Uncovered/Recovered fka Social Justice Series

Dr. Sadaf Munshi of the University of North Texas presents her research on endangered languages in a beautiful and engaging manner with interspersed poetry recitations and musical performances on the santoor. Celebrating Kashmir’s historical location at the confluence of Central and South Asian cultures, Iranian musician Mehrnam Rastegari will accompany Dr. Munshi on kamancha and tombak. Through this extraordinarily rare intersection of talents, knowledge, and lived experience, Sonzal (meaning “rainbow”) lives up to its name by showcasing the multifaceted and multihued artistic cultures of Kashmir.

This concert will be followed by BRM's iconic jam session at 9pm. All musicians and vocalists are welcome!

About the Series‍

Between the Bats and Bulbuls: Musical Expressions from the Valley of Kashmir

Season 5 of Brooklyn Raga Massive’s Uncovered/Recovered series is dedicated to the rich and evolving landscapes of musical expression from the Kashmir Valley. Featuring contemporary and classical musicians, filmmakers, advocates, and scholars, the series explores how Kashmiri artists navigate limitations on free speech while preserving and innovating on the region’s multicultural traditions.

All events in this series are free and open to the public. If you’d like to make a suggested donation of $25 you can do so here.

BRM acknowledges that our collective and artists have thrived because of the labor of disprivileged artisan communities in South Asia who have played significant roles in the creation, preservation, and innovation of raga-based arts. The Uncovered/Recovered series aims to platform these underrepresented voices and strengthen BRM’s commitment to decolonized art and critical activism. Learn more about the series and past seasons here.

About the Artists

Dr. Sadaf Munshi is a US-based documentary linguist, writer, poet, critic, musician and visual artist of Kashmiri origin. A Professor and former Chair of the Department of Linguistics at the University of North Texas, her research focuses on the documentation of endangered linguistic and poetic traditions of Kashmir and adjoining areas. Dr. Munshi has done almost two decades of extensive fieldwork and conducted various training workshops in India and Pakistan. A polyglot, she writes in Kashmiri (her mother tongue), English and Hindustani (Hindi/Urdu). Her satirical ballads in Kashmiri have been broadcast on the state television in Jammu & Kashmir. In 2021, a collection of her English poems appeared in a special issue of The Punch – a leading literary magazine in India. Munshi is also a self-taught visual artist having produced numerous pieces of art in oil, watercolor, and multimedia. An exhibition of her paintings organized by the Jammu & Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages in 2014 was the first solo painting exhibition by a female artist of Kashmiri origin.She has been featured in numerous regional and international media outlets for her contributions in linguistics, creative writing and visual arts. While exploring the poetic and musical traditions of South and Central Asia, Munshi started learning one of the earliest musical instruments of Iran and Kashmir, viz., santūr. Her exposure to santūr has been instrumental in enriching her understanding of the Kashmiri and Persian language and music through poetry and song. She has since leveraged this understanding to work with world-class musicians on the Voices and Bridges Project as a linguistic and academic advisor. 

Mehrnam Rastegari is a prominent Iranian musician and film score composer, singer, violinist, and master Kamancheh player. She has been featured in concerts and music festivals worldwide, including in the United States, Germany, Switzerland, France, Finland, Iran, and Kazakhstan. These performances have occurred at some of the most prestigious music festivals in the world, including the WOMEX World Music Expo, which occurred in Tampere, Finland, the GlobalFest in the United States, NYC, and the Fajr International Music Festival in Tehran, Iran. Rastegari is an extraordinary performer on Kamancheh and has been recognized by some of the best Kamancheh performers and instructors globally, who certified her as a Master Kamancheh player. She had a remarkable performance with John Batiste, the Oscars-winning musician in the "Eyes on Iran" project in NYC. She was featured as a guest speaker in the TEDx event “Oasis: Existence in Nothingness.” Additionally, she composed the score for multiple award-winning films, including “Dispirited” for which she won the award of “Best Original Score” from the Melbourne City Independent Film Awards (MCIFA), and the film “Rotten,” which was nominated for the original score in Japan Kadoma Festival.

