Doda singer gives new lease of life to folk music

JAMMU: A singer from Doda is making waves in Kashmiri singing all over the India especially in the Valley and Kashmirispeaking areas of Jammu where he has given a new idiom to the Kashmiri folk singing and is on the path of reviving its lost pride

Updated At : 06:24 AM Oct 17, 2017 IST

Rashid Jahangir’s music is a hit on social media

Amir Karim Tantray

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 16

A singer from Doda is making waves in Kashmiri singing all over the India, especially in the Valley and Kashmiri-speaking areas of Jammu where he has given a new idiom to the Kashmiri folk singing and is on the path of reviving its lost pride.

Any new album or song of Rashid Jahangir spreads like a wildfire on the social media and receives praise from all over the world. Kashmiri language and music listeners feel a connect with their motherland through his singing.

Rashid Jahangir, who will be celebrating his 41st birthday on December 10, is one of the top names in Kashmiri singing whose audience range from children to elders.

Born and brought up in Doda town of Jammu region, 175 km from here, where he did his schooling from the Green Model Academy and Government Higher Secondary School, Doda, Rashid is a graduate from the Institute of Music and Fine Arts, Srinagar.

His love towards music started from childhood when he used to be the main player of school’s prayer club and was singing Kashmiri songs on the requests of friends and teachers. During special occasions in schools, Rashid used to be the main singer to perform and was getting appreciation from all over.

Daulat Ram, a teacher from Doda and a close friend of family, has been his main inspiration. “There are many but Daulat Ram ji is at the top. I also can’t forget names of Zafar Khan, a teacher, Farooq Khokhar, a singer and Avtar Thusoo from whom I have learnt a lot,” Rashid told The Tribune.

“Also, whatever I am today is because of my parents, who always pray for me, siblings who have stood by me in thick and thin and my teachers,” he said.

Rashid left studies midway in 1994 after passing his Class XII examination and started helping his father at his shop besides giving tuitions to students in their homes. When his elder brother Khalid Jahangir, currently posted as Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara, cracked the Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) exam in 1999, Rashid decided to continue his education. His paternal uncle Fareed Ahmed showed him the way and he joined the Institute of Music and Fine Arts in Srinagar and since then, he hasn’t looked back.

His first album ‘Firaaq’ was recorded at Majid Amin Shinali (MAS) electronics, Doda, in 2000 when he was pursuing his graduation and he followed it by another album ‘Tanha’, a game-changing moment in his life.

“Traditionally, Kashmiri singing was confined to folk and its listeners were of a particular age group. After my first two albums, youth started to get attracted towards Kashmiri music. Words in my singing were clearly audible and understandable and the youth started to feel a connect with it,” Rashid said.

“Kashmiri folk music will get a huge push if we are able to make a connection with Bollywood. So far, we haven’t been able to make a place there,” he added.