New Delhi, March 11 (IANS) An exhibition depicting the evolution of Urdu calligraphy - one of the most ornate alphabet writings - from the confines of fine print into a high art form was inaugurated at the Jamia Millia Islamia by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the presence of Saudi Arabian ambassador Saud Mohammed Al-Sati.
The exhibition, "Siasat's Urdu Calligraphy and Art Exhibition", is a collaboration between the Zakir Hussain Institute of Islamic Studies and the Daily Siasat of Hyderabad - a 65-year-old Urdu daily known for its fine calligraphy.
Explaining the importance of calligraphy in Urdu arts, Akhtarul Wasay, the director of the Zakir Hussain Institute of Islamic Studies, said: "Urdu calligraphy flourished as the sole printed medium painstakingly crafted by calligrapgers before the arrival of the computer. The publishing industry depended on the services of the calligraphers to copy out books, documents and newspapers to print."
But the arrival of computers and customised alphabets have elevated calligraphy to a fine art - kept alive by the traditional writer, Wasay said.
Dikshit said arrangements must be made to organize such exhibitions outside the Jamia Millia Islamia Campus. Wasay assured her this would be done through the Delhi government's Urdu Academy.
Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Najeeb Jung presided over the inaugural function, which was attended by Arabic calligraphers Mohammed Nayeem Saberi, Shaik Mohammed Abdul Lateef Faroque, Syed Nasiruddin Viquar and Abdul Naseer Sultan.
The function was also attended by Mohammed Mohsini Fard, political counsellor of the Iranian embassy here.
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