Kashmir's Gaekhir Republik Add to the Valley's Rock Lore with Debut Album 'Mandnyan Shaam'

The trio, who began writing music during the pandemic, worked with producer Mir Kashif Iqbal on the nine-track album that draws from jazz, blues, prog and folk

- ANURAG TAGAT

THE PANDEMIC-ENFORCED distance only further strengthened the musical bonds of Kashmiri artists Sarfaraz Javid, Suhail Ahmad and Mohsin Hassan, who created rock band Gaekhir Republik. Now based out of Kashmir and Bengaluru, the trio have released their debut album Mandnyan Shaam, produced by Mir Kashif Iqbal, the singer-songwriter and guitarist previously part of rock band Parvaaz.

Vocalist Sarfaraz Javid aka Faraz says, “We never had a concrete plan; everything just fell into place naturally. Over the last eight months, we’ve been on a journey that included some travel as we tracked the album.”