Bringing Kashmir Beats Back to Life: Sana Bhatt’s Musical Journey
A brave 24-year-old businesswoman named Sana Bhatt set out to open a studio in Indian Kashmir with the goal of bringing back traditional music. Although she wasn’t sure how people in the area would react, she took a chance and released “Kehwa Beats,” which became a huge hit and is now on her YouTube page, Kashmir Originals. With eight skilled artists, including two women, the show wowed audiences with locally made songs that put Kashmir’s rich musical history on the world stage.
Breaking Down Social Barriers in Indian Kashmir
Getting Bhatt to open an appealing studio wasn’t easy. For example, women in Kashmir are socially limited, which made her journey more difficult. She was happily surprised by how well “Kehwa Beats” did around the world, where she thought it would only do well locally. But the female artists who were involved got bad reviews. One of them was trolled online because of what she was wearing. Not giving up, Bhatt stresses how important it is to promote songs made in India as a way to promote Kashmir’s unique culture.
Changing Musical Styles: From Bollywood to Local Artists
Kashmir has been a singing mecca for Bollywood and Pakistani superstars for many years. However, things changed when local artists like Mohammad Muneem and female singers like Aabha Hanjura started a drive to support local artists. Bhatt strongly supports giving women more chances in the business and fights against long-held beliefs that linking women’s singing with religious restrictions.
Women musicians face problems when they try to find opportunities.
Nargis Khatoon, a talented singer from Kashmir who now lives in New Delhi, talks about how few chances there are for women musicians in the valley. Even though Khatoon is positive about venues like Bhatt’s giving female artists a stage, she also talks about the many problems they face, such as societal expectations and worries about the future. She thinks that more women in Kashmir might want to become musicians if there are more job possibilities.
We should remember the long past of women singers in Kashmir.
Famed female singers like Raj Begum and Naseema Akhther are happy to be from the Kashmir valley. Ishfaq Kawa is a big deal in the local music scene. He strongly urges women to use their singing skills to help preserve and share Kashmiri culture. The idea that only female artists have to deal with abuse on social media is not something Kawa agrees with. She says that people should keep doing what they love in their mother tongue even if other people don’t like it.
The main goal of Sana Bhatt’s big project is to bring back the soul of traditional Kashmiri music. It’s also a strong force that breaks social rules. Through “Kehwa Beats,” she starts a movement that lets more women make a permanent difference in the rich music scene in Kashmir.
