In defense of the Penmanship

Pandemic seems to have a strange way of reviving the ancient art of handwriting in the age of keyboard as the denizens of Kashmir are coming up with enchanting ways to present calligraphy in a competition recently organised by a non government organisation.

Despite the advent of printing, Islamic art remains an integral part of south Asia’s artistic heritage. Calligraphy (mostly of Quranic verses in Arabic) can still very much be recognised especially in vicinity of Mughal-era monuments, and contemporary Islamic places of worship. Earlier it was also carved by the artists in the jewellery and other embellishments adorned by mughal rulers.  

Once held in high esteem the exacting art demands precision and a good sense of geometry but new generations use the latest techniques to make different art on papers and some artists take the help of computers for doing the artwork. The art competition, organised by a local NGO “Shama” recently saw the participation of 14 people, mostly girls.

In a live calligraphy competition held to give promotion to the talent of calligraphy artists. The prize money of ₹6000 was also presented to the winner as a token of encouragement.

It was a commendable initiative, seeing the rise in the number of youngsters in Kashmir taking up calligraphy to weather the despondency of harsh lockdown. In social media, there have seen many calligraphy artists and competitions, The organisation intends to promote other lesser-known art forms in the future.

Scientifically speaking, drawing each letter by hand  improves cognitive strength as we really have a “body memory”.

We may have been in the highly digitized world but Writing is still very much alive in our surroundings in advertising, signing, graffiti and street demonstrations and graphic arts and calligraphy are certainly thriving.

Cover image by ANI