“Take It In Blood” (2013) follows the Srinagar-based rapper MC Kash, regarded as one of the first Kashmiri hip hop artists, as he interviews those impacted by military occupation and connects with them through his music. Director Rana Ghose joins after the virtual screening for a discussion about his experiences working on the film as well as insights on Kashmiri-led contemporary art movements in India today. Watch the official trailer for “Take It In Blood”

About the Series‍

Between the Bats and Bulbuls: Musical Expressions from the Valley of Kashmir

Season 5 of Brooklyn Raga Massive’s Uncovered/Recovered series is dedicated to the rich and evolving landscapes of musical expression from the Kashmir Valley. Featuring contemporary and classical musicians, filmmakers, advocates, and scholars, the series explores how Kashmiri artists navigate limitations on free speech while preserving and innovating on the region’s multicultural traditions.

All events in this series are free and open to the public. If you’d like to make a suggested donation of $25 you can do so here.

BRM acknowledges that our collective and artists have thrived because of the labor of disprivileged artisan communities in South Asia who have played significant roles in the creation, preservation, and innovation of raga-based arts. The Uncovered/Recovered series aims to platform these underrepresented voices and strengthen BRM’s commitment to decolonized art and critical activism. Learn more about the series and past seasons here.

This unique and critical screening invites audiences to juxtapose the liberal, secularizing Indian gaze with grassroots narratives around music, poetry, and politics. Directed by MK Raina, “Mann Faqeeri: Sufiyana Kalam of Kashmir” (2011) is one of the few English-language survey introductions to a genre characterized by its use of Central Asian modes (maqam) as well as Hindustani musical conventions. Bookending the documentary, short films on Kashmiri artists, history, and feminist-led movements will deepen an intersectional understanding of contemporary politics and artistic movements.

Between the Bats and Bulbuls: Musical Expressions from the Valley of Kashmir

Season 5 of Brooklyn Raga Massive’s Uncovered/Recovered series is dedicated to the rich and evolving landscapes of musical expression from the Kashmir Valley. Featuring contemporary and classical musicians, filmmakers, advocates, and scholars, the series explores how Kashmiri artists navigate limitations on free speech while preserving and innovating on the region’s multicultural traditions.

All events in this series are free and open to the public. If you’d like to make a suggested donation of $25 you can do so here.

BRM acknowledges that our collective and artists have thrived because of the labor of disprivileged artisan communities in South Asia who have played significant roles in the creation, preservation, and innovation of raga-based arts. The Uncovered/Recovered series aims to platform these underrepresented voices and strengthen BRM’s commitment to decolonized art and critical activism. Learn more about the series and past seasons here.

Sandeep Ravindranath, director of the short film “Anthem for Kashmir,” joins lawyer and author Imraan Mir for a discussion spanning the contemporary history of the region, the challenges to free expressions in and about and how the censorship of a Tamil protest rock music video illustrates the urgent need for solidarity with the people of Kashmir. Check out this article to learn more about the censorship of the film.

About the Series‍

Between the Bats and Bulbuls: Musical Expressions from the Valley of Kashmir

Season 5 of Brooklyn Raga Massive’s Uncovered/Recovered series is dedicated to the rich and evolving landscapes of musical expression from the Kashmir Valley. Featuring contemporary and classical musicians, filmmakers, advocates, and scholars, the series explores how Kashmiri artists navigate limitations on free speech while preserving and innovating on the region’s multicultural traditions.

All events in this series are free and open to the public. If you’d like to make a suggested donation of $25 you can do so here.

BRM acknowledges that our collective and artists have thrived because of the labor of disprivileged artisan communities in South Asia who have played significant roles in the creation, preservation, and innovation of raga-based arts. The Uncovered/Recovered series aims to platform these underrepresented voices and strengthen BRM’s commitment to decolonized art and critical activism. Learn more about the series and past seasons here.

