[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the middle of Shaheedi Mohalla, Kishtwar, renowned Kashmiri singer Ghulam Nabi Doolwal is buried in the courtyard garden within his family home. His tombstone reads “Ghulam Nabi Doolwal was not only an accomplished singer but his contribution to Kashmiri music culture can never be forgotten” (my translation). This inscription on his tomb rings absolutely true, as he lives through his unique style of music even today, after more than three decades of his passing. Chenab Valley, home to the renowned poet, has been a vibrant hub of Kashmir and Sufi music since his time, and until present day.

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Resting place of Ghulam Nabi Doolwal in his family home, Kishtwar.
Photo by: Nissar Hussain Doolwal.

Ghulam Nabi Doolwal was originally from Dool Hasti, but spent most of his life in the main town of Kishtwar where he worked in the Forest Department. His ancestors migrated from Vessu (Anantnag) to Dool. During a visit to the picturesque town of Kishtwar—considered one of the geographically unique regions of Jammu and Kashmir—we can easily see the profound fondness with which Ghulam Nabi Doolwal is remembered here.

Known as the singer of the people, he is celebrated for his progressive and legendary Chalant style of music, which is more flexible in theme and expression. Chalant is rather an informal and fluid musical style wherein the artists have greater freedom and range of expression. Such a form of music is performed in a group in the format of a long conversation or dialogue. When it first arrived on the scene, as a new style in Kashmiri music, the Chalant provided aspiring artists a fresh and flexible framework from which to explore and make music.

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Ghulam Nabi Doolwal performing at a marriage function in 1972.
Source: koshur.org

Ghulam Nabi Doolwal’s writings and musical compositions were creative expressions of love and longing, characterised by the simplicity that he spun into tales of endearment dedicated to his beloved and to his motherland. Reflecting on the maestro’s musical legacy, Rashid, an aspiring musician from Doda said, “His musical style and writing is very unique and it has inspired a lot of young artists, especially in Chenab Valley, where his music is beloved to us.”

In his early days as a singer and musician from Kishtwar, singing and indulgence in music was not appreciated by traditional society and music was perceived to be a business of lower castes and the vocation of Bhaands. The prohibition of instrumental music in religion also made it difficult for musicians and poets like him to continue working with this art form. Regardless of these setbacks and adversities, Ghulam Nabi Doolwal remained resilient in his craft and made people fall in love with his singing and his musical sensibility—that ultimately became an important part of Kashmir’s cultural heritage.

Ghulam Nabi Doolwal was immersed in music since his school days. His love and fondness for music sparked in his formative years, and through years of dedication gave rise to the name of Janbaaz Kishtwari being famously recogised throughout. According to Bashir Bhaderwahi, a renowned writer from Chenab Valley, “Janbaaz” was an acquired stage name that Doolwal Sahab used frequently. This pseudonym has a history that goes back to his high school years when he participated in a play called “Mohabbat ke phool”, where he played the role of a character known as Janbaaz. Since those early days, people began to address him as “Janbaaz” and he accepted this name, made it his own and became Janbaaz Kishtwari.

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A selection of songs by Ghulam Nabi Doolwal (Janbaaz Kishtwari)
Source: gyawun.com

A Singer Who was Loved by His People

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n the road from Kishtwar to Anantnag, in a Tehsil called Chattro, a small bridge named after Janbaaz Kishtwari stands to memorialise his legacy. The reverence towards Janbaaz Kishtwari in this region is tremendous, with every other person having a very personal anecdote to share about the man and the legend. Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa, a native of Chattro, who often sings the songs composed by Janbaaz Kishtwari, recalled the following:

“I have attended many of his musical gatherings with my father, the dedication with which he presented his music was spectacular, yet his presence in a room always felt personal.”

Tehsil Chattro is one of the few places where Janbaaz Kishtwari worked as a forest guard. This place was very special to him, explained his family members. “It was in the year 1994 when government officials visited Chattro to inaugurate a newly built bridge and named it Janbaaz Pull [Janbaaz Bridge],” said Nissar Hussain Doolwal, the singer’s nephew.

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Janbaaz Pull in Chattro, Kishtwar.
Photo by: Mudassir Bhat.

Doolwal’s aura and enduring legacy are widely talked about and his passion and immense love for music is known across the region. Describing his first meeting with Janbaaz Kishtwari, Rashid Majrooh (Professor at the Islamic University of Science and Technology) reminisced:

“When I first saw Doolwal Sahab I did not know who he was, but his words and aura were a testament to the fact that this man was indeed a poet or a singer. I was in Radio Srinagar where he had come to perform for an evening show, I was then told that he is Doolwal. I was in awe of his persona upon meeting him then. His creativity expressed itself through his face and body language, yet he was the most humble person in the room.”

Walking through its streets and alleyways and roaming through its bazars and neighbourhoods, one can ask anybody in Kishtwar: “who was Janbaaz Kishtwari?” People will have numerous anecdotes to share, each one as personal and meaningful as the next. His popularity in Kishtwar remains constant due to his attachment with the locals and the love for his place of residence. These two attachments are expressed poignantly in his writings. During his performance in Dak Bunglow (Banihal) in presence of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, the then Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Janbaaz Kishtwari returned the money he was offered while performing, explaining how he sang for his love of music and not for business nor commerce.

