A video has emerged from Ganpati celebrations this September where Indian Composer and Singer, Shankar Mahadevan, sang Chhap Tilak Sab Chheeni, a 14th-century composition by the Islamic poet Amir Khusrau. Belonging to an order of Sufis (mystical Islam), Khusrau is one of the most influential figures in the development of Indo-persian poetry, Chhap Tilak being one of his most popular works. Composed in Braj Bhasha (dialect of Hindi), this song resembles a Bhajan of the Shringar (Bridal Mysticism) genre. Also found in the mystical traditions of other religions, here devotion to a deity is expressed through the symbolism of romance where the poet adopts the voice of a female. Due to its affinity with Hindu Bhajans many Hindus, such as Mahadevan, sing Chhap Tilak without questioning its origins.
In this song, Khusrau expresses his devotion to his spiritual master, Nizamuddin Auliya, using the symbolic motive of a female losing her external religious marks (Chhap and Tilak) upon the glance of her beloved. Protagonists interpret these words as the process of spiritual transformation, where one transcends external symbols and ego through divine love. Others point to the song’s secular credentials of overcoming religious differences. Whilst the Tilak is very obviously a Hindu symbol, the word Chhap (imprint) is interpreted as the callous that appears on the heads of practicing Muslims after years of friction from bowing on prayer mats. Such interpretations however ignore the anti-Hindu nature of Khusrau, the court poet of fanatic Islamic rulers. In his Persian work, Khazain-ul-Futuh, Khusrau celebrated the desecration of Somnath and Chidambaran temples as the ‘triumph of Islam over infidelity’. Critics of Khusrau, assert that the word Chhap refers to symbols of Vishnu that are printed on the body of Vaishnavas and hence the song refers to the erasure of Hindu identity. Further problematic aspects of his song and its composer’s anti-Hindu views are explored by Shaili Raval [@shaili_rahul].
How do you interpret Chhap Tilak Sab Chheeni? Should Hindus sing this song?