In early August, 24-year old rapper Ahmer Javed was in Delhi, preparing for a performance, when the Indian government began issuing warnings about an impending terror threat in Kashmir. He remembers being confused and angry at the government’s elaborate evacuation plans for tourists and pilgrims when a terror attack was apparently looming on his home state.
“There was such chaos and confusion. Like there’s going to be infiltration from the neighbouring country, war is upon us, people need to fuel up their cars, stock up whatever is needed for 3 months,” Ahmer said.
He returned to Kashmir the day Article 370 was abrogated. The communication blackout was unlike anything he had experienced before in his life. The familiar alleys of his home looked ‘apocalyptic’. “It felt like death,” he said.
Soon after, he began writing the tracks of his latest mixtape ‘Inqalab’. Amid the blackout and the uncertainty, Ahmer documented the exhausting anxiety of his people, the fear and the tired resignation. He composed the music and hoped that the internet blackout would end soon so that he could release the track in Kashmir. 100 days later, he is still waiting.
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