Article 370: TM Krishna Recites Agha Ali’s Poetry for Kashmir

Amid opinions and analysis, Krishna’s poetry comes as a breath of fresh air.

TM Krishna

(Photo: Wikicommmons)

As Jammu and Kashmir enters its fourth day of communication lock-down, Kashmiris living away from the Valley can’t help panic over not being able to contact their loved ones back home.

Amid all this, well-known Carnatic singer from Chennai, TM Krishna’s Tweet aims to capture the mood of Jammu and Kashmir. Krishna has recited Kashmiri-American poet, Agha Shahid Ali's, popular poem 'Postcards from Kashmir.'

The audio clip he tweeted out begins with a no answer tone, signifying the millions of phones in Kashmir that do not ring right now because of the ongoing communication black out.

The poem reads:

Kashmir shrinks into my mailbox,
my home a neat four by six inches.

I always loved neatness. Now I hold
the half-inch Himalayas in my hand.

This is home. And this the closest
I'll ever be to home. When I return,
the colors won't be so brilliant,
the Jhelum's waters so clean,
so ultramarine. My love
so overexposed.

And my memory will be a little
out of focus, in it
a giant negative, black
and white, still undeveloped.

As Krishna reads out the verses, all throughout in the background the pre-recorded voice of the telephone operator saying ‘number is currently not available’ is repeated again and again. The Tweet has attracted a lot of attention since yesterday.

While some appreciated his innovative way to put his point across while others questioned his motives.