Bilal Handoo

SRINAGAR

N-C-RADGA
NC supporters doing Ragda, Ragda in Srinagar on Saturday. Pics: Bilal Bahadur

Ragda, Ragda reverberated in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk this weekend. And credit goes to state’s principal opposition, the NC.

Interesting part of this Ragda session is that Omar Abdullah was around. Last time at the peak of 2010, it was Omar who was at the centre of the Ragda protests.

Carrying and even wearing (in certain cases) party flags, NC workers formed dancing circles, stood shoulder-to-shoulder and stomped their feet, shouting: “Ragda, Ragda: PDP Ragda… Ragda, Ragda: BJP Ragda…” And with that, NC apparently stepped into the shoes of separatists — whose rallies are known to stoke and stroke Ragda as a protest cry.

On Saturday—barring NC patron Dr Farooq Abdullah, NC’s who’s who was on roads against coalition government’s “U-turn” politics.

With Omar Abdullah calling shots at the coalition, an adrenaline rush was apparently building up in his support group. And to give vent to their feelings, the supporters did it ‘the separatists’ way’ and left the onlookers apparently baffled. “How strange,” some blurted out. “They (NC) are the separatist for the day!”

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Youth doing Ragda, Ragda during 2010 protests.

Ragda for teenagers and youngsters has been a dance of defiance against Delhi since 2008. They would dance in circles, rubbing the ground with their feet and shouting: “Ragda, Ragda: Bharat Ko Ragda!”

The protest song was authored and first sung by the incarcerated separatist, Masrat Alam, during 2008 Amarnath land agitation. And shortly, it became a signature protest cry across Kashmir. It came to be known as the resistance dance and the entire summer movement as “Ragda 2008”.

Ragda is a long Urdu poem that is understood to have appeared soon after the Great Mutiny in 1857. It was later revived by the Indian Muslims during India’s struggle for freedom. In 2008, Masrat Alam revived it and indigenized it for Kashmir.

Now, Omar wants his pie in the hate ‘dance’!

2 COMMENTS

  1. What is quoted is all bullshit. It is a right of people to express their anger in peaceful manner. It doesn’t have any similarity with Ragda Ragda and whole Kashmir knows BJP PDP alliance is a failure. Either the editor is without conscience or Mehboob of Mehbooba.

  2. Hahaha. . .how abt Dr.Midhat Amin who ws mudrd durng 2012 . Why CM actd as mute spectalor n closed the file with any justics. . . .
    I belve in ths poem
    ‘I AM A BIRD FLYING OVER THE BATTLE FIELD’,WHERE NO ONE CARES ABOUT HUMANITY.

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