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Who is known as the 'Tuti-e-Hind' (Parrot of India) and is regarded as the father of qawwali?
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Answer: Option C — Amir Khusrau
Detailed Solution
Amir Khusrau, the great poet, musician and scholar of the Delhi Sultanate, is known as the "Tuti-e-Hind" ("Parrot of India") and is regarded as the "father of qawwali".
About Amir Khusrau:
- He was born in 1253 at Patiali, in present-day Uttar Pradesh, and died in 1325 in Delhi.
- His father was a Turkish noble, and his mother was of Indian origin.
- He served at the courts of several Sultans of Delhi, from the time of Balban to the time of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.
- He was a close disciple of the Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya, and is buried near his master's tomb in Delhi.
Why he is called the "Parrot of India":
He was called "Tuti-e-Hind" because of the sweetness and beauty of his poetry.
His contributions to literature:
- He wrote in Persian, and also in Hindavi (an early form of Hindi-Urdu).
- He composed poems, riddles (paheliyan), and verses that are still popular.
- His works include "Khazain-ul-Futuh" (on military campaigns), "Qiran-us-Sadain", "Miftah-ul-Futuh", "Tughlaq Nama" and "Nuh Sipihr".
- In "Nuh Sipihr" ("Nine Skies"), he praised India, its people, its languages and its scholars.
- NCERT notes that he wrote about the languages of India in 1318, listing regional languages such as Sindhi, Lahori, Kashmiri, Bengali, Gauri, Gujarati, Telangani and others.
His contributions to music:
- He is regarded as the father of "qawwali", a form of devotional Sufi music.
- He is credited with introducing new ragas and musical forms that blended Persian and Indian music, such as "tarana" and "khayal" (some forms are attributed to him by tradition).
- According to tradition, he invented (or improved) instruments such as the sitar and the tabla, though historians are not certain about this.
- The annual Urs (death anniversary) at Nizamuddin's dargah is famous for qawwali.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Amir Hasan Sijzi was a poet who recorded Nizamuddin Auliya's conversations.
- ✗Ziauddin Barani was a historian.
- ✗Malik Muhammad Jayasi wrote "Padmavat" (1540).
Quick tip
Remember: Amir Khusrau = "Tuti-e-Hind" (Parrot of India), father of qawwali; disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya; Nuh Sipihr (praised India).
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Art & Culture Personalities — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Art & Culture Personalities, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the people behind India's art and culture: classical and folk dancers, vocalists and instrumentalists, painters, sculptors, theatre and film personalities, and the gurus who founded or revived art forms. Questions also cover the art form each person is known for and the honours they have received. Exams typically name a person and ask for their art form, or name an art form and ask who popularised it. Recent Padma award winners from the arts appear often, so link each name to the field and state the award was given for. Since award lists change every year, always revise from the latest official list rather than relying on older notes. Practise the art and culture personalities questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.