 2020 March, things dragged in India and globally in the month of Jan. What really happened? These five fingers that opened to different world was confined inside your palm. Inside homes, artists, more artists of different sector. People locked up in rooms. No work, life shows got cancelled and everything was just at pause. What did you do? That's when a thought came in. Maybe just one day at a time. One day at a time is life's only rhyme. Just one day at a time. And I'm saying this musically because the artist who believed in it, and they're going about it. It's now time to hear more from the artist who witnessed it, who's sailing through and who will tell you a true story of their own, the mapping, the impact of pandemic on music artist. Very delighted with yours wide open. I request you all to please listen to every artist because they are going to bring about that very important story that you may connect to, that you should connect to and you will connect to. Welcoming. A set of speakers will join us. Very, very happy and delighted to welcome violinist and leadership practitioner Sunita Bhayan joining her is going to be Indian classical vocalist Tumri in her forte, Dhanashree Panditrai. Joining the two is going to be chief executive for showcase events, session chair also Nani Singh. And joining them is Dhanesh Hussain, the Hoshruba Reportree. And along with them is the journalist, artist, Rabab player Nazir Kanai. Along with them is John Nisard Lone, music director, playback singer, founder AR Music Studios. And of course Abha Hanjura, singer, composer, songwriter, live performer, founder, Zipley productions, record level. I welcome you all this morning to the world music day and to the very special music in 4.0. I know you all are here and waiting to get the words flowing your way musically. So I first want to quickly go into our session chair Nani to you all the very best and let's hear more from what's going to be the mapping the impact of pandemic on music artists. Over to Nani. Thank you very much. Thank you for this opportunity, Ruhail and the entire team that exchange for media and business world. And it's a pleasure to host this panel today and like I always tell Ruhail that I'm happiest being a moderator because as a moderator I get the opportunity to learn and absorb much more speaking and you can do any time but I definitely want to learn with such a fantastic panel like today. Since we're already spilling out on time I'm not going to do too much talking but so our subject line for today. You know, two of our speakers haven't turned on their cameras so John and Nazir please if you could have your cameras on so that everybody can see you. Nazir and John please. Okay, so till they join let's continue and they're going to be on the thing soon. So today is World Music Day and as we all know World Music Day has to have a lot of music and that's what our panel is all about we've got perfect artists of all genre all types and they're going to present a lot of stuff so you got a lot of surprises coming in as well but to definitely talk about this subject that is given to us which is mapping the impact of the pandemic on the music artists. So we all know that the pandemic has impacted the creative economy immensely. So we all know that we also know a lot how many of the musicians change their lines of work their profession they stop music despite not doing anything else but they stop music because there was no money coming in they had to get food on the table so they change their profession they started cooking and the other stuff which made no sense but there was no option as a result of which we have lost out on a lot of amazing talent in our country. A lot of artists started impromptu and a lot of artists started to move towards technology. They invite technology and how many of us could do that that's a separate that's a whole conversation I don't even want to get into that because the idea over here is to move everything forward we don't want to we've gone through the tragedy tragedies that people have been through so let's move on from here and taking that forward you know many of them adapted adopted the skills of technology like all of you did I saw what Abha did and I saw what Abha did and Sunita she transformed a whole room into a house into a studio done this did the same Nazir has been practicing and so you know everybody has made that effort and done that so to open the panel first of all I just want to start with a short introduction and when I shoot the question I will introduce you and then I will ask you the question and then we can go on that will be in the first round because I want people to know more about you. Let's start with the Nazir the reason why because I'm really happy to share that today we are in a situation that we have three artists from the valley which has been the toughest call always. So Nazir of course everybody knows about you and but I would still like to share a bit about you because we're starting with the music of peace if you were supposed to do but of course we got we ran late. So Nazir Ghani is a journalist based in Srinagar he works as a senior editor with great Kashmir with sorry greater Kashmir in his over 15 years of career he has brought many stories to limelight he was also instrumental in popularizing art and culture beats in Kashmir and Ghani is passionate about the Rabaab and he's a passionate Rabaab player and a vocalist and he's released many Kashmiri songs and he's also he did his best to revive the dying the barb playing art Nazir total respect to you for that one and seriously he set up the Kashmir Rabaab Academy which gives free of cost training and aspiring to Rabaab players. So Nazir over to you before we move into the conversational part of the conversation let's hear a small piece of the Rabaab since it's World Music Day. Thank you so much Nani. This World Music Day is a special day for me because it's my own birthday. Yes happy birthday Nazir I wished him in the morning I forgot to do that just now. My wife's bird jump. I'm starting with a small piece of Rabaab which is a mission of Afghani Dune and I'm not a step back. