Zihaal-e- miskeen

From the last few weeks,a song has been trending over YouTube titled 'Zihal e miskin' sung by Shreya Ghoshal.While many people do know that's it's a remake of the song from the 1985 Bollywood movie 'Ghulami' and was sung by the 'Nightingale of India'-Lata Mangeshkar ji but what many DO NOT KNOW is that the song was composed centuries ago-eight hundred years ago...by one of the greatest literary gems of the nation called as the 'parrot of India' (tota-e-Hind) -Amir Khusro

And that is what precisely this blog is about.

It's peculiarity

In the remake,the lyrics are different from the old one except the title and the chorus from which it gets it's name "Zihal e miskin", It's the soul of the musical piece,which is in Farsi while the rest of the song is in Hindustani.The chorus goes like this:

"Zihaal e miskin makun ba-ranjish

  Behaale Hijra bechara Dil hai"

Translation -Mujh ghareeb ki halat ko is tarah Ranjish(gusse) se na dekho,

Kyunki ye bechara Dil to waise hi judai mein

Behaal/maayoos hai..

It doesn't translate really well in English so

You may try for yourself.

History lesson📖

It's poet-Amir Khusro was a singer,a scholar, a warrior and a spiritual disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya.He was born in Patiyali ,Uttar Pradesh in 1253.Yes,during the reign of Delhi Sultanate.He came from a multicultural background.His father was of turkic descent (similar to the Sultan of that time, Iltutmish) who took refuge in India as his birthplace Samarkand was ravaged by Genghis Khan's invasion of Central Asia.His mother Bibi Daulat Naz was a native Indian.

He was well versed in many languages.He primarily wrote in Farsi and Hindavi.You must have read some of  his poetry in school or atleast listen to it like chhaap tilak,raini chadhi rasool ki etc .His mother was from a noble family.Her father was the war minister of Ghiyasuddin Balban.Khusro too joined the army of Malik Chhajju,a nephew of the Sultan,Balban.But despite all these royal connections,he was a man who sat with common folk,chat and sing with them.

Story behind the poem

Malik Chhajju was impressed by Khusro's poetic genius and Khusro soon became his darbari and then friend.Malik would invite Khusro over his place.In evenings,mehfils were organised,Sher-o-Shayri(poetry),singing would happen.One such day,Malik Chhajju invited Bughra Khan, the Sultan's son to his home from Punjab.Malik Chhajju asked Bughra Khan what he would like to listen  introducing Amir Khusro. Bughra said that since Khusro was an Indian poet,so ofcourse he would recite in Hindavi.When Chhajju said Khusro could recite in Farsi as well, Bughra couldn't believe that someone living in Delhi could write in Farsi.Then Khusro said"How about something which has both Persian and Indian touch to it" to which both said-Irshad,Irshad! And then Khusro recited. The first two lines of which were:

"Zihaal-e-miskeen makun taghaful

Duraye Naina banaye batiyaan"

Translation -Mujh gareeb ke haal ko is tarah nazar andaaz na karo

Yun aankhein na phero,baatein na banao

The first line is in Farsi,the second is in Braj Bhasha,the third is in Farsi and again in Braj Bhasha.This is the case throughout the poem.The way Khusro mixed these two languages left Bughra Khan mesmerised and even after almost a millennia,people listen to this masterpiece and it's "remaked".

I believe that "Zihal- e-miskeen" truly  captures the spirit of this nation-diverse

blend of different cultures,languages and yet so interconnected,complementing in nature and beautiful altogether.

Sources-NCERT YT channel    

https://youtube.com/watch?v=RZwb5VnBJ9o&feature=share9  

Wikipedia

And yes u can listen to the original song with this link!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FKojb_16X5Q&feature=share9