# Sanson Ki Mala Pe

"Sanson Ki Mala Pe" (Hindi: साँसों की माला पे; "on the rosary of breaths") is a qawwali song composed by the legendary Pakistani singer-songwriter Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. It was first played by Khan during his first visit to India in 1979, when Indian actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor invited him at the wedding of his son Rishi Kapoor.
The song's devotional content, dedicated to Lord Krishna, has made it a favorite among Hindu devotees, who often include it in their devotional gatherings as a bhajan. The song continues to be a popular choice for performances at both bhajan and qawwali concerts.
However, the song's authorship has sparked debates and discussions, particularly among individuals from Hindu and Muslim backgrounds. Observing the comments associated with this song, it becomes evident that there is a clear divide between Hindus and Muslims regarding its authorship. Many Hindus assert that the song was written by Mirabai, while Muslims claim that it was penned by Amir Khusrau. Unfortunately, the replies to these comments often reveal a sense of animosity and superiority between individuals from these two communities.
It is important to note that attributing the song to Mirabai is historically inaccurate. The language used in "Sanson Ki Mala Pe" is Modern Hindi, an Indo-Aryan language that evolved from Sanskrit and underwent standardization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Mirabai lived in the 16th century and primarily composed her bhajans in Rajasthani. The form of Hindi used in "Sanson Ki Mala Pe" did not even exist at that time. Additionally, the song's terminology and literary style do not match with Mirabai's other bhajans. To get an idea of what Meera bhajans sounded like, one can listen to albums like "Chala Wahi Des: Lata Sings Meera Bhajans" by Lata Mangeshkar and "Meera Bhajans - M.S. Subbulakshmi" by M.S. Subbulakshmi.
Amir Khusrau, on the other hand, a poet from the 13th and 14th centuries, primarily wrote poetry in Persian but also in Hindavi (early Hindi). Although the qaul (a hymn sung at the opening or closing of qawwali) of certain qawwali renditions of "Sanson Ki Mala Pe" by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan might bear resemblance to Amir Khusrau's work, particularly his renowned song "Chaap Tilak,"it would be inaccurate to attribute the entire song "Sanson Ki Mala Pe" solely to Amir Khusrau, applying the same rationale as in the case of Mirabai.
After conducting extensive research, I have discovered that the song "Sanson Ki Mala Pe" is actually based on a ghazal titled "sāñsoñ kī maalā par simroñ nisdin pī kā naam" by Tufail Hoshiarpuri, a renowned film song lyricist and poet from Lahore, Pakistan. This finding sheds light on the true origin of the song and provides valuable insights into its lyrical composition.
Tufail Hoshiarpuri was also a devotee of Lord Krishna, and his major writings were devoted to Lord Krishna as well. The literary style and terminology used in "Sanson Ki Mala Pe" are similar to his other writings in Hindi. The book "Soch Mala" by Tufail Hoshiarpuri is a collection of his original works, and it includes the aforementioned ghazal "sāñsoñ kī maalā par simroñ nisdin pī kā naam."
The attribution of "Sanson Ki Mala Pe" to Mirabai is merely a rumor being spread by Hindu priests who sing this song in temples and are reluctant to acknowledge that it was written by a Muslim poet. It was later re-written as a song and was performed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan during his first visit to India in 1979 at the wedding of Rishi Kapoor. The song is frequently sung at Hindu devotional gatherings.

## Remakes

In 1996, the song was recomposed by Nadeem–Shravan for the film Jeet, starring Sunny Deol, Karisma Kapoor, and Salman Khan.
It was also recreated for the 1997 Hindi film Koyla. It was recomposed by Rajesh Roshan, sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy, and picturized on Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit.
Later, Michael Winterbottom used the original version of the song as a soundtrack in his 2011 film Trishna, starring Freida Pinto and Riz Ahmed.
In 2020, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan paid homage to his uncle Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan with a cover version of the song, saying, "Sanson Ki Mala [is] a Qawwali very close to my heart, and this time it has been presented as a fusion track, conceptualised by Salman Ahmed. I dedicate the release to my mentor, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and my father, Ustad Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan."
In 2023, the song was remade as "Simroon Tera Naam" by Manan Bhardwaj and sung by Sachet Tandon for the T-Series Hindi film Yaariyan 2.