Poetry and Music – Amir Khusro’s Impact on the Subcontinent
Discovering the themes and messages in Khusro's poetry and the musical structure he sought and developed
Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Prem bhatee ka madhva pilaikay
Matvali kar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Gori bayyan, hari churiyan
Bayyan pakar dhar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Translation:
you have taken away my looks, my identity, by just a glance.
By making me drink the wine of love-potion,
you’ve intoxicated me by just a glance;
my fair, delicate wrists with green bangles in them,
Have been held tightly by you with just a glance.
These are words that have been penned down by Hazrat Amir Khusro (1253 – 1325) and immortalized by artists such as Fareed Ayaz, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and countless others. This is not considered as mere lamentation of the lover for his beloved but it has subtle meanings weaved in this beautiful web of words that has continued to captivate generations since Hazrat Amir Khusro rose to prominence in the royal Muslim courts as a musician.
Thus begins our discussion on the enigma that has been a polar figure in the eyes of the Hindu and Muslim nationalists but no one can deny his impact on the world of music that existed in the Sub-continent. Hazrat Amir Khusro is one of the most influential poets and musicians to have graced Medieval India. His work to uplift the development of music in South Asia at that time and bring in Persian elements of song and music into the foray changed the landscape of South Asian music forever.
This article will delve into the life of Amir Khusro and how he is viewed by Hindu and Muslim musicologists, historians and nationalists. This will be followed by the themes and messages that were contained in his poetry and the musical structure he sought and developed and, finally, discussing the impact of Hazrat Amir Khusro’s musicology that is prevalent in our music today.
Introduction
Hazrat Amir Khusro was a constant presence in the royal courts and stories of his court patronage, maqams, fusion of ragas, invention of sitar and tabla as well as his contribution in developing various forms of musical genres have influenced sub continental music for generations (Construction of Indian Music History, 2). As Lowell Lybarger discusses in his paper, The Construction of Indic Music History: Ideologies and Amir Khusrou, there are multiple sides of Amir Khusro that are presented to the world but it becomes slightly difficult to separate the facts from the folklore. Amir Khusro, the poet is well known primarily because his works are well preserved and are still published and distributed widely. Although, Amir Khusro the musician has a number of publications dedicated to him, his musical performances and ideas regarding music theory more or less do not survive today.
Hazrat Amir Khusro – A View from the Subcontinent
Historians remain divided regarding the legacy of Amir Khusro from both sides of the border i.e. Pakistan and India. This is primarily because of the Muslims that took over from the Hindus and brought a change in a lot of aspects of their lives. Music was one such case as it was primarily an outlet for religious sentiment that was offered by the Hindus. Even though it was overshadowed by the Brahmins and there remained a large class divide as the lower classes were cast aside to be background musicians only. However, with the advent of the Muslims, there came a rise in the court culture of music, which is where Amir Khusro also found his fame.
Although no one can doubt Khusro’s musical genius, the impact he has made on the Subcontinent’s music culture continues to be a polar topic. In India, he is highly praised for his musical nuances by Indian musicologists such as V.N. Bhatkande and Vishnu Digambar but this appreciation is limited. Discussion and exploration of Amir Khusro’s musical and poetic discourses remain limited and Bhatkande limits his talk on Amir Khusro in this brief description,
It was at his court that the famous Persian poet and musician Amir Khusro flourished. Amir Khusro has left a permanent mark on the music of Hindustan, inasmuch as it was he who introduced into the country the quavali mode of singing for the first time. He is also credited with having introduced several of our modern ragas like Zilaph…
(Construction of Indic Music History, 7)
On the other hand, in Pakistan, although Amir Khusro enjoys more popularity, the scholarship is limited in researching his life. Most of the sources that are present and what Pakistani researchers have presented are oral traditions passed down from Muslim court musicians from that era. Moreover, where Hindu nationalists tend to focus on the Hindu development of music and their impact, Pakistani nationalist writers focus more on the Muslim era and consequently, Amir Khusro becomes a focal point in their discussion on the development of music in this region.
Numerous Pakistani writers have worked specifically on the development of musicology and well known musicologists and historians such as Husain Khan, Agha Nasir, M.Saeed Malik, Nargis Naheed and Saleem A. Gilani have aided much to the research that we have available today even though written sources have been scarce to come by. To provide a slight anti-thesis from the viewpoint expressed from across the border, the Pakistani writers stress that music in the subcontinent was saved and developed by Muslims as Saleem A. Gilani mentions in his work:
… Hazrat Amir Khusro produced numerous forms and an endless variety of musical expressions that gave aesthetics its rightful place in the hitherto grammar-ridden music… As a matter of fact the music of the Sub-continent as practiced today owes its entire structure and grammar to Hazrat Amir Khusro. As pointed out by Pandit Brahspati the Vedic or Shahstriya Music may have existed in the past but that music is totally extinct and has no bearings on the musical expression of today. It is hoped that through this book, music lovers will get a fairly accurate idea of the classical traditions of music in South Asia and its enrichment by the Muslim saints, Sufis, kings, courtiers, scholars and musicologists.
