\u201cWe are the pioneer YouTubers [in Kashmir], … We made the scene without anyone\u2019s help. We did it on our own.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nALSO READ<\/p>\n
Beware the Truth: Modi Government Asks YouTube To Ban “Lynch Nation” Documentary<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe content creator revealed that the partial restoration of Internet services prevents streaming. Word of their situation still can’t get out.<\/p>\n
“I have dreams where I\u2019m using the internet, … That feeling is surreal\u2014but as soon as I wake up, I realize we are still locked down.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Partial restoration of the Internet in Jammu & Kashmir prevents streaming<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n As the communications blackout continues in Kashmir for 196 days, this marks the longest ongoing Internet blackout in any ‘democratically governed’ area ever.<\/p>\n
Choking Out Creative Outlets in Kashmir<\/h3>\n
According to the outlet, the Internet ban is choking out the voices of content creators in Kashmir.<\/p>\n
These YouTubers found creative and comedic ways to express tragedies that come with living in the conflict region.<\/strong><\/p>\n
India’s Jio network expanded the country’s Internet user base in 2016.<\/p>\n
That’s when numerous home-grown popular channels spawned from Kashmir. They produce a wide variety of\u00a0content from comedy acts to regional recipes, even independent music.<\/p>\n
Kashmiri YouTuber, Yawar Ahmad Wani<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n While Yawar and his brother now run the biggest two channels Kashmiri Kalkharabs<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Ultimate Rounders<\/a>,<\/em> it is hard to believe now that they started off with just a smartphone in an attempt to save their culture through comedy.<\/p>\n
“Socially-conscious humor in Kashmiri language\u2014 which is a deliberate attempt to save our culture\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Unfortunately, their career options were cut short by the Internet blackouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the internet is not restored soon, I need to look for an alternative job … YouTube had endless possibilities. It was like I could do anything. I was the most powerful man. I felt empowered. Now, I feel like a labourer without legs.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
While the Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP) is no stranger to acknowledging social media influencers, they deliberately chose to ignore influencers in Kashmir.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government doesn\u2019t know we exist, … They don\u2019t know people make a living from YouTube.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
<\/p>\n
Lost Culture and Art<\/h3>\n
Tassiya Tariq creator of ‘Kashmir Food Fusion’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Similarly, 26-year-old Tassiya Tariq is all about preserving her culture’s culinary art by sharing traditional Kashmiri recipes.<\/p>\n
Her YouTube channel, Kashmir Food Fusion<\/a><\/em>, aimed\u00a0‘to teach a younger generation\u2014how to cook Kashmiri food <\/em>‘.<\/p>\n
\nALSO READ<\/p>\n
Indian Nationalists Fall to a New Low with ‘Get a Wife from Kashmir’ Campaign<\/a><\/p>\n
\nOther losses to art include Kashmiri hip-hop artist Mir Gazzanfar, AKA EssXaar<\/a>. <\/em>who quit his career in music to flee to Delhi. He now works a regular job in a digital marketing company.<\/p>\n
Kashmir’s underground hip-hop scene relied on artistic expression to highlight pressing social issues.<\/p>\n
EssXaar’s music integrated modern hip-hop with Kashmiri folk music and his own verses. The Internet blackout cut the chord on many other artists like him.<\/p>\n
\u201c[The government] didn\u2019t do right. Does anyone say it is right? From online businesses and students to artists, everyone is suffering because of them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Despite Indian claims that all is well in the Kashmir valley, the communications blackout continues. Kashmiri YouTubers are the biggest example of how not much ‘normalcy’ has been restored to Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Although media access to the region as also limited, Kashmir Walla managed to speak to Kashmiri YouTuber\u00a0Yawar Ahmad Wani. 19-year-old Yawar is the co-founder of […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":250192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1298,2199,1291],"tags":[],"adace-sponsor":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-250169","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-culture","8":"category-featured","9":"category-social-media"},"wps_subtitle":"Despite no internet, these folks are fighting the good fight.","img_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Kashmiri-YouTuber-364x205.jpg",364,205,true],"medium":["https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Kashmiri-YouTuber-758x424.jpg",758,424,true],"full":["https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Kashmiri-YouTuber.jpg",1000,560,false]},"author_name":"Ummara Sheraz","categories_name":["Culture","Featured","Social Media"],"title_text":"Kashmiri YouTubers Struggle as India\u2019s Internet Blackout Persists","related_stories":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts?filter&per_page=4&categories=1298,2199,1291&exclude=250169","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250169\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250169"},{"taxonomy":"adace-sponsor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propakistani.pk\/lens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/adace-sponsor?post=250169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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