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{{short description|Indian singer and poet}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mohammad Muneem
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Mohammad Muneem Nazir
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1983}}
| birth_place = [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[India]]
| alma_mater =
| occupation = {{flat list|
* Singer
* songwriter
* composer
* poet
}}
| years_active = 2008–present
| module = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed = yes
| instruments = {{flat list|
* Vocals
* guitar
}}
| genre = {{flat list|
* [[Sufi music|Sufi]]
* [[Folk music|folk]]
* [[Contemporary classical music|contemporary]]
* [[Pop music|pop]]
}}
| label =
| associated_acts = ''Alif''
}}
}}
'''Mohammad Muneem Nazir''' (born 1983) is an Indian singer, songwriter and poet who sings and writes in the [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]], [[Urdu]] and [[Hindi]] languages. Hailing from [[Srinagar]] in the [[Kashmir Valley]], Muneem founded '''''Alif''''', in 2008. He is known for making music that combines [[Music of Kashmir|Kashmiri traditional]] and folk styles with western and contemporary genres.

==Early life and education==
Mohammad Muneem was born in 1983 in [[Srinagar]] in the erstwhile state of [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] in India. Muneem attended the all-boys [[Tyndale Biscoe School]] in Srinagar.<ref name=IndiaTimes>{{cite web| last=Mukherjee |first=Susmita |title=Mohammad Muneem, The Voice Behind The Band Alif, Bares All About Life In The Kashmir Valley |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/mohammad-muneem-the-voice-behind-ethno-punk-rock-band-alif-bares-all-about-life-in-the-kashmir-valley-258365.html |work=[[Indiatimes]] |date=14 July 2016 |access-date=14 June 2023}}</ref> At age nine, he was sent to a [[boarding school]] in [[Dehradun, Uttarakhand]], where he felt abandoned.<ref name=HT>{{cite web |last=Doshi |first=Riddhi |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/brunch/kashmiri-band-alif-rocks-sacred-amritsar-music-and-poetry-festival-with-rap-rock-and-folk-music-101680278669212-amp.html |title=Kashmir rocks: Alif and the chorus from the valley |date=1 April 2023 |work=[[Hindustan Times]]}}</ref> He moved back to Srinagar after two and a half years. He performed for the first time at the age of 15 in 1998, at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre in Srinagar for a [[NIIT]] event.<ref>{{cite web |last=Khatoon |first=Sobia |url=https://kashmirreader.com/2021/07/15/a-conversation-with-mohammad-muneem-alif/ |title=A conversation with Mohammad Muneem 'Alif' |date=15 July 2021 |work=[[Kashmir Reader]]}}</ref> Muneem grew up in Srinagar amidst the violence of the 1990s and early 2000s [[Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir|insurgency]] in the region, which has had an influence on his artistry.<ref name=TOI>{{cite web |last=Borthakur |first=Debarun |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/events/hyderabad/the-unrest-in-the-kashmir-valley-reflects-in-our-poetry-and-music-mohammad-muneem/articleshow/67440279.cms |title=Our music documents the sound of the Kashmir valley with a contemporary twist: Mohammad Muneem |work=[[Times of India]] |date=9 January 2019 }}</ref><ref name=Scroll.in>{{cite web |last=Naqash |first=Rayan |url=https://scroll.in/magazine/832060/the-golden-voice-of-kashmirs-indie-musicians-echoes-with-politics-and-folklore |title=The golden voice of Kashmir's indie musicians echoes with politics and folklore |date=19 March 2017 |work=[[Scroll.in]]}}</ref> In 2000, he began learning how to play the guitar, on his own.<ref name=KL>{{cite web |title=Reso-Nation |url=https://kashmirlife.net/reso-nation-issue24-vol-09-150709/ |work=Kashmir Life |date=14 September 2017}}</ref> He moved to [[Pune]] in 2001 for higher studies, graduated with a degree in engineering and went on to pursue a master's degree in business administration. He states that he suffered a [[hate crime]] in 2003, in which he was badly injured.<ref name=TOI/><ref name=Scroll.in/>

