Srinagar, Dec 4, KNT: Serious allegations of favouritism and exclusion have surfaced against the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, with several artists accusing the institution of repeatedly promoting a small circle of performers while sidelining a large number of qualified artists across the Valley.
Singer and music composer Aijaz Sahir alleged that what was once a public cultural platform has now become a tightly controlled space dominated by five to six individuals. “The same faces appear in programme after programme. This is not a coincidence. It is an organised system that ensures only a select group remains visible,” Sahir told the news agency Kashmir News Trust.
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He further claimed that every time a new official joins the institution or any government cultural platform, members of the group are the first to approach them. “They project themselves as the only credible representatives of Kashmiri art and culture. Some internal staff support this narrative. Other artists are quietly shown the door,” he added.
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Another artist, Kifayat Faheem, echoed the concern and alleged that there are no clear or publicly accessible guidelines for artist selection. “There is no rotation system, no booking policy, no transparency. Approved artists wait for years without getting a single opportunity,” he said.
Faheem further accused the same group of holding press conferences in the name of the entire artistic community while serving only personal interests. “They speak for themselves, not for Kashmir’s artists. They have reduced the Academy into a hereditary stage,” he said.
Several young artists also expressed frustration, saying digital platforms had become their only window of survival. “If social media had not existed, many of us would still be standing outside locked doors, unheard and unseen,” a youth performer said.
Artists have appealed to the government to intervene and restore transparency, fairness, and equal access in the functioning of the institution, warning that continued exclusion would further damage Kashmir’s cultural ecosystem. [KNT]
