Ashok Ogra
Avtar Mota displays fierce affection for people, places and things- particularly those that have a connection with Kashmir. Author, photographer, art critic and a poet, Mota is undoubtedly one of our finest documentarians. His insightful profiles of some well-known personalities and of unsung heroes and amusing memories of the valley make for a fascinating reading.
How many of us know that it was Pandit Jiwan Lal who discovered the signing talent of Mohammad Rafi? Jiwan Lal who worked in AIR, Lahore from 1937-1947 in the music section used to visit a barber shop for a haircut. Rafi who used to work there would regale his customers with his singing. Noticing his talent, Jiwan trained Rafi and then introduced him to the music director Naushad. Rest is history.
Mota’s latest book -THE SHIKARAS IN THE FROZEN LAKE- is an interesting tale of remembrance, recollection and relationships. The mood he presents in his write-ups is always light and easy-going.
It is left to Mota to introduce us to the talent of not-so-well-known poet, Sham Lal of Bijbihara, whose Naats and Leelas were sung across the villages: “Using my heart’s blood as ink / I scripted the letter for him / May be he erased the entire transcript…”
Knowing that public memory is short, Mota also profiles some of the well-known personalities of Kashmir who earned a name in their disciplines. Padmashri Dr.Ali Jan was credited with magical diagnostic skills. The author narrates an incident involving Bollywood actress Meena Kumari: “Meena Kumari came to Kashmir in 1971 for rest and recuperation. She stayed in the houseboat of my friend Mr.Chapri. Suddenly she fell ill and a worried Mr. Chapri brought Dr. Ali Jan to see her. Dr.Jan examined her and without prescribing any tests or X-ray said, ‘madam, your liver is in precarious condition. Stop drinking forthwith’ To this Meena Ji said, ‘Doctor Sahib, don’t worry about my drinking, please prescribe the prescription.” (author attributes this to Prof. B.L.Kaul)
Describing Som Nath Butt (1925-1973), the Van Gogh of Kashmir, Mota pens a warm tribute to the artist. “Through colour schemes, powerful fusion of form and content, Butt created his own style in figurative abstracts.”
“Qamar Gond Assi Ta Kar Parvvaz Booziv…Ye Radio Sharda Awaaz Booziv” (Tune in and listen how courageously we undertook the flight. Tune in to Radio Sharda and listen to our saga). Ramesh Hangloo, the man behind Radio Sharda, receives affectionate recognition from the author.
This book is a remarkably expensive book, a mini treasure trove of nostalgia. It contains 43 tributes comprising personalities from different disciplines: Pandit Bhajan Sopori (credited with revolutionizing the Kashmiri music by introducing Indian classical instrumentation); actor Satish Kaul (called Amitabh Bachchan of Punjabi films); composer Mohan Lal Aima ( who scored music for first feature film in Kashmiri, Maenziraat); Sufi poet Rajab Hamid (‘Alas! this world accompanied anyone…’); TV actor Sahdi Lal Kaul (known for his dialogue delivery); Kashmiri poet Radhey Nath Masarat ( known for impeccable style, impressive diction and metaphor); Prof.Nazir Khan (who as Principal of S.P.College laid lots of emphasis on extracurricular activities); Peter Raina (an Oxford product who specialized in Polish history); Poet Sham Lal ( ‘The stars fell from the skies and the Pearls got lost in the dust’); Virender Mohan (composed music for two Kashmiri songs sung by legendary Asha Bhosale); Somnath Sadhu ( Aga Sahib of popular radio serial Zoonadab); Pushkar Bhan (who earned fame for producing radio series MACHAMA, introducing new vocabulary of Sula Gotta, Rehman Dada, etc..); Makhan Lal Saraf (a living legend of Kashmir theatre); Painter Triloke Kaul ( Baroda trained who remained true to the cubist style); Theatre artist Trilok Das ( known for his rich voice); Painter cum Hindi poet (Dwarika Nath Gigoo (‘Aaj Pardes Gaya Hain Bookh Mitanane…’); Folk singer and dancer Pandit Gopi Nath Bhat (would hold a thali on his finger tip and spin it fast while dancing); Cardiologist Dr.Shanker Raina (wrote some immortal short stories in Kashmiri); Urdu poet and musician Ghulam Nabi Dhoolwal ( ‘The ignorant garden doesn’t know