==Musical career==
Muneem started a [[YouTube channel]] and made an account on [[Reverbnation]] in 2007, where he uploaded [[cover versions]] of old Kashmiri songs.<ref name=FPK>{{cite web |last=Faysal |first=Muhammad |url=https://freepresskashmir.news/2021/05/30/evolution-of-alif-siyah-pushes-the-boundaries-of-original-music/ |title=Evolution of Alif: 'Siyah' pushes the boundaries of original music |work=[[Free Press Kashmir]] |date=30 May 2021}}</ref> He co-founded a [[rock band]] called ''Highway 61''—a reference to the [[Highway 61 Revisited| Bob Dylan album]]— with Hardik Vaghela and other college friends of his in Pune in 2008, after quitting his job at a [[Multinational Corporation|MNC]].<ref name=HT/><ref name=FPK/><ref name=Scroll.in/> This band was later signed by a production house and renamed ''Alif'',<ref name=FPK/> after the first letter of the Urdu alphabet, symbolising 'that which is unseen, strongly united' and 'the oneness of everything'.<ref name=TheHindu>{{cite web |last=Murthy |first=Neeraja |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/mohammad-muneem-of-alif-on-their-unique-music/article25908501.ece |title=Songs from the valley: Mohammad Muneem of Alif on their unique music |date=4 January 2019 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> Other members of the band include Amit Gadgil, Aman Moroney and Karan Chitra Deshmukh.<ref name=TheHindu/>

The band performed on an episode of Indian TV show ''[[Coke Studio @ MTV]]'' in 2013 with their rendition of ''Sahibo Sath Chum Mei Chenei'', a Kashmiri prayer by poet [[Mehjoor]]. In 2014, they recorded a rendition of folk song ''Cheerith'' for [[Kappa TV]].<ref name=KL/> The band released an album called ''Sufayed'' in 2017, the success of which brought them mainstream popularity.<ref name=TheWeek>{{cite web |last=Hari |first=Vaisakh E |url=https://www.theweek.in/leisure/society/2019/01/20/from-kashmir-with-love.html |title=From Kashmir, with love |date=20 January 2019 |work=[[The Week (Indian magazine)|The Week]]}}</ref>

In December 2018, the band released a single called ''Ride Home'' featuring Kashmiri folk artist [[Noor Mohammad Shah|Noor Mohammad]].<ref name=IndianExpress>{{cite web |last=Gupta |first=Surbhi |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/mohammad-muneem-nazir-koshur-songs-kashmir-language-koshur-6172272/ |title=A music band Alif is documenting life and culture in Kashmir |date=18 December 2019 |work=[[The Indian Express]]}}</ref><ref name=TheGuardian>{{cite web |last1=Qadri |first1=Azhar |last2=Ellis-Petersen |first2=Hannah |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/02/kashmir-folk-singer-rise-dusty-street-music-star-noor-mohammad-shah |title='It feels good': Kashmir folk singer's rise from dusty street to music star |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=2 July 2021 |access-date=14 June 2023}}</ref> It was a recreation of an older version of popular ballad ''Wafadar Mouji''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gura |first=Khalid Bashir |url=https://kashmirlife.net/melody-in-music-issue-45-vol-12-259524/ |title=Melody in Music |work=[[Kashmir Life]] |date=7 February 2021}}</ref>

Muneem has stated that he wished to document old-school artists and preserve their artistry. Such traditional artists declined due to imposition of conservative social codes during the militancy.<ref name=TheGuardian/> A song of his was also used in the 2018 Hindi-language Indian film ''[[Laila Majnu (2018 film)|Laila Majnu]]'' by director [[Imtiaz Ali (director)|Imtiaz Ali]]. Muneem states that Ali used the song ''Katyu Chuko'' without letting them know, but credited the band for it.<ref name=TOI/> In 2019, Muneem was roped in to write dialogue for the film ''[[Torbaaz]]'', which also featured a song from his band.<ref name=TOI/> The band released their second album, called ''Siyah'', in 2021.<ref name=FPK/> They also provided the background score for a 2022 film directed by [[Shlok Sharma]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Tagat |first=Anurag |title=Mohammad Muneem Lays Out Alif's Ongoing Project 'Siyah' |url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/alif-mohammad-muneem-siyah-azizo/ |date=18 February 2021 |work=[[Rolling Stone India]]}}</ref>

