About Amir Khusrow
- He was a poet as well as a prolific musician.
- Amīr Khosrow was the son of a Turkish officer in the service of Iltutmish, sultan of Delhi, and for his entire life he enjoyed the patronage of the Muslim rulers of Delhi.
- Amir Khusrau is also remembered as a founder of the Ganga-Jamani Tehzeeb or the Indian culture “which is a synthesis of Muslim and Hindu elements.”
- Amir Khusrow was a Sufi mystic and a spiritual disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya.
- His primary language to write poems was Persian but he composed almost half a million verses in Persian, Turkish, Arabic, Braj Bhasha, Hindavi as well as the Khadi Boli.
- The same Hindavi later developed into two beautiful languages called Hindi and Urdu.
- His Khaliq-e-bari, which is known as the oldest printed dictionary of the world, deals with Hindi and Persian words.
- He is regarded as the “father of qawwali”.
- He was the originator of the khayal and tarana styles of music.
- Khayal later reached its zenith during the times of Mohammad Shah Rangile and today is an integral part of Hindustani classical music.
- His association with various sultans enabled him to travel and stay in various parts of India and this gave him exposure to various local traditions. This helped him to assimilate diverse musical influences.
- Khusrau is sometimes referred to as the “voice of India” or “Parrot of India” (Tuti-e-Hind), and has been called the “father of Urdu literature.”
- Important poetic work, The best example is Zehal-e-miskeen makun taghaful, duraye naina banaye batiyan; ki taab-e-hijran nadaram ay jaan, na leho kaahe lagaye chhatiyan.
- He was patronized by three Khilji rulers successively.
His Poetry even relevant Today
- Khusrau’s poetry, even after the passage of seven centuries, remains relevant to our lives.
- His concept of composite culture and his firm belief in the equality of all cultures and religions are still to be fully imbibed by us.
Source: The Hindu and Britannica
