Death of calligrapher Munawwar mourned

LAHORE : The death of renowned calligrapher Munawwar Islam Ibn Ustad Nadir Al-Qalam has left thousands of his disciples, students and calligraphy lovers in mourning.

The world renowned 75-year-old calligrapher breathed his last on Friday and was laid to rest at Miani Sahib graveyard on Saturday.

Munawwar Islam was a versatile calligrapher having mastered many classical scripts of Arabic calligraphy including Thuluth, Nastaleeq, Koofi, Nasakh, and particularly the Diwani script, besides many modern scripts. He was the pioneer of holding calligraphy exhibitions in Pakistan in the mid 1960’s.

His family had been upholding the banner of serving and keeping the art of calligraphy alive for three generations as his father and grandfather were also among the top calligraphers of their time. Large number of awards and commendatory certificates in his room are a testament to his services, dedication and expertise in the art of calligraphy.

With the death of Munawwar Islam, a bright and radiant era of calligraphy has come to an end, said Okasha Sahil, Chairman of Okasha Calligraphy Foundation. Munawwar dedicated all his life to the promotion of the ancient and vanishing art of calligraphy, he added. He prayed for the departed soul and grant of courage and patience to the bereaved family members.