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. instruments, string instruments, so I have understood that this is really right, that the string instruments their voice is so close to the human voice and in the chest it is like the lion of Ghalib's Tirenimkash, it is exactly Nappar and it remains here. And the voice, the sound you are listening to you will not only hear that this is just a voice that you feel, but this is the voice that is echoing, which is also a proof of this, which is also a sign that those who are playing it and those who are making it, their pain is also echoing, which is the pain and the injustice is also echoing. And this pain has increased further after Covid, after the lockdown. So firstly, what do we say about the fact that we are not able to meet the destination by falling from the sky and getting stuck. So that brings us to what our today's discussion is about, which is basically about how artists survived pandemic, how artists reinvented themselves in pandemic. And I think one of the reasons why we all are here is not just to talk about what we did in pandemic, what is our art form, what all we have been showcasing, but also to impress upon people that at the end of the day, we are also very human. You know, we do not request you to place us on a pedestal, and we do not request you to reduce us to a commodity and a shopping list. We are in between like you. We are human too. We are heartbroken in our hearts. We also have to go there every day. We are also grateful, we are happy and when we see ourselves as human, we become absurd. So I think it is important that today's discussion, besides talking about how we reinvented ourselves and what did we do about our art form, we also need to talk about systemic problems, institutional problems, you know, having a system where it's more inclusive. It is more artist sensitive. It is collaborative where all players, you know, not just the artist and the music players and the local companies, but also government, as Atul Sahab, eloquently, you know, all the stakeholders need to come together and create an empathetic, inclusive kind of an ecosystem where everybody benefits from it. There is a mutual respect, and we are not reduced to, you know, making, reducing people to just a commodity on a shopping list that they buy and record or don't buy. Because in the end, whatever you make law, it depends on the human nature. Like Ambedkar Sahab used to say, however good a constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it happen to be a bad lot. So it is very important that we make a system, but also a goal and an empathy. And on that note, I hand it over to Nani. You take over the mic. No, no, no, I will definitely stop you here because you have said a lot of valid points. And this is what I wanted because this panel is not about me asking you a question. I want everybody because at this point of time, everybody here understands the pain. We understand where everybody is. And you know, if we were having this conversation six months ago, there would be a different way of looking at things. A day and a half has been a pandemic and there is still uncertainty looming large in front of us. So the point is, we are going to bring up all the points that you have said. And of course, ladies and gentlemen, as you figured that Dhanesh was saying, from his way of speaking only, you would have been able to tell that he is an actor, a poet, a storyteller in his style. You can make that out. And of course, he's a theater director. And he was instrumental in reviving the lost art form of Dasna Goy. That is how I met Dhanesh and pure respect because I feel in our country today, he's probably one of the best. And he later expanded this into the multi-lingual storytelling project called Kisebazi. If you haven't watched it, you must catch it. Otherwise, I'll call him for a show. Come on, guys like this. We've got so many people sitting here. So recently he has been applauded for his performances on screen with Netflix series. So that there's the actor bit also comes in called Taj Mahal 1989 Bombay Begums and films like me, Daksam on Z5, OTT platforms. So that was about Dhanesh. And Dhanesh has also made a small introduction about himself. And now I will move on to our next artist, which is Dhanashree Pandit Rai. Dhanashree actually needs no introduction. No introduction at all. She's one of my favorite, favorite musicians. And she is a doyen of the turmeric art form. And I will, but still share a little bit about her for those who don't know, I mean, haven't gone into depth about her. She's one of the eminent Indian classical vocalists and specializes in the turmeric and semi-classical genre of Indian music. Besides her concerts, she's widely recognized for the lively concomitories that accompany her presentation, which enlighten the audiences in her deeper Indian music. And welcome Dhanashree to the panel today. And we would like to hear your thoughts and your views as well before we start off on the serious part of the conversation. So Nandini, I think the classical musician has understood a long while ago that he or she cannot make her livelihood from concert income in this field. So long ago, I mean, you know, all classical artists, of course, not the top-run musicians, I'm sure they have, you know, they can make a livelihood out of this. I'm saying everyone below that, you know, has already resorted to teaching or, you know, being part of a music institute or a part-time job. They are not, they are not depending totally on this income. So in that sense in the pandemic, their work continued online. So in this field of turmeric or khayal, the main thing is making your presence felt in the industry and getting a certain amount of recognition. So what the pandemic actually kind of aided the artist was self-publishing became a very accepted norm. You can go on your