Islamic

Calligraphy
Calligraphy as an art in the present
times.

Ghalib Academy
Near Nizamuddin Dargah
Calligraphy was taught here 6 to 8 months back. The course has
now been shut because there are no takers.
Urdu Ghar
I.T.O (Ring Road)
Calligraphy classes were stopped some 4 years back.
Iran Culture House
Tilak Marg, near India Gate

Mr Majid Ahmady

Now works in Iran Culture House. He used to do

calligraphy before.
He had an exhibition of his work at the National
Museum 3 years back. He has also delivered lectures
and seminars on the subject of calligraphy in the same
place.

According to him the art of calligraphy is at its decline

in India. Due to the coming of computers nobody cares
about calligraphy anymore. Thus there are very few
genuine artists left. In the past 10 years people doing
calligraphy have slowly moved on to newspapers.
Ms Safara

Works in Iran Culture House. She is rewriting a book in Nastaliq

which is written in Naskh.

She is here only for 2 years and will then go back to her
hometown Iran.
She started learning calligraphy as a child at an age of 8 years.
Since then she has been practicing this art.
Jama Masjid

There is one calligrapher here who is still practicing.

However he earns out of writing books in Arabic and Urdu.
He has been interviewed by ‘The Hindu’.
There are also a few articles that he has written on
calligraphy which have been published in the papers.

Mr Anis Siddiqi

He used to practice calligraphy in the past. But since there

are no students now he is working in Miranda House, Delhi
University where he teaches English calligraphy.
He has a studio where he sometimes likes to work on the
art. He has also conducted workshops on calligraphy
through Spic Macay.
The exhibition

1 – 8th April 2008

Venue : Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Mati Ghar.

An exhibition of work by five different calligraphers.

The entire exhibition was conceptualized Mr Abbas Hasnain

and Sameera, his wife.
Hashim Akhtar Naqvi
Winner of Limca Book of World Records.
Is an expert in 5000 different calligraphic styles.

Awards :
First prize for the “Innovative Calligraphy” at the All India
competition of calligraphy organised by Jammu and
Kashmir Academy of Arts, Culture and Languages,
Srinagar in 1989.

Tauheed-ul-Muslimeen Trust awarded certificate of merit

1991-1992.

Out of a total 113 Bismillah…. Designs the Dar-ul-Quran

publishers, Bombay used 52 Bismillah…. Designs for
their ‘Al Quran’(Waraqi).
Mr Javed Abbasi
Delhi
Calligrapher
He does calligraphy using small wooden sticks.
Sz Mumtaz Ali Khan
Calligrapher
Tonk, Rajasthan
Raza Zaidi
Calligraphy on Canvas
Agha Mohammad
Hassan
Calligraphy with pulses
Mohammad Usuf
Embroidery on cloth,
Lucknow
Conclusions

The art of calligraphy is now declining. The

major reason for this is the introduction of
typewriters and computers in the daily lives of
people.

Financially this art gives the artist no prospects

of a bright future. Thus there are no takers for it.
Nobody wants to learn the art anymore.
 Kanika Gupta
Communication Design
Semester 6
2008