If you have been following Bigg Boss 20, you already know Qazi Touqeer as the Srinagar-born singer who keeps Kashmir in almost every conversation. Back home, the buzz has spilled out of the living room and into wedding nights.
In a report from Srinagar published on 21 October 2026, Peerzada Ashiq of The Hindu wrote that Kashmir wedding celebrations are taking to Qazi's tunes. Wedding singer Moin Khan has brought Qazi's rendition of "Saawan mein lag gayi aag, mein hoon naag" — an improvisation of Mika Singh's original — to local wedding nights. The same report notes a colourful portrait of Qazi at Books and Bricks cafe in Wazir Bagh, and that he was born in Khanyar in Srinagar's old city. NTER later summarised the same wave of songs, portraits and performances across Kashmir.
For families planning a trip to Srinagar, that news is a neat doorway into something deeper: Kashmiri wedding music itself. This post is a visitor-friendly guide to what you might hear, how modern nights mix old and new, and how to enjoy the culture without ever crashing a private celebration.
A quick note: D2 Holidays is not affiliated with Qazi Touqeer, Moin Khan, Bigg Boss or the broadcaster. We are a Srinagar tour operator writing about music and manners our guests often ask about.
Wanwun: the traditional voice of a Kashmiri wedding
Long before a DJ cue or a popular Bollywood track, many Kashmiri weddings already have a soundtrack. It is called wanwun (also spelled wanvun): a women-led wedding folk singing tradition of the Valley. Kashmiril's cultural journal describes wanwun as an a cappella chorus — voices alone, with no drums or strings — that blesses, narrates and gently teases through the days of a wedding. Velvet Knot's guide to Kashmiri Muslim wedding traditions places the same singing at the heart of the maenz raat, the henna night, when women gather late into the evening.
Wanwun is usually call-and-response. An older woman opens a verse; the circle answers with a refrain. The songs can praise the couple, mark a ritual as it happens, or poke affectionate fun at relatives. Both Kashmiri Muslim and Kashmiri Pandit families have parallel forms of the tradition, as Kashmiril notes, even if the vocabulary and cadence differ. What visitors should remember is simple: this is intimate family music, led by women, and it is not a stage show put on for tourists.
How modern wedding nights mix old and new
Traditional wanwun evenings and modern wedding nights are not rivals. In many homes they sit side by side. Women may still gather for wanwun on the henna night, while later celebration hours welcome popular tracks that guests recognise from television and social media. That is the gap Qazi's current wave fills: The Hindu reported that his songs are catching on at Kashmir weddings, and Moin Khan's performances of "Saawan mein lag gayi aag, mein hoon naag" show how a reality-show moment can travel into a live local celebration.
If you are ever invited as a guest, do not expect a museum of folk music. Expect a living mix — elders leading familiar verses, younger cousins requesting a hit, and plenty of tea in between. Kahwa and noon chai often run through the days of a Kashmiri wedding, and the feast that follows, the wazwan, is its own story of hospitality, spice and shared copper plates. Food trails, bakery stops and family dinners are how most visiting families taste that same warmth without needing a wedding invite.
Guest manners if you are invited to a wedding
An invitation into a Kashmiri celebration is a gift, not a sightseeing stop. The same spirit we describe in our guide to being invited to a Kashmiri home applies even more at a wedding:
- Dress modestly and warmly. Cover shoulders and knees. Winter weddings need a proper jacket; halls and shamianas can be cold between courses.
- Follow the seating. In many homes, guests sit in small groups for the wazwan. Wait to be shown where to sit rather than choosing a spot yourself.
- Taste what is offered. Hosts take pride in feeding guests. Even a small portion of each course is a polite way to honour the effort.
- Ask before you film. Wanwun verses can include private jokes and blessings. Kashmiril's guide itself advises asking the family before recording. Never post elders, women or children without clear permission.
- Keep phones quiet during prayers and the nikah. Celebration hours are loud; sacred moments are not.
- Do not treat the bride or groom as content. Selfies with the couple are only fine if they invite them.
D2 Holidays does not arrange wedding visits for travellers. If a host family you already know invites you, go as a guest — not as a photographer on assignment.
Hearing Kashmir's music culture without crashing a wedding
Most visiting families will never attend a wedding, and that is perfectly fine. You can still meet the Valley's music and celebration culture in open, public ways:
- Cafes and everyday Srinagar. The Hindu reported Qazi's portrait at Books and Bricks cafe in Wazir Bagh, where people stop to look and photograph. Boulevard Road and the Jhelum bund remain everyday public places where local conversation — and sometimes a song — is part of the city's rhythm.
- Concerts and public shows when they happen. Qazi's own homecoming performances after the cancelled Tachar Show are a recent example of music shared on open stages. We covered that story in Qazi Touqeer's Tachar Show and Kashmir's Warm Welcome.
- Food trails and family evenings. Shared meals, kehwa, bakery stops in the old city and a slow shikara ride give children a sense of Kashmiri hospitality without stepping into private rites.
- Listen more than you film. Markets, houseboat evenings and garden walks are full of sound. Enjoy them as a guest of the city.
Plan a gentle family trip to Srinagar
Qazi's Bigg Boss run has put Kashmiri voices, humour and songs on national screens again. For travellers, the better takeaway is local: weddings here still hold women's folk singing close, while modern nights happily add the songs people love right now — including, this season, Qazi's.
If you want an easy, unhurried holiday built around gardens, Dal Lake, old-city walks and family-friendly stays, look at our Kashmir family package. We will help you plan the public side of Srinagar well; the private celebrations stay with the families who host them.
We are a J&K Tourism registered tour operator in Srinagar. Call or WhatsApp +91 70062 71178, email info@d2holidays.com, or visit us on Boulevard Road, Srinagar.
Disclaimer: D2 Holidays is not affiliated with Qazi Touqeer, Moin Khan, Bigg Boss, The Hindu, NTER or the broadcaster. Wedding-music details on wanwun draw on Kashmiril and Velvet Knot cultural guides. Qazi wedding-song reports are from The Hindu (Peerzada Ashiq, 21 October 2026) and corroborating coverage on NTER. We do not take guests to private weddings.