Chennai women lift weights to support Kashmiri singers

CHENNAI: Five women artists from Kashmir are quietly sparking a revolution with the region’s first-ever all-women, anonymous, multi-genre music album. To help complete this groundbreaking project, Ek Potlee Ret Ki (known as Kaani Nilam in Tamil), an artist-activist collective co-founded by Radhika Ganesh, organised a women’s 'Barbell Party' in Chennai, a fundraiser to support these anonymous voices. The event, co-organised with Rini Richard, owner of Fytlyf 360, a personal training gym located on MG Road, Adyar, brought together women to lift weights and support one another, all while raising funds for the post-production and release of a multilingual album from Kashmir.

Radhika, who is also National Co-Convener of Young People for Politics, explains: “Ek Potlee Ret Ki spent the past two years on and off in Kashmir, working with the artist community there. One of the issues we started tackling was how to create more space for women in artistic and public life. We engaged with a lot of incredible women singers, musicians, and artists. But many of them have to oppose every system there is: familial, societal, religious, or political. To overcome all of these and assert their space is very difficult.”

She adds, “A lot of contemporary male artists from Kashmir have gone into the top charts in Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. But less than 5 per cent of that space is occupied by women. This album is trying to change that: it’s about claiming space.”

Radhika also shares the reason for going anonymous. “In Kashmir, creativity remains an act of courage. Anonymity offers both power and protection. They can speak without putting themselves in danger. At the same time, it’s confronting the stigma and silence they’re forced to live with. It’s also our way of responding to the political silencing there through art and stories."

Having spent time in Kashmir, the collective issued an open call in November last year for women artists in the region. “Five women were selected and inducted through a three-day workshop that introduced them to the music industry. They learned the nuances of songwriting and post-production. Each artist wrote and composed her song, and all five have been recorded. But now we need resources to complete the post-production, release, and distribution of the album,” Radhika says.

Just because the collective is a non-profit, they didn’t want it to be a ‘hobby project’. The team wanted to take it up at a professional level so that the women artists would have good exposure from this. “To meet industry standards, we need funding and raising money for anything in Kashmir is tough. There are so many political and social issues. On top of that, the women involved were clear: they didn’t want funds that would come with strings attached or limit their voices. At Ek Potlee Ret Ki, we don’t take corporate or institutional grants. We’ve always relied on individuals and communities and we wanted to stay true to that. So we thought: why not invite women who’ve already carved their paths like entrepreneurs, artists, and business owners to support the Kashmiri singers? That’s how the idea of small, community-led fundraisers came about.”

The first fundraiser was organised in collaboration with Fytlyf 360 in Adyar, owned by Rini Richard. The recently held strength (barbell) party brought together women of all ages and fitness levels to spend a morning lifting weights. Coach Rini explains, “The barbell is something a lot of people find intimidating. I wanted to take that seriousness away. It’s for everyone. Especially for women, we don’t need to feel afraid of it. Radhika has been my client for the past two and a half years, and when she suggested turning a 'strength party' into a fundraiser, I was more than happy to do it.”

She adds, “I wanted this to be a space where women feel comfortable with each other and a fun way to do something active. The recently held event turned out even better than we expected. Knowing that there are such talented artists out there and that we could play a part in supporting them made the whole experience heartwarming and meaningful.” Participants shared how powerful it felt to build strength alongside other women while contributing to a cause centred on lifting unheard voices.

As a parting note, Radhika says, “The music album is historic because it's the first of its kind from Kashmir. We’re inviting women from all walks of life to host small, heartfelt gatherings and raise funds within their circles. The next 'strength party' in support of Kashmir’s first all-women anonymous music album will be held on July 10 at Fytlyf 360, MG Road, Adyar, from 7 pm onwards." For details, contact: 75882 76831.