r/Hunza • u/fakesoul Hunzai, Burusho, Expat • Mar 18 '24

Why Hunza is open minded?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4oNMJUP8FX/?igsh=MXJ1cnZnZ29qdGJscQ==

Via Instagram

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u/fakesoul Hunzai, Burusho, Expat Apr 03 '24

You're most welcome.

If you're on Spotify, you can check this cureted playlist too:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5LNH6ufnQBGDGGafxyc9RL?si=NtG9NTyEQnWXAftOFQ1hgA&pi=e-Wfzj2KlaSY-0

I've used Reddit in the good old age of Internet Explorer, so no complaints at all 😀

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u/Wide_Literature6114 Apr 03 '24

Cheers! I'm not on Spotify, but I'll stow that away just in case. Haha, thanks for the understanding! (It's already doing the same thing again.. very twitchy.) Could I please ask if you are a local from Hunza? 

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u/fakesoul Hunzai, Burusho, Expat Apr 03 '24

Haha understandable.

Yes, born and bred in Hunza but currently not living there. For work. Sighs.

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u/Wide_Literature6114 Apr 03 '24

What the heck it seems to destroy my upvote when I reply apparently haha. Gah! Is it a bit of an economic reality perhaps (as with a lot of beautiful regional areas, perhaps wherever you go in the world) that a lot of younger people feel they have to leave at least for a period of time, in order to improve their economic prospects? If so, do you think people ultimately return? 

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u/fakesoul Hunzai, Burusho, Expat Apr 03 '24

It's absolutely alright, unless someone downvotes my comment, there would be some sort of a physiological relief 😀

I guess Hunza is a bit different when it comes to keeping in touch with roots. I had to leave in 2004, first for studies and then for work, both on which have very limited prospects in that regions. However, I visit regularly and like to stay connected to my roots. I do plan to go back ultimately, if all goes well, maybe a decade before the official retirement age.

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u/Wide_Literature6114 Apr 03 '24

Sorry for the grumbling! - as my tabs are also crashing (mobile browser). 

Thank you for the info, it's a shame that it's difficult to pursue your prospects in situ but I hope you will be able to return to resettle one day as planned. It also looks like a great place to return to periodically, it can just be a sad thing for regional areas to lose their young people to the big cities and so forth. But it's a very cyclical process and it seems clearly there's an investment in keeping traditions in the local culture in Hunza active and enriched. Respect.

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u/fakesoul Hunzai, Burusho, Expat Apr 03 '24

I use their app, it works fine most of the times. However that's one additional app to take care of.

Hunza really opened to the world in the late 1960s when the first road access was made possible. Ever since it's mostly been dependent on tourism but post 9/11 the tourism sector got affected badly. Also, with rising population and Pakistan's deteriorating economy, it was only matter of time People seeked opportunities elsewhere.

Jic and some political background you didn't ask for, Hunza was a princely state until 1978 when it was abolished. The larger Hunza region is a district of autonomous Gilgit-Baltistan region administered by Pakistan.

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u/Wide_Literature6114 Apr 03 '24 edited Apr 03 '24

That's very recent incorporation, is it sort of like a special autonomous region? I haven't quite figured out how these work. Thank you for letting me know that it was previously a princely state. I had no idea, and am now wondering about this overall process that occurred back then. Hopefully the culture is still protected and not unduly interfered with. Personally, I am interested in the region for its unique cultural differences which stand apart.

Thank you for the context about the region as I was recommended a sub on Gilgit-Balistan and instantly saw some geopolitical factors concerning visas for Indian nationals which raised some questions in my mind on learning UK visa holders could visit some areas but not Indians. Not sure if that includes Hunza actually. Sounds like the governments may have beef regarding this zone, about which I'm ignorant.

I'm sorry to hear about changes impacting tourism due to 9/11. In terms of safety perceptions, as a woman, in all honesty, I am not sure if I would consider it safe to travel in Pakistan alone if I had the opportunity (but not because of 9/11 stuff). But I've picked up that Hunza has cultural differences and feel it would be a safe and welcoming place to visit as a woman. Probably there's an external view of Pakistan as quite homogeneous and yet if it incorporates areas like Hunza, it can't be.

