“I am an artist at heart”: Nazir Ganaie

By Noor Anand Chawla Though creative people are known for donning many hats, not many can lay claim to reviving. a long-forgotten instrument, while making a name for themselves in the field of journalism. This unique mantle is reserved for Srinagar based senior journalist and Kashmiri Rabab player, Nazir Ganaie. In a candid chat with Loudest, he shares insight into his varied interests from writing stories to creating music. Excerpts from an edited interview: Q1. Please tell us about your journey in the music industry so far. A.I’ve had a very interesting journey. I come from a place that has many political issues, and while I was growing up, there weren’t too many folk-y things around. I would sing and hum throughout my school and college years and took part in all co-curricular activities. And I knew that creativity had a strong pull for me. So, I started grooming that artist within me when I was in college by learning to play the guitar. I didn’t pursue it professionally after college because people would raise these questions – can music provide livelihood? So, my dream of being a musician stopped there. I then ventured into journalism, and became engrossed in news reporting and editing. I worked with some renowned publications and started enjoying this new path too. Before long, I moved to Srinagar, and joined a local newspaper there. Here, I noticed that most of the local news was dedicated to political stuff. Beats like art and culture, lifestyle, education, and environment were dumped into the back pages! I decided to cover the beats of health and art and culture by interviewing artists, and recording trends in the Kashmir region. I interviewed Raj Begum, who has created thousands of Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri songs. It was sad to see that an artist of her calibre had never been interviewed in print earlier! In a way, it made me glad that I hadn’t pursued a purely artistic path, seeing the plight of Kashmiri artists. It was through her that I was introduced to some local instruments including the soulful Rabab. I was fascinated and decided to do my bit by learning this instrument. But even finding a Rabab to learn on was quite a struggle! After a lot of effort, I managed to arrange one through a friend who had business in Qatar. I wouldn’t say that I’m a great Rabab player, but I take the credit of starting a movement that encouraged others to learn and play the Rabab. I launched the Kashmir Rabab Academy, along with Ashmat Ashai from California who runs her own organization known as Funkaar International. In this Academy, we teach free of cost and sensitise our students about the importance of preserving this age-old culture. Today we have artists from Afghanistan, Peshawar, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad and the number keeps increasing, which is quite encouraging. Q2. What are the challenges you have faced with the Rabab as your chosen instrument? A. Currently, we are facing many issues, as we are not able to procure more Rababs – we get a lot of queries from potential new students but what do we teach them on? We keep the interest alive through our global Whatsapp group, which has a lot of senior Rabab players as members. All of us discuss the subject of taking the Rabab ahead and making it more popular.Another challenge is to access good teachers. Most traditional teachers are illiterate, which makes it very difficult to communicate with them, even if we are able to access them. The Academy was floated for this reason. It was meant to be a space where we can bring teachers and students together. Q3. Please tell us about your work as a journalist – how do you juggle your profession with your passion? A.It can be quite confusing! I keep wondering if I need to be a storyteller or a musician! I’m always multitasking in my brain. I am a passionate journalist but I am an artist at heart. So, I highlight that through my journalistic career by writing on issues that concern healthcare and the welfare of the artists. Q4. Please tell us about your association with ShowCase Events. How did you meet Nanni Singh and what part of her vision were you most drawn to? A.When Kashmir Rabab Academy began, it got noticed by different platforms – and it was also why Nanni sought me out. She also chronicles the different instruments of India and wanted to do something specific to the Rabab by collaborating together. That was how we met, and eventually we worked together on Synthesis – the Indian Muse, which was such a wonderful experience. I felt like that was an extreme synthesis of my interests too, as it connected me to many artists from around the Indian state. Nanni and I have continued to work together on many interesting projects, since then. Q5. What was your experience of creating this unique composition and then compiling it virtually? A.It came with a lot of challenges honestly, but also with numerous opportunities. We had no idea what the outcome would be, it was difficult to even imagine what Nanni was up to. Also, quite honestly, I feel the end result could have been better. But there is no denying that it set a trend that these kind of large scale remote musical productions could be done. It looks like a mega project with a mega budget, but it was put together only with soul. I wish someday we can perform this together on stage. My gratitude to all the artists who were part of this production including the composer, lyricist, musicians, artists, dancers, technical and non-technical people. Q6. How has the pandemic has changed your career as a musician and artist? A.The pandemic had a very remarkable impact on everyone in all fields. As an artist particularly, it was very difficult for me to see other artists struggling severely. But I’m an optimist – I always wear a smile on my face – I believe in carrying on in life, and that’s exactly what I have done post-pandemic too. My creativity doesn’t stop with adverse situations. Q7. Any exciting projects in the works? We would love to know what you are working on currently! A.I am in the process of recording something special with Sufi poet, Hazrat Sheikhul Alam. I’m also working on a project with an artist who is a Kashmiri Pandit to showcase the importance of losing one’s homeland. This issue has been politicised too much, losing sight of the ground realities. Q8. What advice do you have for people entering the music industry now? A.I think youngsters have it all figured out - earlier there were very few avenues, but social media and online media, have taken them to next level. The only advice I can give is that they have a long way to go, so they must focus on their goals.