Amir Khusrau, the legendary poet of the 13th century, was the son of a refugee from Uzbekistan. Khusrau was born in modern day Uttar Pradesh. Though he called himself an ‘Indian Turk’, his grasp and love of India’s languages and culture made him a key figure in India’s pluralist legacy – as the following verse demonstrates.
The people of Khita, Mongols, Turks and Arabs
In (speaking) Indian dialects get sewn lips
But we can speak any language of the world
As expertly as a shepherd tends his sheep
(Source: Idea of India in Amir Khusrau)
His guru, Nizamuddin Auliya, introduced him to Sufi mysticism. Khusrau, accustomed to the good life of Delhi’s Sultanate, began to disregard the material world for the spiritual.
Since we’ve pulled our skirts back
From the spread of worldly wares,
We’ve rolled up our clothes
And moved to Mendicant Alley.
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