Bobe darae jungle tai khoech haptas, net aao wapas tai net aao wapas
Shuer aasan zenai tai luekh taravan drops, net aao wapas tai net aao wapas
[Mother went to the jungle and was terrorised by a bear, the internet has returned, the internet has returned
Even before children are born, they are being given (vaccine) drops, the internet has returned, the internet has returned]
In 2020, when 13-year-old Aatif Ahmad Wani uploaded his poem on YouTube, he had very little idea that his humorous take on restoration of the internet after 10 months would resonate so much with the people of Kashmir. Those were turbulent times in the Valley after Jammu and Kashmir was stripped of its special status and a communication blackout clamped to prevent potential unrest. as far as But unlike the deluge of protest poetry that had swamped the Valley during the time, Wani바카라s was a more simplistic and rustic view of life. And it was effective. The video of the teenager sitting in his room and reciting his own poetry has over four lakh views on YouTube and has been shared and 바카라liked바카라 hundreds of times on Facebook.
For Kashmiris바카라caught for decades in the cyclical militant violence and counter-strike by security forces바카라it is easy to fall into the rabbit hole of doom and gloom. For many, however, the curveballs life throws at them become the source of their humour바카라sometimes self-deprecating, sometimes sarcastic, and sometimes tinged with poignancy. This has resulted in a unique Kashmiri version of stand-up comedy, delivered by people from rural backgrounds. Across the vast social media landscape바카라including YouTube and Facebook바카라Kashmiri content creators are sharing random jokes and witty one-liners, most of them in video format, to subtly convey the challenges faced by people every day in the conflict-hit region. And art is definitely imitating life in some of the most viral videos to have emerged from Kashmir.
In January this year, when Kar Shoab, 20, visited a reputed bank in Handwara바카라a small town about 70 km from capital Srinagar바카라he was told to come the next day as the branch had run out of cash. He also found that the 바카라lunch hours바카라 had been extended by quite some time and the guard at the entrance was not allowing any customer in. When he visited the bank ATM nearby, he was told it had been 바카라looted바카라. The bitter experience resulted in a spoof which Kar produced with his partner Aatif Wani, both of whom run a YouTube channel named Kar Shoaeb.
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Aatif played multiple roles in the video바카라that of a bank manager, a clerk, a security guard and a customer바카라to showcase how people face so many difficulties in dealing with bank staff. The video went viral바카라it had garnered half-a-million views and counting바카라 as it reflected an everyday experience for most of the people. However, the video did not go down well with the bank, which asked Kar and Aatif to pull down the video and apologise. But they refused to relent and the video continues to leave people in splits. Their YouTube channel has 2.7 lakh subscribers and some of its videos have views in the millions.
Kar and Aatif바카라who are extended famil members 바카라teamed up in 2017 but their most famous work came in March 2020, when the government restored communication after a long internet and 3G blockade. They produced a video titled Internet Zinda Hai, playing on the title of a hit Bollywood movie Tiger Zinda Hain starring Salman Khan. What started as an experiment for Kar and Aatif is now a revenue-earning venture. However, it is only Aatif who acts in the videos. Kar, who hasn바카라t revealed his face to the public so far, says he started his channel with just one goal. 바카라In a place like Kashmir, we sell fun. We give some moments to people to laugh and are proud of it,바카라 he tells Outlook.
Speaking about their revenue, Kar says it varies depending on various factors. 바카라What we earn varies from month to month. For example, if we earn Rs 40,000 in a month in winters, in summers we earn half of it. Views drop in the summer. Views plunge to minus when the internet is shut,바카라 Kar says. What Kashmir바카라s content creators fear most is the long shadow of internet shutdowns hanging over the Valley. The government defends the shutdown as a necessary evil to maintain law and order. It is also precisely the reason why these Kashmiris avoid videos which could be construed as having political or ideological leanings. And plain humour allows them the freedom to sidestep any reaction from the authorities.
바카라We never make any political videos. We never make any video that goes against any religion,바카라 says Yawar Ahmad Wani, 20, one of the most prominent YouTube content creators in Kashmir valley who sings and cracks jokes on his channel named Yawar Wani. Armed with Go-Pro cameras and other equipment needed for his craft, Wani travels far to find the perfect backdrop for his videos. A student of literature, Wani is from Mujgund along the Srinagar-Bandipora road. Yawar stepped into the world of content creation in November 2016 with his own group named Kashmiri Kalkhrab바카라Kashmiri Hotheads바카라but their first brush with stardom came a year later.
Yawar and his friends were sitting at a shopfront, observing customers asking for different items from the shopkeeper. His replies caught their attention and they made a video of him speaking in different voices. The video received accolades from viewers. 바카라When we started Kalkhrab, people wanted to hear something new. They have had enough sad content all around. They wanted something they could laugh at. And we provided that,바카라 Yawar says. His YouTube Channel, Yawar Wani, now has 1.27 lakh subscribers and more than 1.6 million views. However, Yawar says his goal is to get more subscribers from outside Kashmir. 바카라If the internet is shut for a longer period, then we can go out and make our videos. It shouldn바카라t impact our reach.바카라 Â
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Amid the China-India standoff in the Ladakh region last year, Yawar travelled to the picture-postcard Pangong Lake in Ladakh to shoot a video song; it was not so much about the conflict but about the lament of a young man whose lover has forgotten her promises. His song has over a million views till date. But his biggest hits are his 바카라family dramas바카라 in which he plays different characters. 바카라Initially my family was shocked to see me acting as a daughter-in-law and a wife in one of our videos. But gradually they got used to it and they now appreciate what I do,바카라 Yawar says, chuckling.Â
Waris Wani, 28, an engineering graduate of the Tral area of South Kashmir, also produces skits and plays the characters of father, mother, daughter and daughter-in-law. Waris바카라s videos have over a million views on Facebook and he is seen as one of the top comedian-actors and directors in Jammu and Kashmir. Waris has 1.3 million Facebook followers of his Funny Kashmir page and nearly one lakh subscribers on YouÂTube. Some of his videos have lakhs of views on his YouTube channel of the same name. Waris says people ask him to raise drug addiction, suicides, break-ups, sufferings of daughters-in-law and anxieties of motherÂs-in-law, girl and child education. His videos on suicides have over a million views on Facebook.
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바카라I have been sort of an actor since childhood. I would do skits in school and even in college in Kurukshetra where I have studied B.Tech. I have a habit of expressing myself without annÂoying a listener and funny things come naturally to me,바카라 Waris says, adding that he earns 바카라decent money바카라 out of his videos which enables him to pay his actors. 바카라People are suffering from anxiety. They are very sad. This place reeks of sadness and we are providing them humour,바카라 adds Waris who writes his own scripts.
His series titled Panun Dostna바카라our friendship바카라on his YouTube channel is a prime example of his mixing humour to raise social issues. One of the episodes shows him visiting his friend and finding him crying. Thinking that the friend바카라s father has died, Waris too starts wailing, before saying, 바카라I had told him to give up cigarettes!바카라 When the friend says that his father is fine but he has suffered a break-up, Waris says in a deadpan expression, 바카라Even the internet is not cut in Tral as fast as you are facing your break-ups.바카라
Humour, after all, is the best medicine. More so for Kashmir seeking a balm for its wary soul and body.
(This appeared in the print edition as "Life...or Something Like It")
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