In the words of his nephew Nissar Doolwal, Janbaaz Kishtwari was a teacher to many, and he often took young students like Nissar along with him during performances so that the younger generation could learn this art form. He himself was a self-trained artist who had learned how to play banjo, sitar, harmonium, flute, etc., all by himself. As such, the need to cultivate such musical training and music education early on was a part of the greater legacy he left behind and that still remains attached to the greater cultural fabric of Kashmir. Nissar Doolwal, who himself is a Kashmiri musician, learned a great deal from his uncle, making evident that the influence of Janbaaz Kishtwari’s music on the succeeding artists in Kashmir and in Chenab Valley still remains and is being carried forward by those who followed him.

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Ghulam Nabi Doolwal.
Photo by: Ghulam Nabi Doolwal Janbaz Facebook Page.

Between Poems, Writings, Songs and Compositions: Janbaaz Kishtwari and/as Ghulam Nabi Doolwal

[dropcap]J[/dropcap]anbaaz Kishtwari’s compositions were simple and more flexible in nature. With a wide range of themes that were sung more freely, his writing and music was majorly based on audacious utterances of fondness. His musical expression of love was distinct and the simplicity of language in his music made it more popular. Through this newer Chalant style of music and performance, Janbaaz Kishtwari’s songs began to spread like a river, engaging audiences at each turn, while he effortlessly built a story through appealing musical renditions in one performance after the next.

The ghazals that he also sang in Kashmiri often expressed the desire of an unrequited love. Such early musical adaptations of the ghazal’s poetic verses remain timeless and strike readers even today, in an era where Coke Studio occupies the scene with its own popular trend of musical adaptations conceived from the lyricism of recognised and treasured ghazals. In his own musical renditions of the ghazal, Janbaaz Kishtwari articulated deep connections between love and faith, painting a morally rich picture of romance. In his case, however, there was a conscious effort to write his own poetry, giving rise to Janbaaz Kishtwari the poet, with songs musically produced by Ghulam Nabi Doolwal, the singer-songwriter and musician.

Doolwal Sahab’s writings, several poems and ghazals are compiled in Pholvin Sangar. This book is a window into understand his writing style and purpose. Janbaaz Kishtwari was not only contributing to the art scene back then but had a major cultural impact on Kashmir’s poetry and music throughout his active years.  As imaginable, Sufi music has a great influence on Ghulam Nabi Doolwal’s musical and poetic sensibilities, and in its more religious and spiritual manifestations, Doolwal appeared as a poet who stressed on the need for an ethical conscience in society aligned with the teachings of Islam. In poems like “Mussalman Koori” (translated “Muslim girl”) and “Wours-e-Nabi”—translated “Day of the Prophet’s (PBUH) Birth”, also “Urs-e-Nabi”—Doolwal appeals to the Muslims of modern times to look back at their rich history and to draw inspiration to do better and be better in everyday life.

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The shrine of Hazrat Shah Mohammad Baghdadi.
Photo by: Garima Sudhan.

Ghulam Nabi Doolwal’s writings motivate us to look at the deteriorating moral condition of society. He often invokes this thought especially amongst his fellow Muslims, inviting them to learn from religious texts and the teachings of their Prophet (PBUH). According to Professor Majrooh, “Janbaaz was always flowing in his art.” Although there was a clear expression of love in his poetry and music, he was not writing about such themes in isolation. His songs gave much attention to diminishing morals and ethical practices within Kashmiri society, with Professor Majrooh qualifying his poetry as “not ambiguous but multifaceted.” Whether in his musical explorations, or his poetic creations, Ghulam Nabi Doolwal’s core spiritual reflections were grounded within the teachings of Islam and branched out towards the shared principles found within many societies and religions around the world.

Another important aspect about his life and work was his inclination and reverence for the two most important shrines in Kishtwar—that of Hazrat Shah Asrar-ud-Din Wali and Hazrat Shah Mohd Fariduddin Baghdadi. According to Bashir Bhaderwahi, Janbaaz Kishtwari often conducted Naat Khawanis (musicals performed in praise of the Prophet) in these two landmark shrines of Kishtwar. The Astaan’s influence on his music expressed itself in compositions such as “Ya Muhammad (S.A.W) Che Chukh La Misalie.” He composed various Naats in praise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and owing to such relatability, the natives and residents of his Kishtwar appreciated his musical and poetic work significantly and felt a personal connection with him. Although he wrote and sang mostly in Kashmiri, his popularity has ventured beyond linguistic barriers. The villages and towns in Chenab Valley, where multiple languages are spoken, hold Janbaaz Kishwari in high regards. The villages and towns in Chenab Valley still retain a great essence of this poet and musician, who was free spirited in his work to the extent that one can feel his presence in the region more than three decades after his passing.

Listen Further

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More songs by Ghulam Nabi Doolwal
Playlist compiled by Luqman Ahmed