balcony and, you know, have your husband record a video of you go up on your terrace and nobody was laughing anymore because that's what everyone was doing, you know, from recording their morning rears and putting it up on Facebook. That became an, you know, accepted norm. You've heard all this, you know, releasing in three days, be patient, watch this space, all these things. We probably made fun of other musicians. I said, oops, I'm doing it too. And the other word which was done to death was life. Life, that word, life was used even when things were not happening in real time like a glam quotient. We started adding it, you know, adding it. So all these things did happen, but I could reinvent myself. Like Dhanesh said, we got that time to introspect, reinvent. So my Thumri lecture demonstration, I got rid of the word let them because that's such a boring word. So made it into a narrative concert or Thumri story, the Thumri story. So that's in a nutshell, I just wanted to say how the reinvention now. Yeah, but you managed to keep the Thumri space alive, which is fantastic. And of course, the surprise item will come right at the end for the audience where we have you performing for us. And so I'm moving, going to move on to now Sunita Buiya. And Sunita again is another artist who requires no, no, no introduction. I mean, she's been in the corporate space, she's been in the music space for the longest time. And Sunita actually is a violinist. I must give the formal protocol thing about her as well. So Sunita is a violinist and a professional and an HR professional who has broken several myths by playing, by playing as a music folk music on the violin. And that's how we connected. I think she's just taken as many spoke to the next level by playing it on the violin. And she's also reached out to the clubs and the corporates alike where she's been doing these specialized training leadership workshops and programs. And I think that's what probably kept you alive, Sunita. Would you like to share more about your experience in this period? And then we are not going to go without a small piece. Of course. Thanks, Nani. You know, what's, what's the point of people like us being in a pan and in an event like this? If we don't use our weapon of choice, you know, our voice or instruments. So saaz and avaz dono leke humko ana hai aise mahal mein, isn't it? So good morning, everyone. And Nani, to your question about, you know, what we did during the, you know, pandemic and how we read. And Dhanashree, in her very short tumri style story, she already said what exactly happened from live to balcony. And yes, I did the balcony. I did the balcony concert on the 23rd of March, which was the first curfew, Janta Ki curfew. And you know, bells and bells and plates, jo bhi hai ghar mein wo leke aa jaayi hai. So I told my son that I'm not going to, we go to play in the balcony. He said, Mom, are you crazy? Because, you know, it is a, we have been asked to do bells and plates and shunk bhajane ko wo le hai. I said, no, but that this is my shunk and bell and plate and everything. But I said, are you going to play with me or not? Because you never deal with youngsters. He's a pianist, by the way. He said, I'm very embarrassed. I don't know. But I said, I'm going to go to the balcony. If you can help me, you can. Who's going to watch you? How can they hear you? I said, I don't care. I'm going to do it for myself. So we did the balcony concert. And of course, thankfully, NDTV covered it live from five floors below because they couldn't come up because there was protocol that no one can go in and out of our houses. And that started the whole concept of the sound, the camera, which I had no clue of for the last 30 years of performing because it was always dressing up, tuning the violin, touch up, rehearse, tune and go on to the stage. The whole gamut, the paraphernalia of sound, Facebook live, save bit video, don't save video, and then getting into more high end stuff like sound card to a home studio was a huge journey for me. And someone like an artist like myself was very complacent that I don't need the digital world. I don't have Instagram. I don't have million followers. Yet I keep doing my work in my own little space. So why do I need to clutter the internet? That was always my conceited complacent self. But I realized the power of this medium during the last one and a half years. And like you rightly said, Rani, if not for my HR occupation and the programs that I've been running for many years now, it's been 25 years. Basically, I'm an HR professional. Music has always been part of my hobby and my religion at home because the mom's a violinist and she gave this to me as a gift. I realized that if I hadn't had that offering and hadn't created that feel for myself, it would have been a very difficult time for me to survive. I would have to resort to classes and music classes. I'm a very bad teacher. I don't have the patience. I would have a very difficult time to teach or to do other kind of work with my music. So I think it's a blessing. And well, that's how I managed. And from home studio to professional studio, you referred me to a very nice studio. And then all that stopped again. Things opened up. We did live shows, but things again stopped and we went back to our home studios. So just last week, I had to stream for 1500 people on Amazon a show from home where bandwidth became a challenge. So how do you pep up bandwidth? So every day we are learning and that's the story. But that's very good. That's the difference where like you all have adapted because you were shying away from technology all this while and everybody has now started using it as a medium. So Sunita, let's hear a small piece and then we move on to Abha. Next, and then Jaan. And then we have a very comfortable piece. You know, like they say, music is the most powerful form of inclusion because there is no class or mass. Saat suri hai. Saat suri hai. Saat suri hai. Saat suri hai. Saat suri hai. Saat suri hai. Saat suri