JAY JOSHI
Calligraphy is an ancient art that has managed to remain cool over the years, and still continues to be popular. Despite the rise of computers and fonts, handmade calligraphic designs still enthrall people, and the demand for the art is growing across various sectors of industry and design. Apart from its commercial applications, calligraphy is also popular as a hobby, and is growing big in Goa in recent years.
“Calligraphy is witnessing a surge these days as people are more interested in handmade artefacts. From wedding invitations to well-designed handwritten notes, personalised cards, and sign boards related to corporate events, handwritten calligraphy is commanding a premium.” says calligraphy artist Apurva Salkar-Parulekar. Parulekar is set to conduct a calligraphy workshop on May 5 in Panaji. “Handwritten calligraphy is valued as it adds a personal touch to things, and the person for whom it is intended feels special” she states.
Apart from its commercial applications, calligraphy is an art form that has other benefits that perhaps touch a deeper chord, says Parulekar. “Calligraphy helps improve one’s handwriting, and also helps relax the mind” avers the artist, adding that the art has also helped people overcome depression.
Apart from Parulekar, a second workshop in calligraphy is set to take place in Margao from May 1 to 4, conducted by Sandesh Barazhankar.”Calligraphy is in great demand in Goa, not only for commercial purposes but also for learning. Calligraphy classes receive tremendous response in the state, and we are actually falling short of trainers” states Barazhankar, noting that there is a crunch of calligraphy trainers in Goa. He himself has been teaching calligraphy for the last eight years, and has so far conducted around 40 workshops.
“If one has the passion for calligraphy, one can start at any age, but it is advisable to start it after the age of 10 years as younger children might find it a bit strainful to hold the pen” elaborates Barazhankar. “Both Roman as well as Devanagari style calligraphy is popular, but Roman is comparatively easy to learn, and it is recommended to start with that.” says the calligraphy teacher, stressing that passion, practice, and patience are three key attributes needed of a sincere calligraphy enthusiast.
Calligraphy is further divided into two disciplines-traditional and modern. . That said, there are concerns that calligraphy can be a little expensive hobby as it involves using a range of different pens or brushes. However, that is a misunderstanding, says Parulekar. “Calligraphy pens and brushes come in different price ranges. The set of twelve pens that we use for our workshops costs around Rs 100. Considering that you end up spending Rs 200 casually in a restaurant, this is not a big cost.” Barzhankar also concurs with the same view. “You could take a candy stick, sharpen it at at 45 degree angle and turn it into a calligraphy pen, then dip it into a bottle of ink and start practicing on a piece of newspaper!”. It is interesting to note however that calligraphy tools cost anywhere from Rs 100 for basic practice to lakhs of rupees for the advanced artists.
Calligraphy is generally divided in two sub-disciplines-traditional and modern. Sandesh Barzhankar teaches traditional calligraphy which uses pens, while Apurva Salkar-Parulekar teaches modern calligraphy which uses brushes.
