Amir Khosrow the Father of Indo-Persian literature

After the Indo-Iran contact in 11th century, development and expansion of Persian language in India inspired many Indian poets, writers and Sufis to express their thoughts and feelings in Persian language. Amir Khosrow of Delhi was one of them. His works represent the beginning of a new trend in Indo-Persian literature and the influence of Indian literature on Persian writings in India and he inspired many other Indians to begin writing poetry in Persian in the Indian sub-continent. Amir Khosrow played pioneering role to fully develop Persian literature in the subcontinent and thus he emerged as the Father of Indo-Persian literature in India. He was a prolific and versatile poet and his contributions to Indo-Persian literature were rich and profound which earned him a high stature in the annals of Indo-Persian poetry. Amir Khosrow as a great medieval literary personality of Indian history played similar literary role which Rudaki performed in Greater Khorasan. In this paper, I will juxtapose Amir Khosrow's place as a founder of Persian literature in India vis a vis Rudaki. Both Rudaki and Khosrow appear on parallel lines to map the developments of Persian and Indo-Persian literature in Iran and India. What Rudaki was to the Greater Khorasan, Khosrow was to the Greater India. Hence, the former was called Sha’er i Khorasan or the Poet of Khorasan and the latter was regarded Tuti i Hind or the Nightingale of India.