Bhojpuri songs talk about marrying Kashmiri women, buying land in Valley

The post-Article 370 reality has inspired Bhojpuri singers to belt out numbers that encourage people to marry Kashmiri women and purchase land in Jammu and Kashmir, which is now shorn of its special status.

Social media is flooded with such Bhojpuri ditties laced with humour and patriotic fervour and some of these songs have attracted over 100,000 viewers.

A producer Dhananjay Sharma, who also sings, says, “After the abrogation of Article 370, people are talking about purchasing land in Kashmir. It was a historic decision taken in the national interest.”

A song by him starts off by hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for revoking Article 370 and then goes on to mention a man who wants to purchase a small chunk of land in Kashmir and set up a juice parlour there.

Asked why marriage and buying land are the themes of songs, a producer Shiv Yadav of East UP’s Ballia district says, “Earlier, Kashmir was different from other states. Marriage is the beginning of a new relationship.”

He adds, “After the central government’s decision, a friend said relations with Kashmiris will be streamlined when we marry in each other’s land. This was the idea we converted to a song.”

Another song by popular Bhojpuri artiste OP Raj imagines a scene where a Kashmiri bride is brought to UP in a palanquin. The song, which has attracted over 300,000 viewers, also mentions some political leaders.

UP’s Kushinagar resident Salman Siddiqui, who is popular as Sallu Khesari 2 in the Bhojpuri music world, says, “After Article 370 was abrogated, the first thing that spread on social media was the notion of marrying Kashmiri girls and purchasing land in Kashmir. This was the idea behind my song.”

His song is about a man who says his name will figure in the Guinness Book of World Records when his marriage procession goes to Kashmir.

Vishav Ranjan, a local event manager of Maharajganj in UP, says, “Once these songs are on YouTube, the demand increases. After the Centre’s decision, I have managed four events where these songs were in high demand.”

Besides, there are several patriotic songs, hailing the government and cautioning Pakistan.

“People want to listen to these songs. We are not commenting on Kashmiri women, nor talking about land-grabbing. The idea is to build a relationship between two states,” says OP Raj, a Bhojpuri singer.

Earlier, Vikram Singh Saini, BJP MLA from Khatauli in UP’s Muzaffarnagar, courted controversy when he said party workers were happy because they would now be able to marry “fair Kashmiri girls”.

The BJP government at the Centre stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status by nullifying Article 370 and announced the decision to split the state into two Union Territories on August 5.