that the dew dropped all the tears..’); Jagan Nath Shivpuri ( credited with introducing Hindustani classical music in Kashmir); Pandit Ved Lal Dhar Vakil (who defied all odds and married someone who had become a widow in childhood); Ustaad Ramzan Joo (who combined spirituality with Sufi music); Srikanth Toshkhani ( a pioneer linguist and a great social reformer); Dina Nath Nadim (father of modern Kashmiri poetry : ‘Look in all directions/ Look how tumultuous the Dal Lake/ At this moment…’); painter Ghulam Rasool Santosh (known for creating sacred geometry in his works); Pran Kishore Koul ( a multi-faceted creative genius, father of Radio plays, film & TV director and writer of repute, conferred with Padmashri and Sahitya Akademi); singer Raj Begum ( her unique voice and delivery mesmerized the listeners); Shridhar Koul Dulloo (brought education in Ladakh in early 1950s); Balraj Sahani ( a passionate lover of Kashmir); filmmaker Arun Kaul (a creative genius who was conferred with national film award); Uma Khosla (Nikki Aaapa of Radio Kashmir); Dr. Kashi Nath Pandita ( well know scholar, author and historian specializing in Central Asian studies); Ramesh Marhatha ( who managed to free himself from the clutches of terrorists in 1990); Pandit Jai Lal Dhar Saraf ( authored Bhajan Mala- containing Leelas: ‘Om Shrimat Hi Bhawani Chhum Me Aaasha Chyani’: ‘O Venerable One, You Are My Only Hope’);Hakim Sham Lal Bhat ( known for prescribing Sharbats, Herbs etc for patients); Painter Raqib Shaw ( a name in global art scene) and Shanti Kaul (Aapa Jaan of children’s program broadcast over Radio Kashmir).
It is when reflecting on the unknown or forgotten facets of Kashmir that the book truly stands out. He introduces us to the first tailoring shop owned by an educated and enterprising Kashmir Pandit- Lamboodhar Nath Tikoo. Belonging to an affluent family, he opened ‘Navyug Tailors’ at Habba Kadal. The well-known social reformer Pandit Kashyap Bandhu attended the opening ceremony. However, to attract VIPs and European customers, the shop relocated to Amira Kadal.
Memories are a rich source for writers but as Mota himself explains in the epigraph to the book, “Real life is only one kind of life-there is also the life of the imagination.”
The book also contains 22 reflections, interesting and absorbing: Saint Nand Bub; Mahadev Bishta known as Robinhood of Kashmir; Samuel Baqqal- probably the first amongst educated Muslims to embrace Christianity and many more. There is nothing dramatic about his writing; however, what stands out is his flair for the emphatic.
In the chapter titled MEMORIES OF HABBA KADAL- which was a predominately Pandit locality and where the reviewer himself used to live, Mota recollects sights, sounds, scenes and even smells of the place like a visual artist: “During early morning hours, one could see a crowd of Pandit ladies buying vegetables from the footpath vendors who sat close to the Habba Kadal bridge. One could see the typical bargaining and Gupshup of ladies in this early morning Bazar. Mota mourns the migration of Pandits in 1990: “With the death of Habba Kadal locality, Kashmir lost its heritage, tradition and culture that had evolved over many centuries.”
Most of these features have already been published and or have appeared on Mota’s blogs, and yet they bear out a second reading. There is always something new to discover. He is a master at mining anecdotes.
However, an addition is called for: Prof. P.N.Dhar, formerly with Mrs. Indira Gandhi though born in Rainawari grew up in Kani Kadal where his father had shifted when he was fairly young.
The book promises endless hours of pleasurable and enlightening reading and re-reading. From providing a side view of those who would take charge of ‘WURA’ (cooking area) during marriages to shedding light on the consumption of KAANZ (fermented rice) – Mota excels at every stage. He invests a trite situation with the halo of something worth re-reading.
I find myself wandering through the emotional landscape, marveling over the insights and the intricate delights the book offers.
(The author works as Advisor with reputed Apeejay Education, New Delhi)
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