Tral’s creative septuagenarian Jagat Singh reviving Kashmiri folklore

Tral, January 20: In Jagat Singh’s native village, only a few neighbors from his Sikh community recognize him by his real name. For the rest, he is known as Ladishah.

Singh (70)  is a retired government employee and a satirical bard, writing mostly in Kashmiri language.

Hailing from Nanar, an outlying village, around 10 Kms from south Kashmir's Tral town in district Pulwama, Singh proudly wears his Kashmiri identity on his sleeve, saying Kashmiri is his mother tongue. "It is not bad if I know Punjabi and Hindi as well", says the bard.

Singh chose the Ladishah to communicate with his audience.  Ladishah is a satirical genre sung by itinerant minstrels, who would travel village to village with an iron road with loose rings on it, producing jingling or clinging sound to sing the satirical ballads. These ballads were usually carrying a message for the people and are an inseparable part of Kashmiri folklore.

"From raising awareness to mocking callous authorities, my ballads have always been a voice for the people, resonating through the heart of folklore", said Singh while taking out a piece of paper from his pocket and wearing his glasses.

As he began reading out the verses loudly, his family were in all ears. “Jaan kya manzbagh shubaan soun Tral. Aarpaluk Naag rozaan darshumar. Jaan kya manzbaagh shubaan soun Tral (How majestic looks our Tral right in the center. The waterbody of Aarpaluk through its peripheries)

Singh said that his wife and children always encouraged him to write in Kashmiri so that he could reach out to a larger audience. “ We always listen to his poetry and enjoy it”, said his wife.

Singh developed a passion for Kashmiri poetry when he was barely 10 year old. He always attempted to blend humour and poignancy to produce thought-provoking verses that strike a chord with  listeners.  “ I chose Laddishah to convey my message in an effective and forceful manner”, Singh said.

He said that he dabbled in several other genres, but finally settled for satire. Singh recently published his first collection of his Kashmiri poetry titled Soun Tral.

According to Singh, Laddishah is still relevant and the new generation is rather keen to know about its history. “ I think only the tools of storytelling have changed”, he said.

Singh said that social media has emerged as an effective platform to acquaint our younger generation with our rich cultural heritage, including poetry, art, music, and traditional practices.

“It could serve as an effective means   to connect them with the roots of our culture”, Singh added, while removing his spectacles.