Revival of calligraphy in Kashmir

Srinagar, May 15 (ANI): The Jammu and Kashmir academy of Art Culture and Languages is running courses to facilitate the revival of rare calligraphic work.

The Academy is providing all facilities to the students including notebooks, pens, charts, and black ink during the three year's course for calligraphy diploma.

"The art suffered during the period of insurgency in Kashmir. But now thankfully it is reviving. The academy has shown a lot of interest in it in the past two to three years and is working for the progression of the art," said Syeda Nayeema, incharge calligraphy Cultural Academy

Boys and girls in the state are taking up these courses with a lot of interest.

"It was a very famous art earlier. But now the modern parents want their children to study and not indulge in anything else. I was studying too but I thought that I should learn this art as it is a part of our tradition," said Sabeena, a student.

"With the advent of computers such an art is in danger," said Saba Akhtar, another student.

"It (calligraphy) was on its way to become extinct as everything is now done on computers. It has stopped for some time due to turmoil but now the academy is making efforts to revive it. People too are showing interest in it now," she added.

Calligraphy in Kashmir flourished under the Mughals. They used to employ calligraphers to copy important works.

Initially, the calligraphists were brought from central Asia as they had knowledge of paper from China whereas the Indian calligraphists worked on birch bark.

The calligraphists of Kashmir are said to have invented an irremovable ink. By Afzal Bhat (ANI)