Calligraphy makes a comeback in schools through workshops, courses

Calligraphy is gaining popularity among school students through workshops and training programmes conducted by local artists. While the traditional art helps improve handwriting and creativity, calligraphers say professional opportunities have declined due to technology, though demand remains for specialised decorative work.

Hyderabad: Calligraphy, the beautiful handwriting art, has now reached schools through workshops and a short or long term course. Students are now learning decorative writing from experts to improve their handwriting skills as well as to give a beautiful look to their project work.

Till a few years ago, the ornate art of lettering was on the verge of losing its sheen and identity, until a few city-based calligraphers took it upon themselves to take the art to the school children.

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“We reached out to several schools and offered to teach the students the art of calligraphy, and the school managements responded positively. Now we conduct offline workshops and basic short-term courses for children in the schools to help them learn the ancient art,” said Mohd Zahid Akram, of Zahid’s Calligraphy Studio Quli Qutb Shahi Nagar, near Golconda.

The word Calligraphy originates from the Greek terms kallos (beauty) and graphein (to write), literally translating to “beautiful writing”. The art focuses on expressive, harmonious, and skillful letterforms created using specialised pens, brushes, or digital instruments.

“Unlike everyday handwriting or cursive, calligraphy involves lifting the writing instrument between strokes and varying the pressure to create thick down strokes and thin upstrokes. A different set of pens is used in calligraphy, and learning is not an expensive affair,” said Arif Ahmed, a calligrapher.

These days there are only a few learners for Urdu and Arabic language calligraphy, and the number is quite high for English calligraphy, he added.

After the large-scale use of computers and laptops, the demand for professional calligraphers has come down. “Previously, people learned calligraphy to become a professional and earn their livelihood. It is not just for passion; people are learning,” said Arif.

In the Chatta Bazar, a market in the Old City which is famous for its printing press where wedding cards are printed, there are quite a handful of calligraphers. The artists here take up various projects such as writing religious texts, wedding invitations, and decorative frames.

“When it comes to lettering the wedding invitations, people bargain a lot. A wedding invitation card costs Rs 200 to Rs 300 each, but people hesitate to pay Rs 10 per card to the calligrapher,” complains Tajamul Khan, a calligrapher at Chatta Bazaar.