hai. Saat suri hai. So I never know which everyone knows. So I would like to break this myth that there is no classical or popular. Saat suri hai. So kaun classic hai, kaun popular hai, kaun mass hai, kaun elite hai. You know, and in the time of the pandemic we need to break myths about classes and masses, right? So this piece is a song or an invocation from the tribals of Assam where I come from. Bodo, it's a Bodo piece which says let's herald a new time, a new life and it breaks into a bit of Assamese folk. It's based in one melody of Raghupali. It's not the time for Bupali, but yet I will... I'm not a singer, okay, but those lines are important. Butterfly, they dance. That was the Assamese Bihu. This was beautiful. I was transported to Northeast. I was just imagining that I am in... Oh my God, we're just so good Sunil. That seems beautiful. Thank you, thank you. I know that Ruheil might want to kill us for this, what we are doing to the session, but seriously there's going to be so much conversation all day. It is World Music Day. We just wanted our session to be full of music so that, you know, they've heard a lot of conversations. Now let's keep having some little more music and then keep throwing in conversations alongside. Thank you so much Sunita. I'm now allowed to see your view dance. I did a little, right? This is... Guys, guys, wait, wait, please wait. We are on a conference. Yes, we are on a conference. But after listening to Neeta, I understood that a complete, complete artist, a person should have his voice, his voice, his intentions, and he should also be a lawyer. If a person becomes a lawyer with all of this, then we will become complete artists. You don't need people like us to promote or anything. So Abha, you had stepped in just now and which is what I'm really interested in now, taking the thing on to you. But before you start, I'm definitely, I would love to introduce you. Of course, I don't think you're another, but you don't need an introduction at all because people know you as the famous Booker's, Booker's girl. But I totally adore you for the fact that the way you have taken Kashmiri folk and you brought it totally to the national platform. A lot of artists are doing that. I know that, but you kept the purity of the Kashmiri folk, which is what I've always respected you for. And I think a lot of us do that as well. But telling people about you, I'm sorry, I'm a very bad MC and I need my book to read from, but Abha Hanjurai is an award-winning artist and the front woman of the eclectic folk pop band called Sophistication. A vivacious powerhouse life performer, she has come through the charts with her hit Kashmiri folk pop song. Like I just said, Hooker's Booker's attracted it very well with audiences of all age groups, which is what is fantastic. And then she's also, and this track has also made it into the popular web series, right? Abha, you can tell us more about that one as well. And the critically acclaimed feature film, No Fathers in Kashmir. So of course, I mean, there's a lot, I know that Abha will have to share. And Abha, while you're telling us about yourself and your journey to the pandemic, and also tell us about what you saw around you and about the various positions, and of course, definitely at the end, we do want a few lines of Hooker's Booker's. Right. So, Nani, for me, the pandemic kind of came as a big blow because it was, it's something that kind of spilled a lot of coffee on all my plans. I was on a very, I was on a high, we were on an India tour and we had covered almost north-south-east-west and then we had just like few more south shows left. And it is in the March that I was in Bombay for a show and suddenly one after the other, after the other rest, like I saw like a cancellation of about 10 shows in like five days. So then I knew that something is seriously wrong, because when I realized that, okay, this is, this is something absurd that is happening because I've always thrived on being a live performer and that is something that has fueled my music. Like I have been a live performer first and then really a singer, a songwriter and therefore a YouTube, all of that came later in my life. So I, the idea was very simple, make the money from music, from live because I'm an independent artist and I also own my own record label. So I'm not on any other, right? I'm not on a record label. So for me it was about making the money here and then putting it in the music and then going on. You know, I thought this is how it's always going to be. This is how it's always been. So I took it for granted. And then in a way, you know, it kind of shattered all of those things. But then for me, I adapted very quickly because I realized that visibility is something that we always need as artists and we cannot stop that. So I went on to release music during the pandemic as well. I wrote songs. I had shot a music video. So I released that and then I couldn't shoot one. So I, you know, instead of relying on a music video, I went into essentially an animated music video. And then I started really focusing a lot on streaming. I feel like as artists, we have to not, I realize that we don't have to focus on just one source of income that way for us. So I have tried to reinvent in different formats now because life for me has always been the part where the money comes from or where I would essentially, I'm most myself when I'm on stage. So I went on to do virtual shows. Initially, I was not feeling it. I was not realizing what was happening because then I realized that you should not try to replicate what you do live on a virtual platform because that is not the space for it. So instead of doing that, I tried to recreate another show for virtual, the virtual space, which was more conversational, more intimate. And that went on to become good because, you know, in a way, I was also able to connect to audiences, sitting sad at some international shows for the people in U.S. and all of that. There were some 500 people who tuned in, but I didn't