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In his address to the 25th edition of Jahan-e-Khusrau at New Delhi’s Sunder Nursery, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the annual music festival that commemorates the Sufi poet-musician Amir Khusrau as imbued with the “fragrance of the soil of Hindustan”.

Introduction

• Amir Khusrau, a 13th-century poet, musician, and scholar, is a prominent figure in India’s cultural history.
• Known as Tuti-yi-Hind (the Parrot of India), Khusrau’s contributions spanned literature, music, and the Sufi spiritual tradition.
• Revered for his role in shaping India’s syncretic culture, blending Persian, Turkic, and Indian elements.

Early Life and Background

• Born in 1253 in Patiyali, Uttar Pradesh, to a Turkic father and Indian Muslim mother.
• His family migrated to India due to Mongol invasions of Transoxiana.
• Grew up under the patronage of the Delhi Sultanate, serving five rulers: MuizuddinQaiqabad, JalaluddinKhalji, AlauddinKhalji, Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah, and GhiyasuddinTughlaq.

Literary Contributions

• Wrote in Persian and Hindavi, blending Turkic, Persian, and Indian traditions.
• Contributed significantly to the development of Hindavi, the precursor to modern Hindi and Urdu.
• Works include Divans (poetry collections), Mathnawis (narrative poems), and treatises.
• Advocated for Hindu-Muslim unity, promoting syncretic culture (Ganga-JamuniTehzeeb).
• Known for writing riddles, proverbs, and playful verses, which made literature accessible to the common people.
• Praised Hindu philosophical thought in his works, such as MasnaviNuhSiphir.

Musical Contributions

• Credited with creating several ragas, developing khayal (a classical Hindustani music form), and tarana (rhythmic vocal composition).
• Played a significant role in popularizing qawwali, a devotional Sufi music genre, by blending Persian, Arabic, and Indian musical traditions.
• Believed to have invented the sitar and tabla, though evidence is debated.
• Famous qawwalis include ChhaapTilak, Zehal-e-Maskeen, and Sakal Ban PhoolRahiSarson.

Role in the Delhi Sultanate

• Served as a court poet for at least five Delhi Sultans over five decades, a testament to his literary excellence.
• His compositions were vital in enhancing the Sultan’s political and cultural legitimacy.
• Sultan JalaluddinKhalji bestowed upon him the title Amir in recognition of his contributions to poetry.

Spiritual and Sufi Influence

• A devoted disciple of the Chishti Sufi saint NizamuddinAuliya, whose teachings on love and devotion to God deeply influenced Khusrau’s poetry and music.
• Balanced his role as a court poet with devotion to the Sufi order, bridging the worlds of royal courts and spiritual practices.
• His deep spiritual connection to NizamuddinAuliya is immortalized by their shared burial site in Delhi.

Sufism in India

• Sufism is the mystical and spiritual dimension of Islam, emphasizing love, devotion, and inner purification.
• Sufism emerged as a reaction to the rigidity of institutionalized religion and developed alongside India’s Bhakti movement.
• Key Sufi Orders in India:
  • Chishti Order: The most influential in India, founded by KhwajaMoinuddin Chishti, focusing on love, devotion, and harmony.
  • Suhrawardi Order: Focused on combining religious knowledge with mysticism.
  • Naqshbandi Order: Opposed innovations like musical recitals and pilgrimages.
  • Rishi Order: Based in Kashmir, drawing from the Shaivite bhakti tradition.

Impact of Sufism in India

• Sufism promoted religious tolerance, social reform, and a deep connection to spirituality.
• It attracted marginalized communities and weakened caste hierarchies.
• Sufi shrines and dargahs became pilgrimage sites for spiritual blessings.
• Influenced Indian music (especially qawwali) and literature, with poets like Bulleh Shah and Sultan Bahu.
• Promoted Sulh-e-Kul (peace with all), a concept that influenced Akbar’s religious tolerance policies.

Khusrau’s Lasting Legacy

• Amir Khusrau’s influence extends across literature, music, and spirituality in India.
• His poetry and music are celebrated today in both sacred and secular contexts.
• His works laid the foundation for the development of Urdu and Hindi literature.
• Khusrau’s teachings on Hindu-Muslim unity and cultural synthesis remain relevant in contemporary India.