Breaking barriers: The notes of longing and belonging that shape the music of the Dard-Shina tribe

For just over four decades, the members of the Habba-Khatoon Dramatic Club in Kashmir’s Gurez Valley, 130 km northeast of Srinagar, have been working to challenge the idea that borders are impermeable.

Using the duf, tumbaknari and daddung to keep the beat, and the flute and the harmonium, the dozen or so members of the group have been performing the traditional music of the Dard-Shina community since 1978, echoing the complex interplay between national boundaries, Partition and cultural resilience.

Over the decades, colonial misadventures and political expediency have left the community scattered over India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tibet. With its emotional resonance and charm, Dard-Shina music fosters a sense of the shared space of Dardistan, which encompasses the highest mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, Western Himalayas and the Pamir mountains.

The Dard community in Guerez speaks the Shina language.

“Dard-Shina music is one of the strong vehicles through which we can reflect cultural and sense of belongingness,” said zoologist Tahir Magray, 30, who has been a member of the Habba Khatoon Dramatic Club since 2008. “Music strengthens our sense of belonging and promotes unity and solidarity within the tribe.”

The Habba-Khatoon Dramatic Club is known for its progressive music infused with elements of Sufi Shina poetry, Shina...

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