RAS question
Akbar's Navratnas (Nine Jewels) did NOT include:
Correct answer: (B) Amir Khusro.
Amir Khusro was not one of Akbar's Navratnas because he lived from 1253 to 1325, centuries before Akbar's court.
Explanation
Amir Khusro is the odd one out because the timeline rules him out. Britannica identifies him as an Indo-Persian poet, musician and historian born in 1253 and dead in 1325, and notes that he served rulers of the Delhi Sultanate. Akbar's Navratnas belonged to Akbar's court much later, with Birbal, Tansen, Abul Fazl, Faizi, Raja Todar Mal, Raja Man Singh, Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan, Fakir Aziao-Din and Mullah Do-Piaza among the Nine Jewels. So the issue is not Amir Khusro's historical importance; the key distinction is between the Sultanate period and the Mughal court culture associated with Akbar.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Abul Fazl is wrong as the answer because he belonged to Akbar's Nine Jewels.
- (C) Tansen is wrong as the answer because he was one of Akbar's court figures.
- (D) Birbal is wrong as the answer because he was one of Akbar's Navratnas.
Concept
This tests the chronology of medieval Indian history, especially the distinction between the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal period. RAS repeats such questions because court personalities, rulers and cultural figures are easy to confuse across dynasties.