Amir Khusro Dehlavi (1253-1325)

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Amir Khusro Dehlavi (1253-1325 AD), Poet, musician, inventor, philosopher, linguist. Khusro was musician in the court of seven kings in Delhi, from Allauddin Khilji to Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.

Amir Khusrau was born at Patiyali, in present day Madhyapradesh. His father, Saifuddin Shamsi Laachin, was of Turkish origin. He lost his father at the age of eight and came to his maternal grandfather’s place at Delhi. His grandfather, Imaad ul Mulk, an Amir, was an Indian Muslim, who served under the emperor Ghayasuddin Balban, as an attendance master of the soldiers.

As an youngster he was exposed to the artistes, poets and litterateurs of his time at the private gatherings of his grandfather. That environment inspired him to compose poetry from an early age. He also received training in music simultaneously with martial arts and horse riding. Khusrau was a disciple of the Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya who was his spiritual mentor.

Amir Khusro is credited with the creation of Khayal form of north Indian Classical music, by modifying Dhrupad by adding Persian melody and beat to it. Probably Khayal originated from Qawwalis that he created on the lines of Bhajans.

He wrote poetry in Persian as well as what he called Hindvi ... a combination of local Bhojpuri and Persian, which later evolved into Hindi and Urdu. Many of his poems are even today used in Hindustani Classical as bandishes and as ghazals by Ghazal singers.

Thus he can be called the father of modern north Indian music.

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Some poems with translations