`Sitamgaro sitam karthem…’: Forget Nazneen, Ishfaq Kawa’s new song will give you goosebumps

SRINAGAR: Forget Nazneen, tune in to Sitamgaro.

Ishfaq Kawa’s  `Sitamgaro sitam karthem, Wafa kurmae, daga karthum …’    is trending on YouTube and other social media platforms.

 Since its launch five days ago, the Sitamgaro’ has clocked 1.49 lakh views on Kawa’s YouTube channel alone.

The 5.30-minute video featuring Faiz Allie and Aksa Khan has been extensively shot in Delhi, Rishikesh Meerut, and other places. Besides lending his voice, Ishfaq Kawa has penned its lyrics as well.

This is one such song where so many new musical instruments have been used to give a different feel. An Indian sarangi player based in the United Kingdom was roped in for the song. Plus flute artists too were hired to create different music for the album.

“I had composed a tune a long time ago. I decided to pen lyrics accordingly. It took us one year to complete this song. We shot the video extensively in Delhi, Rishikesh, and Meerut. Later we hired a sarangi player from the UK. It was a humongous task but the end product came out well,” Kawa told The Kashmir Monitor.

Kawa said it is one such song that has received very less negative comments. “People love their culture. They want Kashmir culture to be showcased in every song. This song has been received well. It has not evoked that much negative response. We used to receive a five percent negative response for every song. This time, we did not receive the negativity,” he said.

Hailing from Shadipora village in the Sumbal area, Ishfaq Kawa has redefined Kashmir music in the last few years. An amateur singer, Ishfaq has not received any formal training from any musical `Gharana or teacher. He learnt to sing by watching videos on YouTube. 

Like Kishore Kumar, Ishfaq created a niche despite not being trained. The icing on the cake is that he can play the keyboard, harmonium, and guitar with ease.

Ishfaq started uploading his songs on YouTube in 2016 and the response was amazing.  He started his career with Chana Mera. In 2018, he released Madno, which was received well by the audience.

 Such is the response that every song he uploads becomes a runaway hit. Sample this: His Balyara Ho song has 3.7 million views on YouTube. Likewise, Afsoos Duniya has 1.5 million views and Kaash Nasebas mashup has two million views. Zaroori Chum, Cheerth Be Hawas Dil are runaway hits garnering lakhs of views.