Amir Khusraw Dihlavi

Born in 1253 and known widely as Amir Khusrau or Amir Khusraw Dihlavi, he was an Indo-Persian poet, musician, and writer who lived during the Delhi Sultanate. He served in several royal courts in Delhi and became one of the best-known Persian-language poets of medieval India.

He is often celebrated as the "Parrot of India" and is closely connected with the Chishti Sufi tradition through his devotion to Nizamuddin Auliya. Alongside lyrical poetry and narrative masnavis, he also wrote historical works, and his reputation grew across both literary and musical traditions.

Many later traditions credit him with an important role in the development of qawwali and early Hindavi verse. Some of those claims are part history and part legend, but there is no doubt that his influence has lasted for centuries in poetry, music, and popular memory across the Indian subcontinent.