Promotion of calligraphy art stressed

LAHORE:Speakers at a calligraphy workshop emphasised that calligraphy is the cultural and intellectual heritage of Muslims from centuries and preserving and promoting this heritage is the vital need of the hour.

Presiding over the workshop at Arfa Kareem Tower on Wednesday, chairman of a calligraphy foundation, Akasha Mujahid, who is a noted calligrapher of English and Arabic, said calligraphy not only beautifies hand writing of children but also decorates their personalities.

He stressed that the nations which forsake their culture and heritage would become oblivion of their memories and history. He said for centuries Muslim scholars have nurtured this art and skill with their sweat and blood. It was time we must learn this art and make our young generations learn it for the sake of transferring it to the coming generations, he said.

He announced he planned to impart training of calligraphy to one million boys and girls in coming years. He demanded the government include calligraphy in school and college syllabi.

While giving useful tips to the students, he said, calligraphy is not merely a beautiful writing or the skill of colorizing the script, but it is an art to express beautiful thoughts and intellect.

He said calligraphy is an interesting and purified art, which is easy to master. Calligraphy, he said, instill creative abilities in an individual and purifies the personality, since it requires a

sincere thought and feelings to beautify the manuscripts.

He said mastering the art of calligraphy required constant practice. He said the modern era of computer based skills have reduced the importance of practical skills in every sphere of life, but still the demand of good calligraphers was still there.

He said in the present era of computer based composing, the need to learn calligraphy has become imperative all the more because of prevailing monotony and idleness. He said his organisation and colleagues in this field have made a commitment to promote this ancient art among children with devotion and dedication.

A number of children attending the workshop also performed practical demonstrations of the basic learning of calligraphy under supervision of noted calligraphers and experts. At the end, the successful participants of the short-course were distributed with certificates.