Amir Khusrau

News: Amir Khusrau, the legendary 13th-century Sufi poet and musician, is in the news due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the 25th edition of Jahan-e-Khusrau, an annual Sufi music festival held in his honor. 

About Amir Khusrau

• He was born in 1253, likely in Patiyali, Etah district, Uttar Pradesh. 
• Amir Khusrau is credited with developing qawwali, a devotional form of Sufi music that continues to be performed at Sufi shrines today. 
• He played a crucial role in shaping Indian classical music, influencing styles like khayal and tarana. 
• He is also said to have invented the sitar and tabla, though historical evidence for this claim is debated. 
• Additionally, he contributed to the development of several ragas that remain integral to Indian classical music.
• Amir Khusrau was one of the earliest writers to use Hindavi, a language that later evolved into modern Hindi and Urdu. 
• His works blended elements of Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and local Indian dialects, making them accessible to a wide audience. 
• He also popularised riddles, proverbs, and folk songs in Hindavi, which are still enjoyed today.
• He served as a court poet under five Delhi Sultans, including Muizuddin Qaiqabad, Jalaluddin Khalji, Alauddin Khalji, Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah, and Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.
• He wrote extensively in Persian, the official language of the Delhi Sultanate, as well as in Hindavi. 
• Amir Khusrau was a devoted disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, one of the most revered Sufi saints of India. 
• He wrote favourably about Hindu philosophical thought in his Persian masnavi Nuh Siphir and composed folk songs that resonated with people of all faiths.
• Some of his most famous compositions include “Chhaap Tilak,” “Zehal-e-Miskeen,” and “Sakal Ban Phool Rahi Sarson,” which are still performed in Sufi gatherings and Bollywood films.