(Construction of Indic Music History, 13)
Khusro’s Poetry – Themes and Influences:
Amir Khusro’s poetry has a number of themes, mostly about the Divine and his influences. His poetry is filled with references to the beloved and is therefore considered mystical poetry. He has authored over 90 books, most of them are different forms of Divans and Mathnavis. He has tackled a wide variety of topics in his books – from the culture of India to discussing discourses with his teacher, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya to using wine imagery to describe his lamentation for his beloved to praising the Prophet (pbuh) and glorifying God. – These books are considered masterpieces in ghazal tradition as well as rich vessels of poetic imagery.
One of his most influential poems is Man Kunto Maula (1) which is a praise poem for Hazrat Ali (RA) and is based on a Hadith. The poem has been adapted as a famous Qawalli and has been performed by countless number of artists over the years. However, the significance of this poem lies in the spiritual message that it tends to give out. Hazrat Ali (RA) is considered as the first Sufi and as Sufism is based on a system of Silsilas with one Sufi being a teacher for another and so on; this chain of mystics always ends with Hazrat Ali (RA) and as a result, he is greatly revered by all mystics for his beliefs, talks and way of life. Thus, Amir Khusro’s homage to Hazrat Ali (RA) not only helped people remember the significance of Hazrat Ali’s life to the Sufi way of thinking but also helped immortalize his name amongst those people who perform and listen to Qawallis. Man Kunto Maula is one of the most oft performed Qawallis of all times. Such is the significance of this Qawalli that every Qawalli performance in every shrine or otherwise starts and ends with this Qawalli as it signifies the full circle of appreciating the originators of Sufi thought and paying their respects. One of the most popular versions of this Qawalli was performed by Ustaad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and can be found readily on a number of places online (1).
Khusro’s Impact on Sub continental Poetry and Music:
Amir Khusro was well versed in both Iranian and the Indian system of music and their intricacies. As a result, one can study his work and easily spot his influence on both systems of music as he attempted to bridge the two throughout his work. He is responsible for a number of melodies including Mujir, sazgari, aiman, ushsha’k, muwafik, ghazan, zilaf, farghana, sarpada, bakhara, firdost, mun’am, kaul, tarana, khayal, nigar, basit, shahana and suhila (Music in Muslim Idea, 333). Some of these melodies are a bridge between the Persian and Indian systems of music while others are directly inspired by one of them, highlighting Amir Khusro’s versatility as a musician and showcasing his command and understanding of music.
Moreover, he is also responsible for coming up with some of the most well-known genres including tarana, chhand, parband, git, kaul, kilbanah, naksh and gul. Since his works were always evolving and bringing about new ideas, he was considered a separatist from the classical form of music that was prevalent at the time. As he became more popular with his works, his development of music led to the rise of a schismatic school and more and more people started to indulge in musical forms that were separate from the classical forms of music. (Music in Muslim India, 333)
Furthermore, the development and performance of ghazal and qawalli can be credited to Khusro as well. He is also considered one of the principal contributors to the development of the tabla and sitar although the latter is not mentioned in his works. It might be that the sitar was developed during Khusro’s time in India even though its origins can be traced in Caucasia before Khusro’s time. Nevertheless, he went on to develop these instruments such that many modern musicians benefit from the rules laid down by him (Muslim Attitude, 89). Well-known artists such as the sitar player, Shujat Husain, have credited Hazrat Amir Khusro’s impact on South Asian music and their work often revolves around one of the tunes or melodies that Hazrat Amir Khusro had developed.
Khusro’s Impact on Qawalli Tradition:
Hazrat Amir Khusro is closely associated with the genre of qaul which in turn in possibly related to the khiyal form over which Hazrat Amir Khusro has had great influence over as well. The singing form of Qawalli is directly developed from qaul in the subcontinent with the Chisti order of Sufism playing a major role in developing it to what it is today. Hazrat Amir Khusro is credited with this form of singing as many of his poetic works including Man Kunto Maula, Chaap Tilak, Zehaal e Miskeen and Rung are fervently sung by Contemporary Qawals.
