Noted professor of cultural anthropology Dr Nida Kirmani has said that anyone, belonging to any segment of society or socio-economic class that is not the local mirasi community is basically stealing the only cultural asset that the disadvantaged community has.
“This was all that they had, basically,” said the LUMS professor. “They might as well just break into their house and rob them of their physical belongings as well.”
“For centuries, this was all the only avenue open to this poor community had and now we have the elite edging them out of even this,” she said. “Junaid Jamshed, Jawad Ahmad, Faakhir and others are engineers. Salman Ahmed and many others are doctors. Why did they have to venture into music? Just stick to that and let the community have this!”
“Now, on top of all the injustices that they face, they also have to fight these scions of generational wealth to fight off for gigs?”
Dr Kirmani did not restrict her observation to music but humour as well.
“The mirasis served as The Institution Of The Fool,” she said. “Fine crafting their juggats was the same for them as for the other castes perfecting their skills.”
“Leave being funny to them, as well,” she said. “Humour, even if inadvertent, should be left to them. And that is why I have decided to stop tweeting from now on.”