About the Participants

Sandeep Ravindranath is a student of the audiovisual arts. He has served as a live sound engineer for such acts as Chitravina Ravi Kiran, Nagai Muralidharan, The Carnatica Brothers, Ustad Shahed Pervez Khan and Steve Gorn among others. As an on-location sound recordist, his work on the Lebanese film What Remains was shortlisted for the Student BAFTA in 2018. He holds a Master’s degree in Music Technology from New York University and was a programmer analyst for Sony Music in Manhattan. His directorial venture "The Bookshelf" dealt with the subject of growing intolerance in India and was commissioned by Perumal Murugan’s Kalachuvadu and Indira Chandrasekhar’s Tulika. In 2016, Sandeep was offered a full scholarship in the direction program at Columbia College Chicago where his thesis film Diary of an Outsider received Jury invitation from the Directors Guild of America to its Student Awards. To date, his shorts Lullaby, The Bookshelf, Santhana Gopala, Diary of an Outsider and Sub Brothers have screened at over 120 film festivals in 21 countries winning numerous awards along the way. His latest short, Anthem for Kashmir, launched by Anand Patwardhan and T.M. Krishna, was censored by the right-wing government of India.

Imraan Mir is a lawyer, entrepreneur and author. His Kashmir-related work involves research, writing and advocacy to increase awareness of widely misunderstood historic and contemporary realities and to facilitate accountability for rights violations in Kashmir. He has done work on Kashmir since the late 1990s independently and through collaborations and partnerships with various organizations, including the Kashmir Law and Justice Project. He holds a J.D. from Harvard Law.

Three contemporary Kashmiri musicians based in Srinagar and Delhi perform a hip-hop and folk revival concert inspired by a variety of Kashmiri musical traditions. Within these performances, the artists share their reflections on the evolution of Kashmiri music and situate their art in a global context. This unique BRM-commissioned concert event will be streamed on Youtube.

About the Series‍

Between the Bats and Bulbuls: Musical Expressions from the Valley of Kashmir

Season 5 of Brooklyn Raga Massive’s Uncovered/Recovered series is dedicated to the rich and evolving landscapes of musical expression from the Kashmir Valley. Featuring contemporary and classical musicians, filmmakers, advocates, and scholars, the series explores how Kashmiri artists navigate limitations on free speech while preserving and innovating on the region’s multicultural traditions.

All events in this series are free and open to the public. If you’d like to make a suggested donation of $25 you can do so here.

BRM acknowledges that our collective and artists have thrived because of the labor of disprivileged artisan communities in South Asia who have played significant roles in the creation, preservation, and innovation of raga-based arts. The Uncovered/Recovered series aims to platform these underrepresented voices and strengthen BRM’s commitment to decolonized art and critical activism. Learn more about the series and past seasons here.

About the Artists

Ali Saffudin is a singer-songwriter from Srinagar, Kashmir. Known throughout the valley for his magnetic and captivating voice that serves to reflect his lived reality and the cultural heritage of the Kashmiri community, Saffudin is one of South Asia’s critically important voices. His compilation Home Recordings (Vol.1) demonstrates Saffudin’s ability to deftly maneuver between tender, heart-wrenching ballads and power-packed, folk-punk anthems have seen him be recognized as one of the most exciting artists to emerge in the region today. 

Ahmer is a prolific rapper and producer from Srinagar, Kashmir. Since a young age, Ahmer has been acutely aware of the violence that plagues that valley, and his lyrics reflect a self-critical and self-aware artist that is trying to make sense of one of the most complex issues of our time. By diving deep into his and his family’s history in the valley, Ahmer manages to introduce to people the complexities of the Kashmiri people and provides a more holistic view of their society. Ahmer’s debut album Little Kid Big Dreams, made in collaboration with Delhi-based producer Sez On The Beat, shook the South Asian music community to its core with its raw and vivid exploration of the brutalities suffered by the Kashmiri people at the hands of an occupying force. He immediately followed that up with the self-produced Inqalab mixtape, a ferocious response to the Indian state’s brutal crackdown on Kashmir, one that still continues to this day. In 2020, Ahmer collaborated with some of Kashmir's finest artistic talent, releasing singles in collaboration with Ali Saffudin and Straight Outta Srinagar and helping make his vision of making Kashmir a global force in the world of music a reality. With Azli, Ahmer’s seminal sophomore album, he takes the mantle as a leading figure amongst the Kashmiri youth, and helps bring forth the immense talent that resides amongst the valley’s citizens. 