try to make it a live experience. It was not like how you would see sophistication on stage. It was avant-garde with some conversation and some music. And that connected. So I think as artists for now, we really need to know that virtual will be a different space and that this will be a different space. We have to create different things. And then relying on other mediums and looking at all of that is something which is very important. So I put myself out there as a writer because I'm also a songwriter. So I have ended up writing for other bands' songs and which I suddenly realized that, oh my God, I actually enjoy it. So I started writing jingles and all of that. And I stepped into merchandising, which is something that I had not done before. I'm actually wearing the Bookus Bookus t-shirt right now. Yeah. Yes, I remember this. This is something that I realized this song is such a big part of people's lives and they love it so much that they're literally waking up with it and sleeping with it. Some of them with their kids and all of that. So I thought why not try merchandising. And that ended up becoming, which was a surprise for me. It really worked well. And I was like, okay, this is also great. So I think as artists, we have to open our minds to different spaces. In fact, streaming as such also is also a space where maybe we have to work for the record industry. The record industry will possibly grow and we can look for some revenues there. And we have to essentially not try to, I think virtual will always be a different space from life. So we have to treat it like that. And eventually as things come back to normal, so one of my friends said, when COVID is over, it's become like when we win the lottery. So we don't know when this will be over. But if it is and God willing, it will be soon, then this will be different and we will possibly have hybrid models and we'll have to revert it like that. So I don't know, I'm not really understood everything, but I am just trying to reinvent every day. But the most difficult thing is that it's an emotional aspect of being an artist. I have always been a artist. I have always been an artist. I have always been an artist. I have always been a live energy type. Like by playing live, by meeting people, by being in the studio with my band, I've always been able to create. So when that went off, that is the mental aspect of that has been very, very tough for me to actually cope with. I'm trying hard to find ways to deal with that. But apart from that, I think if we keep ourselves sane somehow and walk through this bad phase by reinventing in whatever ways we can, then hopefully we should be able to survive. I think right now it's about surviving more than thriving. So actually we've been totally away from our subject that we were given which was mapping the impact. But this is it. This is what it is because the artists have been impacted hugely and if we don't modify it, it's only going to get deeper and deeper. So Abha, let's quickly get two lines of Hukkus from you and then I have Jaan and then I have to introduce Awan Desi to come on and of course then I'm going to throw one more thing which even both my artists over here don't know I'm going to do this to them. But that will be the ending before we show one more ending. So come on, let's quickly here. Yeah, I think also we're running out of time so I'll make this very quick. Yes, absolutely. Do want it. This is basically a Kashmiri folklore that is existed for so long. Wow. Thank you guys. Thank you guys. It's been a pleasure to be here. Can you imagine what it will be like with your whole band and the rhythm? Thank you Sunita. I can't wait for that actually. I dream about it every night. Thank you Athil. Thank you so much. I think Nani did. Yes. Now that she has disappeared, we can quickly move on with Jaan. Jaan, please open up. If Nani is here, open up and start playing. Oh, there she is. I'm so sorry. I took over the responsibility. So don't worry Nani. I am so glad. I'm so glad. So are we on to Jaan now? Are we on to Jaan now? Okay, great Jaan. So I think have you been introduced? So should I quickly introduce you? Yeah, yeah, please. Okay. So Jaan Nisar Lone is a prominent music director, a playback singer, music producer, and the founder of Mumbai Basri Art Music Studios and Record Label. Lone is known to have popularized Kashmiri music in Bollywood, and he's also credited to have introduced many voices of Kashmiri music genre. And so another voice from Kashmir that has brought Kashmiri to Bombay and obviously then taken into across the country. And he's also brought the sounds of Kashmiri here. And he never compromises on food and on music. He wanted me to say that for sure. So Lone, would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself and how you saw sitting in the industry the impact of the pandemic on the artists around you? Let's quickly hear this and then we'll duck to hear two lines in your voice and then move on. So Nani, since everybody has just said everything about what has been happening in pandemic. So what I did, I was in Mumbai only then I heard this is happening all around. So I sent my family or my family up. So we came by road to Kashmir. But I had some songs that I always thought that I would go to Kashmir. I would shoot my songs there. So I came to Kashmir and I saw that everything was already started and everything was normal. So I started shooting my songs. But the best thing was that I returned back I think around 7-7 years. So this caused the pandemic to bring me back to my roots in Kashmir. So I have been with my friends for many years. Because they say that everything seems to be bad but there is some positivity in that as well. Like my friend Sargalta met everybody. I saw this very positively and when we were in Mumbai we were very busy and we used to sleep late. So we used to make music very late. And you know that you never sleep. But after coming to Kashmir I felt that I go to bed at 9 in the morning and go to bed at 5-6 