In Kashmir, no TV drama means no livelihoods for artists

For decades, Kashmiri artists lit up television screens and local stages with their humour, storytelling, and music. Much of this cultural vibrancy stemmed from DD Kashir, a regional branch of the national broadcaster Doordarshan (DD), launched in the year 2000. The channel provided a rare and crucial platform for local talent to perform, earn a livelihood, and reach wider audiences. It broadcast music, drama, and cultural programmes that not only entertained but also preserved the linguistic and artistic heritage of the region.

But in 2010, DD Kashir began to scale down its local programming, and by 2014, it stopped producing Kashmiri dramas altogether. For many artists, this was a death knell.

The decline was gradual, with a phased reduction in Kashmiri-language programming that left many artists without consistent work. This led to mounting frustration, culminating in protests in December 2018, where artists accused the channel of replacing local content with outdated Bollywood films, straying from its original mandate to promote regional talent.

Many artists who relied on the channel for regular work and visibility found themselves without opportunities. Today, these performers are struggling to survive in a cultural landscape devoid of institutional support.

Celebrated artists now work low-paying jobs such as driving rickshaws and collecting parking fees.

Bashir Kotur, once a household name in Kashmiri comedy, says, “I spent my whole childhood in the theatre, playing different roles, entertaining people. But now, there’s no benefit in it.” Despite receiving numerous awards, Bashir has not visited DD in more than a decade. “The government claims to promote art, but the reality is quite the opposite. I have stopped doing government and private programmes because there’s no advantage to it,” he adds.

“When DD Kashir shut its doors for us, it was like someone pulled the rug from under our feet,” says Mohammad Rafiq, another renowned comedian. “Many of us were left without work, and the money owed to us is still pending.”

This institutional neglect has impacted not just livelihoods but also the larger cultural ecosystem. When DD Kashir stopped airing local productions, it marked a significant loss of Kashmiri-language content. According to artists, no state department or cultural academy stepped in to fill the vacuum. “Not a single department of the Jammu and Kashmir government holds any programmes on World Theatre Day. The Academy of Art, Culture and Languages has done nothing,” says Mushtaaque Ali Ahmad Khan, a noted theatre activist.

The closure of performance spaces and absence of cultural programming has also diminished the popularity of Kashmiri art forms. The youth are growing distant from their linguistic and artistic roots. “These days, no one invites us to perform in private shows either. It feels like we have disappeared,” says Bashir.

Some of the artists are trying to look for alternatives. In 2025, Shazia Hamid, a prominent singer, collaborated with journalist-singer Nazir Ganaie to remix the traditional Kashmiri song ‘Yeli Jaanan’e Raley’m’, which became popular on social media. However, there are limits to individual efforts. Large-scale cultural conservation is impossible without institutional support.

Sajid Raina is a freelance journalist based in Delhi, writing on politics, rights, and social justice. Tauseef Ahmad is a freelance journalist reporting on conflict, environment, and underreported communities in Kashmir.

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