Srinagar Dist Admin organises workshop to support, nurture calligraphy

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], January 2 : To revive the dying art of calligraphy in Jammu and Kashmir, the Srinagar Smart City limited on December 31 organised a three-day-long workshop of basic calligraphy followed by an exhibition in the city.
As per Harvinder Singh, Assistant Commissioner, Srinagar, the event was an outreach program meant to support and nurture the art entrepreneurs in Srinagar.
"It's a public outreach program in Srinagar. The motive was to attract young kids to the art form. There is a lot of talent in the region, but due to multiple reasons, they rarely get a platform to shine. We organised this program to nurture that talent. Therefore we organised this three-day event to support the art entrepreneurs in Srinagar," he said.
Singh added that the program garnered a better response than the administration expected and added that we hope to organise more such events in the future.

The administration organised the programs in collaboration with some young artists who taught the basics of the calligraphy form to the people who participated in the workshop.
"Safia, who was one of the instructors during the workshop, is a freelance artist who does modern and abstract calligraphy. Safia said more such programs need to be organised in the region to support the local talent. "Today we conducted a workshop which will be followed by the exhibition. The art pieces made by the students today will also be displayed in the exhibition. We are imparting training and encouraging them to bring innovation to their work. We need more such events in the valley," said Safia.
Another instructor Nadia said that programs like these workshop help in reviving the dying calligraphy art and encourage more people to learn it.
"Not many such events are organised here. This workshop will encourage new talents to emerge in the field. It will also help in reviving the art. With events like this more people get to know about it and it gets much-needed attention. The art needs immense skill," she said.

The locals who participated in the event thanked the district administration for organising the event and hoped more such workshops are organised in the future to promote new talent.
"I like this event a lot, and more such events should be organized here. Due to lockdown, there was a depressing environment in the region and this event brought a new life to people. It also brought out the artistic side of people. People of different age groups are here, which is contributing to the joyous environment," said Multaha Shah, a student who participated in the workshop.
Adnan, another participant said he learned calligraphy during the lockdown but had a lot of doubts that needed clarification and the workshop helped him getting some clarification.

"Youth of Kashmir is very talented, and events like this help in showcasing the talent on a wider platform. I learned calligraphy during the lockdown, and this event helped me learn more and share my art with all other artists that came here. It also helped me in getting clarification on some of the doubts I had," said Adnan.
He further requested the administration to organise more such events so that the art can be revived and people who need to learn the basics get a platform to start.