in the morning. So my lifestyle changed. So some things were very good. Like Dhani Ji Sunita Ji and people like you that the pandemic is one of the reasons like Abha Ji was saying today I heard Atul Ji after a long time. Atul Ji is very dear to me. So all the things were very good in that as well. Because I have been in Kashmir for many years. I have returned back and met my friends. I did not even think that there would be such a big impact. The people who are watching me are very big fans. Because I did not come. I am trying to promote myself from the youngsters who I did not get to perform. I had to go to Mumbai. I could do something for some people. I met a lot of singers. I will not say first because Asha Ji also sang Kashmiri songs. I sang non-Kashmiri songs. The reason was before that Bumro Bumro their Rindh Poshmal Shankar Ashaan Lai promoted them very well. Because our art and culture here is very rich. And since this is the conflict zone any pain comes on the palm of art. So since I was a child I was in boarding. I was looking after music. When I went out, people used to think that they do not know music. There will be a lot of knowledge. But I said this yesterday this is the religion of God. Art is born. You cannot make it. Some people if you do not have God you need to study a little. In this journey in Kashmir I have seen a lot of people in 2012. The youngsters after 2012 many people I think it is a chance to have music. I think they have dropped. So until they come back just to keep track of life so I quickly introduce I haven't had a chance. I think somebody's microphone is on. The backstage microphone I speak a little bit about Nazid. I want people to know who Nazid is not just a player. I did introduce you. I will put my book away. I don't need this anymore. Getting back to the conversation we were having before we go into the impromptu piece the artists are mentally prepared. It is going to be between Dhanish and Dhanashviji. I am not saying anything else because they are the stars and they can do whatever they like to do. They will need to each other because when Dhanish speaks and Dhanashviji sings the whole world comes to a standstill. Seriously what I would like to hear from everybody is talking about mapping the impact on artists. Dhanish said a very valid point in our isolation session that we basically do not have any kind of a consortium or a forum in the government. We have no representation as a forum where we do have but is there a voice that the artist's voice is being heard? I would like you to bring that forward we were talking about vaccination and various elements so over to you Dhanish. Thanks Dhani. One of the things that needs to be impressed upon is that we live in a quick economy. Dhanish sir if you show your face again you might mute with some disturbance in the background. So So we essentially live in a gig economy and that is not just about people at the bottom of the rung which is like people who are working on backstage, people who are trying to promote, or people who are basically doing a run desk or a back office operation but also artists. Even senior artists, we all are living in a quick economy. If we don't get the next show or the next film, we don't know where our bank account will be. All that has been completely wiped out the physical gig economy has been wiped out because of the lockdown and the pandemic happening. And that puts us in a very precarious position because we are essentially living off our own savings. There is no social security network. There is no pension fund. There is no assured minimum rent income coming to us. And that puts us in a very precarious position. Every person wants to come and do a little live. Sing a little, perform a little. And no, there is no money. There is work for relief. We think, we should also do relief. I was going to say that what is our relief? Now I remember a story that I will tell you. There was a king in Kashmir. He had a Bansari Vada in his court. Now Bansari Vada played a very sweet Bansari. The king was very happy. He said, he has 1000 gold coins. He will give it to him. Now he reached home. God knows, he did not have any sleep at night. He slept in this house. He woke up early in the morning, washed his clothes, washed his clothes, washed his shoes, washed his shoes. He reached Khazanchi. He said, we went to the king's court yesterday. We played Bansari. The king was very pleased. He said, we will give him 1000 gold coins. He said, we will give him 1000 gold coins. Khazanchi looked at him from up and down. He ran away. He took off his shoes. He came home running. He did not know if he slept at night or not. He woke up early in the morning, washed his clothes, washed his clothes, washed his shoes, washed his shoes. He reached the king's court. He said, we came to the king's court. He said, we came to the king's court. He said, we came to the king's court. We played Bansari. He was very pleased. He said, you will give us 1000 gold coins. He was told, we will go to the catalog tomorrow. He asked, what is Khazanchi you? He said, we ran away from there. He said, I will give you 1000 gold coins. Would you please remind the king to give us 1000 gold coins? Listen. The king came again, HE told, we will play Bansari. He said, we had a blessing. We heard the sound of the blessing. You gave us something, we gave you something, it's a good thing. So this is a game for the artists. When we are playing in the market, we like it very much. Every kind of offering happens. This is a relief for them, this is an aid. And when it comes to taking this, it happens that look, this is not money. It's an fundraiser. It's a good thing. So this is our game. I think it is very important that the intangible quality of the value that we are getting in, that needs to be appreciated. Because a good artist, a good performance, increases the shelf life of what he is doing. Otherwise, every day, every person is playing their duple. Who heard and who didn't. What do you know? But a good