In Pakistan, this tradition has been ever present because of the active participation in visiting shrines and listening to various Qawal singers, however, it was made popular by a number of people including the Qawal group; Sabri brothers, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Aziz Mian, Zila Khan and Fareed Ayaz. They helped bring this culture into mainstream music. One of these performers, Fareed Ayaz, rose to stardom because of a series of performances that were based on Hazrat Amir Khusro’s poetry including the 42 minute epic, Chaap Tilak (2), which captivated audiences and became one of his most popular recordings to date. Since then, he has also been a part of a number of commercial productions including a performance of Rung (3), another performance based on Hazrat Amir Khusro’s poetry, and performing a Qawalli, Kangana, in the famous movie The Reluctant Fundamentalist (4).
Hazrat Amir Khusro’s Musical Legacy – Tabla and Sitar:
There is an element of spirituality that still attaches itself to Qawalli since the message that is sung is so strong and meaningful for so many people. Hazrat Amir Khusro is thus a mystic whose words are full of meaning comprising of the esoteric and exoteric sciences. However, this spirituality can be reflected in his musical excursions just as strongly as well. His development of the Tabla is an instrument that closely mimics the heartbeat as it provides rhythm. The player has to strike the tabla from the base of their palm, which is the area where the heartbeat of a person can be most clearly gauged, thus developing a link of the player’s heart with the instrument. There is an important spiritual connotation attached to this as a tabla player provides a rhythm for all the other performers and in case any one of them loses their cue, they can always listen to the rhythm of the tabla and find their way back into rhythm.
Similarly, as this is an instrument that is so closely related to the heart and it is an integral part of any performance, it is related directly to spirituality by the mystics. A tabla player has to play from the heart and once he does that, he will always find his rhythm and help the others around him to stay in rhythm as well. Hazrat Amir Khusro laid down the rules to perfect the tabla and developed it in order to pay homage to all his influences to whom he wrote poetry about.
There have been a number of great tabla players that have been produced in the subcontinent over the years including Zakir Hussain, Vinod Lele, Amit Choubey and Abhijit Banarjee to name a few. In particular, Zakir Husain has had a stellar career as he started out as a local tabla musician and ended up travelling all over the world with his group, performing classical music and focusing especially on the tabla (5).
There has also been a lot of work done in making the sitar; an instrument that has become widely used in classical performances. Although Hazrat Amir Khusro is sometimes credited with developing this instrument as well, the verdict is not clear on the matter as the literature available to back this claim remains scarce. However, this hasn’t stopped artists from learning the instrument and perform classical music with the rules laid down by Hazrat Amir Khusro. Famous sitar players such as Shujat Husain have become one of the most respected classical sitar players in the world who has collaborated with different artists over the years as well. One such performance that utilizes the tabla and the sitar together is a memorable performance by Amit Choubey and Shujaat Husain which can be viewed easily on a number of sources online (6).
Such duets which involve two solo musicians has also become really popular over the years and this practice is known as Jugalbandi. It almost always has the tabla in it to provide the basic rhythm and structure to the melody, however, the other instrument can be anything else though the popular choices include Sitar and tabla. Even though this practice has been around for a number of years, it was made particularly famous by performance of Salman Ahmed, the band Junoon’s lead guitarist, with a local tabla player. This performance (7) was a huge commercial hit with many modern day renditions following suit and it also helped to introduce Hazrat Amir Khusro’s classical instruments to meet their modern day counter parts.
Remembering Hazrat Amir Khusro:
It cannot be denied that Hazrat Amir Khusro had a principal impact on the development of music and poetry tradition in the subcontinent. He played an integral role in the development of music genres that went beyond the classical genre and opened up new venues for upcoming artists, not only for his time but for the future as well. His diversity as a musician himself, helped modern day musicians to revisit his poetry and revive his musical pieces by reinventing them according to the demands of the era. This has not only helped the classical genre to evolve but has also allowed to bridge modern day music with these old genres which have become a great success on their own.
All in all, no matter what side of the border one is or from what background one hails from, if someone wants to study the evolution of music and poetry in the subcontinent, there will not be a lot of outliers such as Hazrat Amir Khusro. His legacy remains and continues to live with his work and is only set to grow as more and more people become interested to read up on music history and find him at the core of the melodies we hold so dear to our hearts.
Appendix
1. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – Man Kunto Maula -
2. Fareed Ayaz – Chaap Tilak (Live) -
3. Fareed Ayaz – Rung (Coke Studio) -
4. Fareed Ayaz – Kangana -
5. Ustad Zakir Hussain - Tabla Solo -
6. Amit Choubey & Shujaat Hussain – Tabla & Sitar Performance
Works Cited
Ahmad, Aziz. "Muslim Attitude and Contribution to Music in India." History of Indian Music. 86-92. Print.
Lybarger, Lowell. "The Construction of Indic Music History: Ideologies and Amir Khusrau." N.P.: N.P., n.d. N. pag. Print.
Rizvi, Haider. "Music in Muslim India." Islamic Culture. 332-40. Print.