KATIB MD. GHALIB

"Calligraphy, A Spiritual Art That Has

Been Forgotten In Favour Of An Emotionless Keyboard"

~ Stefan Bolder

The form of writing surface was shifted to birch barks or bhojpatra (writing on the surface of leaves) at the beginning of the second century. The leaves were frequently used because they offered a great surface for pen writing, culminating in the delicate and intricate handwriting known as calligraphy today. Around 500 AD, Indian traders, colonists, military adventurers, Buddhist monks, and missionaries brought the Indic script from Southeast Asia to Central Asia.

With the shifting of the world and cultural influences from Persia and the Arab world, calligraphy took a new direction. Arabic calligraphy, like other forms of art, enriched Islamic architecture. As Islam spread across the world, the art of calligraphy expanded into new countries, resulting in the development of diverse styles of calligraphy. This art was pioneered by the Sultans, India's early Muslim rulers, and later Mughals developed and flourished it to its apex. Arabic calligraphic art on Indian monuments takes the form of Quranic verses, Hadith, or inscriptions conveying information about the monument and its creator.

The custom remained in the Mughal courts, and due to the lack of a printing press at the time, numerous inscriptions, designs, and volumes were penned by calligraphists. In this photo essay, I attempted to profile the last remaining Katib (calligraphist) of Delhi's Urdu bazaar, Jama Masjid.

Sixty-one years old Md. Ghalib has been doing khatati (calligraphy) for almost 40 years. He began studying art at the age of 19 at a modest Arabic Madrasa with no plans to do so in the future. He claims, sitting at his modest store outside Jama Masjid, that calligraphists were previously well-respected and had an excellent reputation in a king's court.

It is a labor of love and perseverance, even with a lot of practice, mastering this craft or creating complicated designs is difficult. Different sorts of nibs and reeds are used to create these patterns. He told me one story about how, during the British era, these nibs used to flow from England via Lahore to India, but now their supply is limited. He now produces his own bamboo reeds and nibs.

Kitabat has lost its allure as a result of technological advancements; there are no old-school calligraphers to teach this skill, nor are there competent institutions to carry on its tradition. People aren't interested in art since they don't have any money. Katib claims that when people come to him to study this art, he asks if it is for a pastime or for a living, and if it is for a living, there is no revenue.