Back to basics

Via Sans Serif:

A brilliant article on a handwriiten India newspaper facing an uncertain future.The paper is the Musulman,a daily which is written using calligraphy quills by six people

Written in Urdu it

takes three hours using a pen, ink and ruler to
transform a sheet of paper into news and art. "

A Muslim newspaper,it has a circulation of 20,000 based in Chennai

"For centuries, handwriting was the definitive mark of
social status, education and liberal values in India. Calligraphers mastered the
swooping Urdu script in ivory-tower institutions and penned copies of the Koran
for wealthy patrons. The pinnacle of a katib's achievement meant a seat at court
and a chance to earn the sultan's ear"

But now it is facing hard times as Editor-in-Chief Syed Fazlulla at the age of 76 approaches retirement and there is nobody up and coming to take his role over as

The art of Urdu calligraphy is a fast-fading
tradition

.

Let's hope that this tradition long continues