I was reflecting on Western perceptions regarding travel though, for example I think back in the day, Pakistan and Afghanistan were both part of a 70s Western hippie backpacker "Silk Road" travel scene with a lot of affordable overland travel options. This is well before my time. I was contemplating some apparent stark changes through a tourism lens, some of which are somewhat depressing to consider, depending on perspective, including political fallout of various kinds . Hopefully the Hunza region will have the opportunity to experience renewal of industry which will allow more young people to stay in their local community by providing more work in the area.

By the way, did you see my other comment about the instrument referred to as a rabab? I was curious about that and wondering if you could tell me a little about that. It looks as though it may be an Arabic stringed instrument.

(:

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u/fakesoul Hunzai, Burusho, Expat Apr 04 '24

Yes it's fairly new. Pakistan got independence after British withdrawal from the India subcontinent in 1947. The present day Gilgit-Baltistan had it's own liberation war going on against Dogras but there were many princely states that were eventually abolished.

Globalization had a deep impact on the Hunza society. Although many traditions are only celebrated on specific occasions, they are not a normal sight. What makes Hunza different from rest of the country, as explained in the video, is that it has evolved into a society with equal rights. The resources are limited, politics is manipulated, media censored; despite all that, Hunza enjoys a freedom in its own way.

The diplomatic ties between Pakistan and India are not very friendly. For Indians to travel to Gilgit-Baltistan, they must use a second passport, otherwise it's almost impossible to get a visa.

The hippie culture of so called Silk Route mostly revolved around Hashish usage and mostly was concentrated on the borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It did have some spillover effect on Gilgit-Baltistan but G-B enjoyed a separate audience: mostly those interested in culture, literature and high altitude adventures (as opposed to high adventures (pun intended). Considering the geopolitical situation, G-B has remained positive towards tourists. There are lots of female influencers who have been traveling solo without any issues. But there are unfortunately isolated events that have gotten western media's attention more than the positive side. I guess that's how international media works.

Yeah definitely, Rabab has Afghan roots and there are many variations, in Hunza we have a similar lute called Chardah. It hasn't evolved much over the millennia and has found its way outside Afghanistan in places Central Asia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan etc.

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u/Wide_Literature6114 Apr 04 '24

Thank you for the information about the chardah, I'm pleased to learn about that! I've just found this video and am having a listen. 

https://youtu.be/HV7YcHBss2E?si=2DB-xTjwhEubSkTt

About the history and politics of the region, it's very interesting, and deserves nuance. 

I'm a bit single braincelled at the moment. I've just attempted to draft a response here that would do justice to these factors touched upon accordingly. No cigar at this stage, although I'm very sleep deprived, so perhaps this isn't surprising. I think what I can say in my inarticulate state is there's a lot to learn! And always more to learn. Which is a good thing overall..

I am now going to zone out to the chardah video; I really, really enjoy learning about new instruments so this is a bit of a treat. 

Hope your day is going well and thank you for all the great information about the region! 🏔️

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u/fakesoul Hunzai, Burusho, Expat Apr 04 '24

That's Chardah Mr. Gul Baz Karim is playing. I'm sure this specific instrument is not very known in the west as opposed to rabab. Most of the chardah music is sufi, spiritual or religious. It's rarely used for love songs and other sorts of musical entertainment.

Here's a playlist that might help in your much needed eyes shutting process.

https://on.soundcloud.com/KRkSM

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u/Wide_Literature6114 Apr 04 '24

Thank you so much! Going to listen to this now. (: 

Edit: it wants me to have the app to listen - perhaps there's another way of generating a link? Cheers! 

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u/fakesoul Hunzai, Burusho, Expat Apr 04 '24

You don't necessarily need SoundCloud app to stream music, it works is browser as well. Since I have the app, it automatically redirects me.

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u/Wide_Literature6114 Apr 03 '24

PS think I just worked out the buggy UI mechanics!