Coke Studio Explorer Pakistan has just released a Kashmiri song ‘Ha Gulo’ on its official YouTube channel. And in a short time span, it has become immensely popular among music lovers around the world. The video has over 1,50,000 views (and counting) in just two days on YouTube.
The song is actually Coke Studio’s modern twist to a traditional folk song of love and separation written 70 years ago by revolutionary Kashmiri poet Mehjoor.
It has been sung by Muzaffarabad-based Kashmiri singer Muhammad Altaf Mir, who has an interesting past. Before taking to music, 28 years ago, Mir had left his home for arms training. He has also been associated with Radio Pakistan as a broadcaster for several years.
Explorer is an initiative by Coke Studio to bridge barriers within Pakistan by enabling listeners to appreciate the diverse talent of regional singers from Sindh, Kalash Valley, Balochistan, Lahore and Muzaffarabad. Produced by Zohaib Kazi and Ali Hamza, it aims to depict stories from Pakistan.
From Guns to Music
According to Global Kashmir, Mir’s journey coincided with the beginning of insurgency in Kashmir during the 1990s. In the midst of the conflict between various Kashmiri separatists and the Indian government, he decided to cross over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) for arms training. On his return, he realised that in the five years he had spent in POK, a lot had changed back home. The insurgency he joined was struggling to survive due to the rise of Ikhwan – a government-backed counter-insurgency group. During the next couple of years, he went underground and also made a second trip to POK.
Back home, Mir was always known for his soothing voice and would occasionally perform at weddings and small gatherings. But owing to the prevailing situation in Kashmir, he decided to pick up guns instead of his musical instruments.
The turning point in his life came in 2017, when the Coke Studio team started looking for new talent across Pakistan and got to know of his band ‘Qasamir’.
According to Kashmir Life, ‘Qasamir’ is known to compose Kashmiri folk songs that talk of love, harmony and beauty. Other members of the band are Ghulam Muhammad Dar, Saifuddin and Manzoor Ahmad Khan.
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