Press Release
On the second day of online learning classes ‘Beejakshara’, a session on ‘The Art of Calligraphy’ (Arabic, Persian and Urdu’ was presented on the JKK Facebook page. The hour-long class was conducted by calligraphy artist, Mr. Khurshid Alam. The programme was organized by the Department of Art and Culture, Government of Rajasthan in collaboration with JKK and the Arabian and Persian Research Institute, Tonk.
The class began with a brief introduction to Arabic, Persian and Urdu calligraphy. The artist spoke about the works of historically famous calligraphy masters who have made significant contributions with their work in the world of beautiful penmanship. These masters included – Ibn al-Bawwab, Yaqut al-Musta’simi, Abdul Rashid Delmi, Ejaz Raqam Shamsuddin, among others. Talking about the significant contributions of master calligrapher, Mir Ali Tabrizi, he said that Mir Ali Tabrizi was the practitioner of Persian calligraphy which is used even today by many calligraphers for Urdu calligraphy.
The artist introduced the various styles of Arabic, Persian and Urdu calligraphy. These included – Khat-e-Sulus, Khat-e- Ruqʿah, Khat-e-Nastaleeq, Khat-e-Diwani and Khat-e-Naskh. During the session, he also explained how ‘Reed Pens’ are cut to create writing tools for different writing styles. The ink prepared for this type of calligraphy is made using ‘Kajal’ (Kohl), ‘Gond’ (Gum) and water. One can also use store-bought ink in different colours to practice calligraphy, he said. The artist also gave a step-by-step demonstration of writing Arabic, Persian and Urdu script, pen holding techniques, writing movement, analysing measurements for different letters, practicing the pen angles from thick to thin strokes and progressing through shapes to write out letters.
Tomorrow’s Programme on Thursday, 10 September
On Thursday, 10 September, ‘Beejakshara’ will conclude with an online learning class on the ‘Art of Book Binding. It will be conducted by Mr. Rajendra Kumar.
It is to be noted that the online learning session will be available on JKK’s Facebook page on https://www.facebook.com/jawaharkalakendra.jaipur/