Straight Outta Srinagar is a hip-hop duo hailing from Srinagar, Kashmir. Comprising of Aatankki and Tufail Nazir, the group first came together in 2020 with a shared passion for music and a desire to bring the sounds of their hometown to the world. Influenced by a diverse range of artists, from Kendrick Lamar to Immortal Technique, the duo quickly made a name for themselves with their unique blend of hard-hitting beats and socially conscious lyrics. Their music reflects the daily struggles and the resilience of the people of Srinagar, while also celebrating their culture and heritage. In 2021, Straight Outta Srinagar got signed with Azadi Records and released their debut EP "Keef" along with the singles "Czawul" and "Srinagar Anthem" which received critical acclaim and established them as a force to be reckoned with in the hip-hop scene. Straight Outta Srinagar shows no signs of slowing down. Their music continues to evolve and push boundaries, cementing their status as one of the most exciting and dynamic acts in the hip-hop world today. They're ready to take their music to the world and bring the sounds of Srinagar to the global stage.

After a season of events covering the perceptions, histories, and needs of tawaifs and matrilineal performer communities, we bring these conversations back home to our own community. To unwork the ongoing forms of oppression that pervade our artistic institutions, we must critically examine our collective accountability to artistic recognition and gender equity for our community members as well as artisans in South Asia.

Towards this end, we at BRM invite three distinguished femme artists from our US-based artistic community to speak about their experiences honoring the legacies of matrilineal performers and their arts:

• Dr. Amie Maciszewski: Founder and Artistic Director at Sangeet Millennium
• Janaki Patrik: Cofounder and Artistic Director of the Kathak Ensemble & Friends
• Parul Shah: Founder and Artistic Director of the Parul Shah Dance Company

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In contrast to the dramatized Bollywood narratives in Pakeezah, this documentary by director and author of Tawaifnama, Saba Dewan, explores the contemporary history and musical traditions of matrilineal tawaif communities in Varanasi, Lucknow, and Muzzafarpur, India.

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RSVP for all 4 events at the Join Us link

We open the series with a timeless Bollywood classic and an invitation to consider how tawaifs are understood in the post-colonial Indian imagination. Pakeezah tells the story of a tawaif living in Lucknow at the turn of the 20th century. Considered the masterpiece of director Kamal Amrohi, the movie features a gorgeous Hindustani-inspired soundtrack and the legendary actress Meena Kumari.

RSVP for all 4 events at the Join Us link.

An elaboration on Dewan’s “The Other Song,” Tawaifnama is a beautifully written and detailed ethnography on tawaif communities in Varanasi, Lucknow, and Muzaffarpur, India. Given the length of the book, participants are encouraged to focus on the chapters “Ibtida,” “Dharmman Bibi,” “The Arrival of Umrao," “Pyaari Bai: Radio Singer,” “The Law,” and “Kab Tak Mere Maula.”

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We enthusiastically encourage anyone unable to purchase or read the book to still participate in the discussion group, which will broadly reflect on the political and social circumstances that shape femme artists’ contributions in post-colonial South Asia. Participants are also encouraged to watch “The Other Song” and self-educate (to the extent possible) on experiences of gendered discrimination, cultural appropriation, and the history of tawaifs.

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Tawaifnama is available in print and ebook versions from many online retailers. Dewan’s documentary “The Other Song” can be found on Youtube.

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RSVP for all 4 events in this series at the Join Us link.

June 29th Event Change: The panel on tawaifs will be replaced with a screening of "Disrupted Divas" along with a discussion with the Director, Dr. Amie Mascisciewski. The screening will begin over Zoom at 8 PM ET.

Through this series, we at BRM have been fortunate to connect with more subject experts who work directly with tawaifs and other matrilineal performer communities. They have reinforced to us that our discussion is not just about history but also the real and present social conditions that impact contemporary artists' lives. Moreover, they have reminded us how we within BRM are obligated to reflect on how our present privilege restricts our understanding of the lived experiences matrilineal femme performers.

We have thus decided to postpone the panel event for July so that we and our panelists may reflect collectively on our privilege before sharing our thoughts with you. To deepen our understanding of contemporary tawaif communities, we will instead have a screening and discussion with Dr. Amie Mascisciewski on her film "Disrupted Divas," which features important interviews with local advocates and contemporary artists as well as solutions for non-exploitative patronage.

Thank you for your patience and continued support in this discussion as we all learn together.

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