Aadil Manzoor Shah, a 23-year-old singer resident of Singhpora of Baramulla district who started his career by playing instruments like Nout (a small pot used in Kashmir as a percussion instrument), tumbaknari and rabab is set to perform at the United States of America this year.
Shah belongs to a family of musicians and singers. His father Manzoor Ahmad Shah is an A-plus category singer at Radio Kashmir.
In 2008, after quitting his studies in the eight standards, Aadil followed his father’s footsteps and started playing traditional musical instruments, as a team of his father’s group.
“It was a good decision, if I would have chosen engineering over folk music, then people would not have known me, like they do have today, with a short period of time I got good fame,” said Aadil.
“Although my mother wasn’t too supportive with my decision, she herself is a healthcare worker here,” Aadil added.
Shah began singing when he was 14, has his YouTube channel, which is helping new and talented singers to reach a wider audience and the Kashmiri diaspora.
Adil is giving a modern touch to folk music like Chakker for which instruments like harmonium, rabab, sarangi, and nout have traditionally been used.
Aadil has a small recording studio where he does rehearsals. He is working for reviving folk music in Kashmir. Manzoor is keenly interested to revive this rich folk aimed to maintain its glory as well as importance.
Presently despite a number of challenges including a weak financial position, COVID -19 scare, Aadil is also motivating and training other youngsters aimed to improve folk music.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 Aadil has missed one foreign trip but “this year in the month of June and July 2021 our team is going to the United States of America for performance and enthral the audience there with Kashmiri folk music,” Aadil said.