‘Wan-won’ replaced by pro-azadi chorus

Everything seems to be dyed in “aazadi” colour in Kashmir Valley. Even the traditional “wan-won” has been replaced by pro-freedom chorus at some of the weddings.

On Sunday night, a bride was given a warm send-off at her parents’ home in Srinagar’s Eidgah locality by her relatives, friends and neighbours by chanting pro-freedom slogans instead of doing it in the customary way, witnesses said.

Traditionally, singing folk songs including ‘wan-won’ are inseparable part of Kashmiri weddings. The women of the bride’s family welcome the groom by singing these songs and when after the “nikkah” or formal binding contract considered integral to a religiously valid Islamic marriage is done, other rituals and traditions are completed and the groom and the baratis accompanying him are served wazwan (rich Kashmiri cuisine), the bride is given a warm send off again through singing ‘wan-won’ by the womenfolk.

However, not only was “wan-won” missing at most of the weddings that took place in the Valley during past two months of unrest, several other rituals and traditions that make the Kashmiri wedding unique have also been curtailed or discarded completely in view of the mayhem. While thousands of weddings were cancelled or passed off as low-key affairs, some of those held during this period had had the tag of the “inner voice” of hosts and the guests attached to them.

At one such wedding held in Eidgah locality of central Srinagar, one horde of women started yelling “hum kiya chahtey ” (what do we want), and the other answered them by saying “aazadi” (freedom). They were quickly joined by the men in chanting pro-azadi slogans.

A resident who was part of the eruption said that then everybody walked a distance of about 200 yards behind the slowly-driven car of the bride and the groom chanting pro-freedom slogans.

Apart from “we want freedom” the other popular slogans with them was ‘yeh muluk hamara hai; iss ka faisla hum karengey’ (This is our country and we alone will decide its fate).

“On hearing the slogans, the residents of the entire locality came out of their homes and joined the cheerful chorus,” Abdul Majeed (name changed), a resident said.