===2023: "Kya Karie Korimol"===
In May 2023, the band collaborated a second time with Noor Mohammad for the song ''Kya Karie Korimol'' for an episode of ''[[Coke Studio Bharat]]'', which also featured Aashima Mahajan, a singer from [[Jammu]], on the lead female vocals.<ref name=TheQuint>{{cite web |url=https://www.thequint.com/podcast/coke-studio-bharat-india-kya-karie-korimol-review-alif-kashmiri-music |last=Lidhoo |first=Prateek |title=Kya Karie Korimol: Alif Celebrates & Critiques a Kashmiri Wedding |work=[[The Quint]] |date=26 May 2023 |access-date=14 June 2023 |archive-date=14 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614084923/https://www.thequint.com/amp/story/podcast/coke-studio-bharat-india-kya-karie-korimol-review-alif-kashmiri-music |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=ThePrint>{{cite web |url=https://theprint.in/feature/10-million-youtube-views-in-13-days-wedding-song-kya-karie-korimol-puts-spotlight-on-kashmiri-music/1617973/?amp |title=10 million YouTube views in 13 days: Wedding song 'Kya Karie Korimol' puts spotlight on Kashmiri music |date=8 June 2023 |work=[[The Print]]}}</ref> The song is a remake of an original 2018 single by the band.<ref name=TheQuint/> The song also featured ''wanvun'', a type of traditional Kashmiri wedding chorus singing, sung by a group of women.<ref name=TheQuint/> The song garnered 10 million views on [[YouTube]] within 13 days of its release.<ref name=ThePrint/>

==Poetry==
Muneem writes poetry in Urdu and Kashmiri. He teaches Urdu poetry at the [[Symbiosis International University]] in Pune.<ref name=Outlook>{{cite web |last=Badoni |first=Martand |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/listening-to-the-bard-of-alif/321163 |title=Listening to the Bard of Alif |date=5 December 2018 |work=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]]}}</ref>

==Artistry==
Muneem and his band ''Alif'' make music that combines traditional Kashmiri and [[Sufi music|sufi]] elements with contemporary western and [[rock music|rock]] styles. Muneem draws from his experiences growing up in Kashmir during the insurgency. He states that he seeks to project his homeland in a better light and build compassion through his music.<ref name=RSJ>{{cite web |last=Tripathi |first=Sumedha |url=https://www.rsjonline.com/features/fusion-of-contemporary-poetry-and-ethnic-sound---alif.html |title=Fusion of contemporary poetry and ethnic sound - ALIF |work=[[Rock Street Journal]]}}</ref> The band's music also often tackles societal issues. Their song ''Jehlumas'', for example, is supposed to be an homage to 'the resilience' of Kashmir's women during and after the [[2014 Kashmir floods|2014 floods]] there,<ref name=HT/> while another song, ''Malaal kya hua'', revolves around [[clinical depression]].<ref name=RSJ/> Similarly, ''Kya Karie Korimol'' is supposed to be both a celebration and critique of weddings in Kashmir.<ref name=TheQuint/>

==Personal life==
Muneem is [[Kashmiri people|Kashmiri]]. He divides his time between [[Mumbai]], where he makes his music, Pune, where he teaches and Srinagar, where his family lives.<ref name=Outlook/> His course “Sarir-e-Khamma” is the first of its kind in India - bringing equitable access to poetry and technical creative writing to people across all strata.

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Song
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2018
| ''[[Laila Majnu (2018 film)|Laila Majnu]]''
| "Katyu Chuko"
|
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Show
! Song
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| rowspan="3"|2023
| ''[[Coke Studio Bharat]]''
| "Kya Karie Korimol"
|
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|nm10068494|Mohammad Muneem}}

{{Portal bar|biography|music|poetry}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muneem, Mohammad}}
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Srinagar]]
[[Category:Kashmiri people]]
[[Category:Indian poets]]
[[Category:Indian musicians]]
[[Category:Indian male singers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian composers]]
[[Category:Indian male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Indian singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Hindi-language singers]]
[[Category:Urdu-language singers]]
[[Category:Singers from Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Sufi music]]
[[Category:Performers of Sufi music]]

Mohammad Muneem - Revision history

Lucie45F0227: new new stub