“THE KASHMIRI SUFI ROCKER WHO HOPES TO BRING THE DEPTH OF HIS BELOVED PERSIAN, URDU AND KASHMIRI POETS TO A NEW AUDIENCE.”
Betino Ye Durer Chon Zaray,
Bal Marayo,
kyah Kara Thovtham zara zaray,
Bal Marayo,
This separation from you,
I too can no longer bear.
I will wither away young.
What am I to do?
You have made me this piteous.
I will wither away young.
Shahmar zulfow nal wolham,
rud afsanay,
wyon wanta kam afsana paray
Bal Marayo,
Your snake-like tresses have entangled me,
And this has become a tale.
Now, what other tales would you like to hear?
I will wither away young.
Dil khasta karthas, nas kyah cheey,
ropa sanz shamsher.
kam sher marith kanjaray,
Bal Marayo,
My heart is shattered
By the straight, silver nose on your face.
How many have died by the dagger of your beauty?
I will wither away young.
Sharmanda Karthas aftabo
Qandharich zun,
kaji chani gajisay lajisa daray,
Bal Marayo,
I, the full moon of Qandahar’, am ashamed
0f your brilliance, my sun.
Waiting, wilting in your remembrance.
I will wither away young.
Anyi gati vaninam nani kathay,
em lal faroshan.
kani manz neyran jowharay
bal marayo,
In my ignorance, the precious stone-seller.
Revealed the obvious to me
It is the rock that yields the gem.
I will wither away young.
hesa vyesaravthas maramatyo,
vyesa kamo chhay,
tima sani khota chha sondaray,
bal marayo.
You have made me lose my bearings, my love.
Whom are you enamoured of?
Are they more beautiful than I?
I will wither away young.
Yeth lola bagas zakhmi dil gul,
sarva chhu myon ah.
ashivani joyi phiray
bal marayo.
Flowers in this garden of love are wounds of my heart,
My sighs sound like the swaying cypress.
With my tears, I will fill rivulets.
I will wither away young.
chhum khafa laray patta
laay brontha nalas thaph
damana ratay masharay
bal marayo.
You are annoyed, I shall run after you,
And hold you by the collar of your cloak.
Grasp its hem on the day of resurrection.
I will wither away young.
Yawar Abdal stood on a university stage, his Epiphone in hand. He said a short prayer, “Alhamdulillah”, and the curtains went up. For a brief moment, surrounded by a fog of dry ice, Abdal closed his eyes and listened to the crowd in the packed auditorium. “Goosebumps,” he told me when we met the next day at a cafe in Delhi, a few months ago. “This is what I was born to do.”
Meet Yawar Abdal, a 23-year old from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. His tryst with music started at an early age. He used to write songs and practice all day to the imaginary tunes made in his mind. Growing up in a culture where Kashmiri music and Sufi poetry was very much respected, Abdal was determined to represent his rich culture to the audience outside the valley.
Soon after the release of his debut album, Tamanna, Yawar Adbal has been subjected to a torrent of fame. A composer, vocalist, songwriter and a guitarist, Yawar became an Internet sensation overnight when his 1 minute video went viral and earned appraisals from all over the valley.
