polls on a song

Amid the violence and uncertainty of the J-K polls, what went unnoticed were the songs on people8217;s lips 8212; literally. Across the Va...

Amid the violence and uncertainty of the J-K polls, what went unnoticed were the songs on people8217;s lips 8212; literally.

Across the Valley, popular songs with words tweaked for the polls 8212; so typical of elections 8212; were played out to woo voters. Be it the ruling National Conference, Congress or PDP, original Kashmiri tunes were re-recorded for campaigning. Some leading singers of the Valley jumped into the fray and lent their voices.

8216;8216;Why shout one8217;s lung out? Music appeals to all ears,8217;8217; said Abdul Rouf, who was accompanying a rally at busy Lal Chowk in Srinagar. He said heads turn in the direction of a poll convoy fitted with loudspeakers and playing songs.

Campaign heads devised separate plans for rural and urban Kashmir. A local singer said folk-based tunes using sarangi, harmonium, rabab and gadha were played out to villagers, and pop-based numbers, recorded on keyboards, were belted out in urban areas. Of course, care is taken to punctuate the music with the party8217;s name, slogan, symbol and candidate, he said.

A long list of leading Kashmiri singers were available to do the honours: Gulzar Ganai, Manzoor Shah, Omar Khan, Ejaz Rah, Imran Latief and others. A singer, who refused to be named, said rivals NC and PDP had approached him. But he played it safe and turned both down.

8216;8216;They promised money. As an artiste I thought it was in bad taste to sing such stuff,8217;8217; he said. 8216;8216;Besides, if you do, the singer fraternity denounces you.8217;8217;

Recording is easy in Kashmir, he said, after a number of private recording studios came up lately. Srinagar boasts some such as RaviMac, Filvid and Music Inn, and Anantnag has Radio World. 8216;8216;Another recording studio, Kashmir Audiovisual, for instance, is convenient for NC. It8217;s adjacent to the NC headquarters, Nawai-e-Subh Complex, at Zero Bridge,8217;8217; he said.

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Asked if singers too join campaign convoys, he said they don8217;t. 8216;8216;Their voices travel everywhere. Because singers are heard on radio, TV, and at concerts, their voices are recognised. But they are tagged with political affiliations later,8217;8217; he said.

Asked if it wasn8217;t a violation of copyright rules, a senior Radio Kashmir official said: 8216;8216;It8217;s not within rules. You can8217;t lift tunes like that. But anything is possible in poll fever.8217;8217; He said parties never approached Radio Kashmir for permission.