VOA标准英语2008年-Pakistani Rock Band Enthralls Indian Kashmiris

By Shahnawaz Khan
Srinagar, India
26 May 2008

A popular Pakistani rock band Sunday mesmerised a big audience in conflict-ridden Indian administered Kashmir, where concerts and Pakistani delegates are a rarity. Shahnawaz Khan reports for VOA.

The young in the audience danced and clapped to the tunes¹ of Junoon, a top Pakistani Sufi rock band performing on the banks of Dal Lake in Indian administered Kashmir. 

The band's performance in summer capital Srinagar was part of inauguration² ceremony of the Institute of Kashmir Studies, of the University of Kashmir. The event was organized by South Asia Foundation, a non-government organization promoting regional cooperation in south Asia.

The institute was inagurated by Indian president Pratiba Devisingh Patil, whose visit met with violent protests Saturday called by Kashmiri separatist groups opposing Indian rule.

Syed Salahudin, who heads United Jehad Council, the largest militant³ alliance fighting for the independence of Kashimr, had urged Pakistan to stop the band from holding its concert in Srinagar.  He had told a local news agency the event sends the wrong signal that the struggle for Kashmir's independence is over.

Others, including Inam ul Rehman, a multimedia⁴ professional, agreed, saying this was a political, not a cultural event.

"I would have liked to go there to watch the musical show, because it was a dream to see Junoon performing in Kashmir," Inam said. "But because India made it a political show, so it was not feasible to go there.  By portraying⁵ musical shows as returning of normalcy, India is trying to distort ground realities in Kashmir."

The five-member band, which  has a huge fan base in South Asia,  performed hit songs from its debut⁶ album and its lead singer, Salman Ahmed, sang Sufe songs in Urdu. He told  the audience he wanted to get to Kashmir 10 years back, but was denied the permission.

The audience of some 4,000 people braving stringent⁷ security measures was made up largely of student invitees.

Many in the audience did not want their music mixed with politics. Gazala Ahmad, a student at the University of Kashmir, was one of them.

"The organiser for the event, it is promoting it as a part of peace process, as promoting regional cooperation, I don't subscribe⁸ to that," Gazala said. "Because I don't think that musical concert has something to do with peace process. That is a different issue. This can be simply entertainment in a lighter⁹ way."

The entertainment industry was badly hit in Indian administered Kashmir after the outbreak of anti-India insurgency¹⁰ in 1989. Guerrillas forced the closure of cinema halls and liquor shops in early nineties while an undeclared night curfew curtailed¹¹ movement after dusk. 

1 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 multimedia   

adj.多种手段的，多媒体的；n.多媒体

参考例句：

• Multimedia is the combination of computer and video technology.多媒体是计算机和视频技术的结合。
• Adam raised the issue of multimedia applications and much useful discussion ensued.亚当提出了多媒体应用的问题，从而引发了许多有益的讨论。

5 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

6 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

7 stringent   

adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的

参考例句：

• Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures.金融家呼吁对这些严厉的措施予以放宽。
• Some of the conditions in the contract are too stringent.合同中有几项条件太苛刻。

8 subscribe   

vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助

参考例句：

• I heartily subscribe to that sentiment.我十分赞同那个观点。
• The magazine is trying to get more readers to subscribe.该杂志正大力发展新订户。

9 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

10 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

11 curtailed   

v.截断，缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Spending on books has been severely curtailed. 购书开支已被大大削减。
• Their public health programme had to be severely curtailed. 他们的公共卫生计划不得不大大收缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》