Rakib Altaf
SRINAGAR: Members of Pragaash, an all-girls rock band in Muslim majority Kashmir, have denied reports that they called it quits after their performance at a competition generated abusive comments on social networking websites.
The band, its name meaning ‘morning light’, received a standing ovation from young music lovers at the Kashmir Music Festival held in late December.
But no sooner did they win praise for their talent than their Facebook page was filled with hate comments from users who accused them of spreading “immodesty” and “waywardness”.
The band girls say they have no immediate plans of making a public performance, but trashed news on Friday that they had stopped playing music forever following the ‘heat’.
Instead, they have been working on their songs, according to Aneeqa, the base guitarist of the group.
“Hey guys! Please don’t pay heed to any rumors. There was some misunderstanding, we did not quit or anything. We were just underground; have been working on our songs lately. Please share this message and keep supporting!,” she wrote on the band’s Facebook page.
Change
The three-member female band is the first in Kashmir, where a two-decade-old armed violence is waning and youngsters have been taking keen interest in music activities. Many rock bands have come up in the past three years, some writing their own songs to vent their anger against New Delhi’s rule.
But in December, when Pragaash performed, it’s lead singer, donning jeans and Islamic head gear symbolised a significant change in this outwardly conservative Himalayan region, where young girls playing western music to an audience was never thought of.
Nevertheless there is still a considerable chunk of Muslims who believe such activities ought to be discouraged as they “are a deviation from the Islamic way of life”.
The vocalist, Noma Bhatt told this reporter that she ignored hate mails and comments on Facebook, but these certainly made her parents feel worried.
“See, these people who made the comments don’t represent the whole of Kashmir. We have been getting support from many people who appreciate us,” Bhatt said.
She said the band won’t make any performance at least for another two months, but accused the media of creating a negative perception just on the basis of some “aberrations”.
“Yes, my parents are worried, but I can convince them. To quit playing music will never be an option,” she said.
