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Opera
The
traditional Bhanda paathar, which is the folk opera-cum-ballet still
popular in the countryside is of ancient origin amply demonstrated by the
versatility of the repertoire of the bhands (opera dancers). The paathars are
mostly highly dramatised anecdotes, some of the lampooning degenerating into
vulgar obscenities. The paathars, nevertheless are basically folk-operas which
have lost their musical notes.
In
the modern period, the last but one Dogra ruler of the state, Maharaja Pratap
Singh, fostered the advent of drama on the stage. The first Kashmiri play, Satch
Kahawat (true tale) was staged in 1928, dealing with the theme of
Harishchandra's self-sacrifice for the truth. The National Cultural Front,
formed soon after Independence, staged Kashmiri plays, which were witnessed by
thousands of people. Kashmiri plays, Greesi Sund Ghara (villager's home)
by Hajini and Batahar (Pandit's quarrel) by the late Pandit Prem Nath
Pradesi were started under the auspices of the National Cultural Front. A
bhangra ballet entitled 'land to the Tiller' was composed by Dina Nath Nadim
in 1949; its staging forms a watershed in the modern ballet of Kashmir.
The
first opera in the real sense of word was Bombur Ta Yamberzal. Its music
is systematically based on folk tunes. The representative Kashmiri folk-tale
Himal Nagray, was composed as an opera by Dina Nath Nadim and Roshan. Later,
Nadim composed Meghdoot, based on Kalidasa's famous poem; yet another Shihil
Kul (shady tree) was pegged on the theme of national integration. Another
opera, Gulrez composed by G.R.Santosh was broadcast from radio Kashmir.
In
the typical opera tradition, the characters of most of these operas were the
flowers, the song-birds, the trees, the breeze, the rivers and the lakes of the
valley, the background formed by the colourful variegated landscape and the
exotic haunting folk tunes complementing the soft step of the ruf dance.
Painting
And Calligraphy
The
aesthetic qualities of Kashmiris, evinced in their art and architecture, found
expression in painting also. Floral design and calligraphy became the vogue with
the advent of Islam. Kashmiri painter developed a style of his own called the Kashmiri
qalam. The excellence and variety of the Kashmir landscape is the
distinguishing trait of the qalam paintings.
On
certain festival days, the Kashmiri Pandit families used to receive bright-coloured paintings of gods and goddesses.
The
mouldings on Harwan terracotta tiles point to a high degree of sophistication in
the plastic arts. The medieval artist of Kashmir, restricted in the fields of
wall paintings or murals, expressed himself in calligraphy, which came to be
ranked higher than painting, sculpture and even architecture. Muhammed Hassan of
Kashmir became a court calligrapher of Emperor Akbar and was honoured to the
title of Zarin Qalam ('wielder of the golden pen'). Using a reed pen with the
precision of a medallist, the calligraphist of Kashmir, innately imbued with a
sense of beauty and excelled at his art. Since he used an indigenously-made
indelible ink, his works survive to this day.
In
the later 18th and early 19th centuries, the Kashmiri artists were influenced by
the painters of Basohli and Kangra and created some fine pieces of secular
themes. Basohli, a vassal of Jammu Kings in mid-eighteenth century and after,
developed a unique school, famous for its primitive miniatures, which please eye
more than the accomplished products of the semi-Mughal Kangra style.
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