performance is recorded. So it will go on for centuries, where the person will become a reference point, will go back, will listen again and again. And not only will he feel it, he will become a lesson. The people who are learning, there are new musicians, there are new musk people, there are connoisseurs, there are Russian people. They will go and get a new meaning out of it every time. This is intangible wealth. And this intangible wealth should be appreciated. And there should be a system where these people who are working in gig economy, should be a social security network for them. I don't say that every person should be a Punjee crown. Because there is a lot of pressure on the Punjee crown. As soon as it happens, all artists should go and register themselves. You don't have to go for the Punjee crown. In today's world, you can easily find out who is an artist and who is not. Some artists should bring their own credible reference, accept it with respect, and help them. And leave it as it is. Don't put too much effort on it. Because when there is a lot of effort, it will cause a lot of trouble for you. So this is all I have to say. Nani, please. I don't want to take too much time. I don't want to say it. I have to say it. How much time do we have? We are 25 minutes late. We had a promise of 45 minutes. And Mr. Nitin also shouted at 11 o'clock. That it is 11 o'clock. We are 26 minutes late. We still have 10 minutes. But we still have to put two performances in between. Okay, so I will show you a poem. After that, there is Dhanashtri. You are the rest of the people. And Dhanashtri, you are saying that you have to get up from this poem. Yes, I will show you the poem. This is Mr. Noon Meem Rashid's poem. He was a great poet. He was basically the founder of the modern Urdu poetry. And the title of this poem is Andha Kabari. The Blind Junk Cellar. Now we will talk about Urdu. It is difficult. I will gloss over it in between. But you just keep holding on to the story. You will reach there. Because we are all artists. We are music companies. We are film companies. We are all selling dreams. So this is the story of Andha Kabari who sells dreams. In the city of Gosha, Pashkasta Sarbureeda Khaap. Gosha, I have nooks, corner crannies. Pashkasta Defeated Feet. Sarbureeda Headless Khaap. You all understand dreams. Now pay attention to the poem. In the city of Gosha, Pashkasta Sarbureeda Khaap. From which the city people are unaware. I roam around in the city of Gosha every day. To gather them. To bury them in the pit of the heart. To leave the old palace. To come back to their ten times. To wake up the light. To break the rubble. To have the heart of nine ways and paths. To keep these dreams alive. Take dreams, dreams. Every morning, I go to the shop. Is dreams real or fake? They say, As if there is no one more dream than them. I am not the dreamer. I am the sun but the support of my consciousness is a dream. It becomes evening. I plant again, always. Free, little, free. These golden dreams. Wow. Mufd sunkar aur dhar jathe hain log, chukke sunkar jathe hain log. This is called Mufd. Koi isme khopa naho, koi shobda pinha naho, shobda mani jadu. Koi isme dhoka naho, koi shobda pinha naho. Khar pahochkar hujhain yaa igal jahain yaa khab. Bhak se kahin hujhain yaa hampe koi sehar karde khab. Jee nahin. Kis kaam ke aise kabari ke khab? Aise naabeena kabari ke khab? Raat hujhati hain. Khabon ke pulinde sar pe rakke, mu bishwade khar ko latahum. Raat dhar phir bar baata hu. Re namchak hain. Anelein ke daan jee. Re namchak hain. Anelein ke daan jee. Thank you. This was beautiful. Thank you so much. I've got goose bumps here. Same here, same here. So then Ashreeji, leading from here, let's hear a small piece from you. And then we'll come to Naseer. Okay, so Vandhey, I wanted to just do a little, you know, the main crux of Thumri, where you say one line in different ways to project different emotions. So here the Naika is saying a very simple thing. Mora saia nahi aaye, mora ji aara jalaye. My beloved hasn't come and my heart is burning. And now just see the different ways in which you can. First she's mildly irritated. Mora saia nahi aaye raan. Mora saia nahi aaye raan. Mora ji aara jalaye. Now she's really getting worried. I don't think he's coming. Mora saia nahi aaye. Now she's a little hopeful. I think he's there somewhere on the horizon. Mora saia nahi aaye. She's angry. Mora saia nahi aaye. The despair she knows is not going to come. Mora saia nahi aaye raan. Mora saia nahi aaye raan. So that was just the crux of, you know. Wow, so short and so nice. This is what you have done. You showed us the sari. Now look at the conference. You have to do the effort for the sari. Do the effort for the sari. We've just talked about not giving free music. We've just given you a sneak peek. If you want more than this, contact the artist and you'll get everything. This is a message for those who are listening. Yes, exactly. Artist to artist, we are happy to share with goodwill. For people outside the artist fraternity, it has to be. We are very happy to share the love. We are very happy to share the love. We definitely need that. Definitely. So we need to respect the artist. We need to respect the art forms because they are the ones that give us joy. They are the ones that give us happiness. So Nazrin, over to you. We would like to hear from you. The status of the artist and the impact of the pandemic in Kashmir, because you are like right embedded there and being a journalist also. You obviously are researching a lot more. We would definitely like to hear from you. Nazir, over to you. Nazir is suddenly frozen. Yeah, frozen. He was okay. He's suddenly frozen. Okay, so while Nazir comes back, Jan, would you like to quickly sing two lines? I would like to sing something from Baba Bulleh Shah. Let's go to what Dhanashree was singing. Yeah. