This Article is From Oct 16, 2009

Can Sufi music help young, stressed Kashmiris?

Srinagar: Srinagar hosted a Kashmiri Sufi concert for the youth of the state who do not get a chance to listen to its live versions.

For the genre itself, that feels denied and shrunken without public platforms in this land of constant strife, it was a revival of sorts.

But, this was a special attempt to feed the medical experiment world over that has found certain strains of music like Sufi can cure stress disorders in zones of conflict.

"We had musicians like Saaz Nawaz and Qaalin Baaf. Patients who would come to them during the 80s were cured by their music. We want to revive that music," said professor Muzaffar, the music director.

Seventeen per cent Kashmiris have been found to suffer from conflict-related stress.

"We are trying to convey how we can heal people's hearts and minds with our music," said Qaifer Nizami, a Sufi singer.
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