Progress Of Indic Languages Vs English

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Amir Khusrau was a neo-convert Muslim, born in Eta district of UP. His parents (and grand parents) were Hindus who converted to Islam, probably when he was young, during tuglak rule of North India, probably under the chisht sufia influence.

Literarature-wise, his contribution was in penetrating local Hindi dialects with Farsi influence. Before him, while Farsi was already the language of the rulers, but it was still not powerful enough to penetrate the people's toungues.

He created the Gazal style of poetry and singing, and also took Farsi influence to lokgeets. While he preserved the local structure of songs and sentiments, he did develop of a synthesis with Farsi. This language he called 'Hindavi', and to himself he called Hindavi Turk.

He did an interesting and unique experiment to acheive this penetration and popularization. I am not aware of any other similar experiment before him. (members please enlighten me if I am mistaken here.)

The experiment was to develop folk songs - in which first line is in Farsi and the second line in Hindavi with the same meaning. This way with the song, people of both languages learn the other language.

Does someone remember the famous song adopetd in a Hindi film that became hit (GulAmI of JP Dutta - with Mithun Chakravarty and Anita Raj in lead)? The song filmed on roof top of a Bus in the scenary of RajpUtAnA was "Jahaal-e-miskeen, mukun tagafful, ki taambe hijra me sara dil hai..."). This was adoptation from an Amir Khusro creation.

The original song will be like this: (Farsi words in green, Hindavi in red)

ज हाले मिस्कीं मकुन, तगाफुल,
दुराए नैना बनाए बतिया।
कि तांबे हिजरां, न दारम ऐ जां,
न लेहू काहे लगा ए छतिया।
न नींद नैन न अंग चैना, न आप आये न भेजी पतियां।

each following line is a translation of preceding Farsi line, in perfect rhyme. This way he tried to popularize Farsi and Hindavi into each other.

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The andhra-s having borne the brunt of the rampaging ghazi-s seem to have acquired a lot of urdu words that seem to be very different from the sanskritizing effect of the aShTa-dig-gajalu. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

This kind of attempted synthesis and penetration is to be also found later in the poetry of Golkunda poets, where they attempted it with telugu too. Some of those love-songs written display this mixing of Telugu, Hindavi with Arabi, Farsi, which did develop in a Farsi-influenced 'dakkhani'.

Anyways, so many things are said about Khusro - some say he was a bigot who abused Hindu art like Hussain is doing these days (if he tried, at least he seems to have not succeeded). Some say he was very generous and tolerant.

To what extent he succeeded in Farsi-ization of popular local languages, can not be said, but his efforts were monumental. He is said to have composed 1726 gazals which are available in Farsi, and almost equal number of Hindavi lokageets!

Of his original writings most are lost. He did write several books, 3 of which are known - khalik bArI, hAlAt-i-kanhaiya, najarAn-i-Hindi. Of these only the first is authentically available. The last two, as the title suggests, might have thrown more light about his attitude to Hindus. But we only largely know him through the prism of available traditions.