Kashmir: Self-taught artist Malik Mukhtar works to revive calligraphy

Malik Mukhtar, a self-taught calligraphy artist from North Kashmir, is working to revive the traditional art form in the valley. He runs an institute to teach calligraphy professionally, addressing the decline the art has seen over the past decades.

A self-taught calligraphy artist, Malik Mukhtar, is working hard to promote the old-age and rich writing style in Kashmir. Born in Mamoosa village of Pattan, North Kashmir, Mukhtar got his initial education from Iqra public school, Lalpora and after that completed his twelfth class from higher secondary Kunzer Tangmarg, where he showed his hidden talent of calligraphy when his teacher asked him to prepare a card by hand.

A Passion Discovered in School

Speaking to ANI, Mukhtar said, "Since my childhood, my handwriting was very good. I used to come first in the class, whether it was Arabic, English or Urdu. I started in 11th grade, when I was studying at Kunzar Khair Secondary. One day, a teacher of Environmental Science, named Mansoor sir, gave me an assignment. He asked me to print out the assignment. I was the first student to write it by hand."

Mukhtar was very much interested in getting a higher education, which resulted in his parents sending him to a degree college in Pattan then he also got a chance to complete his master's from the University of Kashmir. "A person learns all his life. When I went to the university, the scholars used to come to me. The children used to come to me from Ramban, Dhoda and Jammu," he said.

Reviving a Fading Artform

In the Kashmir Valley, some youth are doing tremendous jobs in different activities, including specific artwork and calligraphy, one of the artworks which is very popular across the world. But for almost the last three decades, due to the lack of infrastructure and dearth of professional calligraphers, this art got huge setback, which has resulted in most youths not being aware of it.

So to promote and revive this rich artwork, Mukhtar is doing excellent work in the shape of opening the institute where young students are learning calligraphy in a professional manner.

Since childhood, Mukhtar has spent his extra time with calligraphic activities done by himself without any teachings, which resulted in him learning this art at a young age and becoming a self-taught calligrapher of the valley.

Many students and professionals are learning calligraphy at Mukhtar's training institute. (ANI)

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