Mubashir Bukhari
Srinagar (NVI): 25-year-year old Yawar Nazir Bhat sits cross-legged cradling a rabab in his newly built room, peculiarly without any windowpanes or doors.
As he strikes the strings of the instrument with the plectrum, the room resonates with music that is at the heart of Kashmir.
Rabab or Rubab basically originated in Afghanistan (their national instrument). Also known as the Kabuli Rabab, it made its way into India and was adopted by the people of Kashmir.
When it comes to traditional Kashmiri music, it seems incomplete without Rabab. The instrument was once popular in the 16th century in classical music circles in middle Asian countries until sarod and sitar stole its thunder.
So time to go back to Yawar Nazir Bhat’s room now, who is one of the youngest members of the Bhat family from the Kreeri hamlet of Baramulla district in Kashmir. The youngster developed a love for music from a very tender age.
Belonging to a family of musicians, Yawar says that it was only a matter of time before he picked up the instrument. “At the age of 8, I wanted to learn Rabab because it was in my blood. I had got to know about my grandfather- who was one of the famous players of this instrument in the entire J&K, and my thirst for learning this instrument increased,” says Yawar.
Three years back, Rabab was just a simple musical instrument for Yawar which was played by his grandfather. But now he connects to it and even wants to keep alive the music strumming from the instruments in the minds of people.
At 25, he has already made his name and has performed in various stage shows and concerts across India. Besides, he is also part of a music school where young boys and girls are trained to learn Rabab. “My inspiration was my grandfather but I didn’t get support from my family. But then my uncle Ghulam Nabi Bhat who was himself a famous Rabab player supported me and gifted me one,” Yawar says.
In Pune this year, Yawar received Bhai Mardana award for spreading communal harmony from a cultural organization ‘Sarhad’.
Bhai Mardana was a longtime companion of Guru Nanak Dev (Sikh Guru) and was born in a Muslim family in Rai Bhoi di Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib of Pakistan. He used to play Rabab (r-aa-bab) or rebeck as Guru Nanak sang songs of God. Later, Bhai Mardana spent his life singing and spreading teachings of Nanak, while preaching communal harmony.
Yawar wants to take forward the art of his grandfather to the next generation.
Yawar’s grandfather, Ustaad Sonullah Bhat was among the first rabab players from Jammu and Kashmir. He played Rabab for almost 30 years and represented Kashmir at national and international forums. Sonullah Bhat himself learned Rabab from his father but it was during Radio Kashmir years from 1932 to 1962, that his work got noticed. He went on to play Rabab in countries like the US, Russia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
Sonullah’s son, Nazir Ahmad Bhat couldn’t carry forward his father’s legacy due his own professional commitments but his brother, brother’s son and his own son have taken up the job of keeping alive the music.
Yawar shuttles between college and recording studio where he learns the technicalities of Rabab from his cousin-brother, Abdul Hamid Bhat. Though very young into this field, he gets offers from a lot of music bands of the valley to perform with them. “New generation is more towards modern instruments. But I feel we should not forget our history and our culture. It is easy to learn Guitar or Piano than to learn Rabab. Why I choose this? Because it’s what my grandfather has left behind,” said Yawar.
Yawar’s cousin, Abdul Hamid Bhat (42) another grandson of Sonullah Bhat and the instructor of Yawar, from the age of 10, has learned this instrument from his father and has been into this field from the last 30 years. After Sonullah, he is the only one from the family who has kept this dying art alive and is still performing at various forums like his grandfather used to and is associated with Radio Kashmir.
Abdul Hamid has been part of various state-sponsored programmes and has played Rabab at Radio Kashmir, Doordarshan, Hyderabad, Karnataka, Jaipur, Indore, and Bombay. He was part of the artistes’ group who visited Lima, Capital of Peru and performed there. He has also performed in Senegal in West Africa.
Besides, that he is running ‘Sonullah Bhat Folk Music School’ in Kreeri along with Yawar. “We started this school with the help of the Ministry of Culture so that the dying art of rabab will be revived. And secondly, we won’t let it disappear as it is our Miras,” says Hamid.
He said that though they have few students in the school who come to learn, the number is growing day by day. Hamid believes that Kashmiri culture is incomplete without Rabab. “Some people think Rabab is played in “Chakker” (Kashmiri folk music) only but that is wrong. It’s a very important component in ghazals, Sufi classic, Indian classic,” he says.