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Wow, wow. So amazing. Move through. So over here. Dhanashree, Dhanashree, The only thing I want to do is that I'm going to put you in the air, and then I'll make you an instrument. I'm going to put you in the air, and then I'm going to make you an instrument. You're always an instrument. I'll make you an instrument. I'll make you an instrument. Tosan says to the wild untamed horse and Brees says to your Tosan, we also tie the wind to the wind. So, we can really take five more minutes from you please because we have permission. Very quickly, I will just sum up my story here. As an artist and being a journalist also, the story about artist is really pathetic. If you look at the overall sonority of Kashmir, we have had a lot of episodes and incidents. Most of the five, even article 370 was abrogated. And all the artists, not just the artists but the whole population, they were forced to remain indoors. But this population was highly affected. And before that also, we have had a lot of heartals, curfews and all. So, I have personally met a lot of artists who have either shifted to... I saw an artist who was a very good singer. So, I saw him selling fruits in one of the markets. So, I asked him, why did he do this? He said that he got one booking in the last eight months and he also earned Rs.4000 in it. So, he said that he won't be able to sustain on this. So, I kind of tried to switch over. And side story is where you have top-grade A-top artists who used to perform in Radio Kashmir, all in the radio now, and Durdarshan or the cultural academy. They are now, you know, indoors. I mean, there is no work for them. There is no bookings, no concert. There is no culture of concerts in Kashmir. I can... a mega concert happens. It happens with some contours. There are a lot of factors behind it. So, artist fraternity overall is affected. And their story is not so revealing and interesting. As soon as they measure it, they see their own story. And very recently, when the pandemic happened, the department of this cultural academy, one of the officers there, he was very culture sensitive. He took an initiative of launching online concerts. So, he booked these artists. So, I started doing story. And what happened after that? The artists, some artists didn't know how to log in. Because the local IAX, how to log in. So, they also went for the job. So, maybe chunk of artists were, you know, benefit. And recently, all the people were vaccinated. Every chunk of publishing was banned. But the artists were there. People who had to send out statements every day. Oh, Nazir, your mute is on. Nazir, your mute is on. Yes. Am I audible? Yes. So, these are certain stories where we feel we are not able to celebrate and acknowledge the contribution of our own artists. So, the story is really bad. I would really like to just sing one of our singers here, Jemala Karke. The song we sang recently was really good. That is going to be a dedication to all these artists who are traveling. They have helped us a lot. So, this is a dedication for them. Yes. So, after this dedication, there is one more, you know, aspect that is our theater artists. Theaters are closed now. There is no entertainment happening. It is just living from hand to mouth. You will find them either sitting chai for the whole day or discussing their life stories. Recently, I did one full-page feature on how dreams have been shattered by the current situation in Kashmir and how artists are switching over to other professions or other jobs. So, that is the current situation right now. So, I am sorry, I am butting in because I think we have really overshot our time also and the entire thing will get delayed. So, we had actually a very beautiful last piece to be played. But I think that we will probably be shared with the audiences later. We will not be able to do it just now as part of our panel, which is actually to prove how a Tumri art, sorry, it was a chant by Dhanashree Ji and a combination with Dhanashree Ji and Merlin, which is released and published by Akutchura Mani, who is also who was with us, a very dear friend, and Turnkey Music Publishing. So, that is sitting on YouTube. So, we will be very happy to share that video. What I want to say is that the take home from here, from our session is, I will not ask everybody to give that one last word because we don't have the time, but the take home really is that do whatever you can. Just don't lose hope. Don't lose confidence in yourselves. The times are uncertain. We ourselves don't know where. Nani is dropping. So, Mithin, you need to take over, I guess. Thank you, Nani, for that absolute great conversation. That also is musical. You see the notes breaking. Not only I'm hearing it like that. The third wave is coming, probably it's coming, protect ourselves and we meet again. So, she comes with the third wave. Yes, she does. I quickly want to wrap this up. I don't know much of Kashmiri, but all I want to say is vare vare. I think that session was a vare vare session. Every bit of it. Thank you from everyone. Vare vare is everything is fine. Everything is fine. Yes, everything is fine. That's right. Everything is fine in this situation. So, thank you all. I wish you all a World Music Day, a great yoga international day as well. Spread the love, spread the message. I love every bit of the musical session that you all had. Thank you for your time. Very soon we connect together. But for now, stay home, stay safe and always blessed, always smile and shine. And Dhani ji, I am a big fan of your acting, sir. Thank you, Mithin. Thank you. And Abha and everyone else, thank you so much. God bless you all. Thank you. Thanks everybody. Nani, you're a rock star. Remember that. You're the best MC. Thanks Nani for everything. Thanks Rohail. Thank you so much. I don't know if I'm visible, but thank you everyone for everything. Yes, I love listening to you. I don't know if I'm audible and disciplined, but thank you everyone. Thank you. Thanks everyone for this wonderful session. Thank you. Beautiful. Thank you all. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much. And Dhanisar bhai, Shukram.