Latest news with #WorldCalligraphyDay
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Calligraphy a therapeutic & creative pursuit for women
Mumbai: A few years ago, Hajra Aijaz Farahi faced a personal crisis. Negative thoughts weighed her down, and bouts of nervousness began affecting her productivity. Then, a computer teacher and her elder sister suggested she learn calligraphy. Next, she walked into senior calligrapher Mehmood Shaikh's calligraphy class in Jogeshwari West. "I went there just to see what it's about as I did not know anything about this art," says Farahi, an Arts graduate from Bhavan's College, Andheri West. She fell in love with this beautiful art instantly. As she picked up the pointed pen and began giving strokes, it calmed her nerves and restored her confidence. "It worked like magic. I got involved in it so deeply that I forgot the worries that nagged me endlessly," says Farahi, now a trained calligrapher whose recent show at Islam Gymkhana received huge admiration from viewers. Apart from attending Shaikh's classes at Jogeshwari, Farahi honed her skills also at senior calligrapher Aslam Kiratpuri's classes at Mumbai University's Kalina campus. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai As World Calligraphy Day (August 13) nears, it seems relevant to talk about this vibrant form of visual art as among its many takers increasingly are Muslim women. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like TV providers are furious: this gadget gives you access to all channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo No longer just a hobby, many are using it as a therapeutic tool, a medium to express their feelings. Students, homemakers, professionals, and women from diverse backgrounds are learning it. "Social media has enhanced scope in calligraphy. More and more people, especially girls, are learning it," informs Mazgaon-based senior artist and calligrapher Salva Rasool. She says calligraphy brings the artists closer to their creators. Learning it online may not give the desired perfection. You need hand-holding by an ustad. "I first learnt it from an ustad in Bengaluru, then approached a master calligrapher in China, and a calligrapher in Istanbul (Turkey) is my latest ustad. Calligraphy during the Ottoman rule was an evolved and fabulously popular art, and I want to dive deep into it," says Rasool, a J J School of Art graduate whose works decorate private homes and pilgrim guesthouses, from Mumbai to Panjim, Cairo to Karbala (Iraq). And if you think only Muslim men or women are learning it, meet Kritika Shrivastava, an artist engaged in creating Urdu fonts. Originally from Lucknow, this city-based artist became fascinated by the very lettering that calligraphy deals with. "I grew up imbibing the composite culture of Lucknow and was exposed to the sweetness of Urdu quite early. But then I realised that calligraphy could help me appreciate the language better. Mehmood Shaikh Sir has been a great guide," says Shrivastava. "She has shown great diligence and picked it up fast," appreciates Shaikh, a calligraphy teacher in the city for nearly four decades. Shaikh's student, Taniya Javed Shaikh, says she found her "mentor" online. "It helped me concentrate more on my studies. This art needs encouragement as opportunities have opened in it," says the Commerce graduate.
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Calligraphy becomes a therapeutic and creative pursuit for women
Mumbai: A few years ago, Hajra Aijaz Farahi faced a personal crisis. Negative thoughts weighed her down, and bouts of nervousness began affecting her productivity. Then, a computer teacher and her elder sister suggested she learn calligraphy. Next, she walked into senior calligrapher Mehmood Shaikh's calligraphy class in Jogeshwari West. "I went there just to see what it's about as I did not know anything about this art," says Farahi, an Arts graduate from Bhavan's College, Andheri West. She fell in love with this beautiful art instantly. As she picked up the pointed pen and began giving strokes, it calmed her nerves and restored her confidence. "It worked like magic. I got involved in it so deeply that I forgot the worries that nagged me endlessly," says Farahi, now a trained calligrapher whose recent show at Islam Gymkhana received huge admiration from viewers. Apart from attending Shaikh's classes at Jogeshwari, Farahi honed her skills also at senior calligrapher Aslam Kiratpuri's classes at Mumbai University's Kalina campus. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai As World Calligraphy Day (August 13) nears, it seems relevant to talk about this vibrant form of visual art as among its many takers increasingly are Muslim women. No longer just a hobby, many are using it as a therapeutic tool, a medium to express their feelings. Students, homemakers, professionals, and women from diverse backgrounds are learning it. "Social media has enhanced scope in calligraphy. More and more people, especially girls, are learning it," informs Mazgaon-based senior artist and calligrapher Salva Rasool. She says calligraphy brings the artists closer to their creators. Learning it online may not give the desired perfection. You need hand-holding by an ustad. "I first learnt it from an ustad in Bengaluru, then approached a master calligrapher in China, and a calligrapher in Istanbul (Turkey) is my latest ustad. Calligraphy during the Ottoman rule was an evolved and fabulously popular art, and I want to dive deep into it," says Rasool, a J J School of Art graduate whose works decorate private homes and pilgrim guesthouses, from Mumbai to Panjim, Cairo to Karbala (Iraq). And if you think only Muslim men or women are learning it, meet Kritika Shrivastava, an artist engaged in creating Urdu fonts. Originally from Lucknow, this city-based artist became fascinated by the very lettering that calligraphy deals with. "I grew up imbibing the composite culture of Lucknow and was exposed to the sweetness of Urdu quite early. But then I realised that calligraphy could help me appreciate the language better. Mehmood Shaikh Sir has been a great guide," says Shrivastava. "She has shown great diligence and picked it up fast," appreciates Shaikh, a calligraphy teacher in the city for nearly four decades. Interestingly, most of the master trainers in calligraphy in the city today are former employees of Urdu newspapers which either folded up or have embraced technological evolution in typing and printing. "Many of my fellow calligraphers at Urdu newspapers became reporters. Some of us remained in it and are now trying to transfer the legacy to the new generation of learners," says Shaikh, who received critical appreciation also for doing calligraphy of many copies of the holy Quran. Shaikh's student, Taniya Javed Shaikh, says she found her "mentor" online. "I was interested in learning it, and an online search led me to Mehmood Sir's class. It helped me concentrate more on my studies. This art needs encouragement as opportunities have opened in it," says the Commerce graduate.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The YouTube logo changed colour, and people are only just noticing
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. YouTube has form when it comes to playing with its logo, as we saw in our You Tube logo history. We've seen the video platform drop special edition designs for the likes of Black History Month and World Calligraphy Day. But it looks like YouTube might have made an altogether more subtle tweak towards the end of last year – and one that's a little more permanent. Back in 2024, for reasons seemingly unknown to anyone, YouTube made a subtle change to the colour of the playback bar, with the bar fading from deep red to a slightly pinker shade. Because of the gradient, that change was easy to spot. But it turns out YouTube also made the logo pinker in October – and people are still only just noticing the change. They changed the logo too from r/youtube While the change isn't so obvious in isolation, it's clearer when comparing the 'new' logo with the old one. And it's confirmed when comparing hex codes; the original is pure red, #fe0000, while the new version is the slightly pinker #ff1a47. It's curious that YouTube made this change without any kind of announcement. While a subtle colour tweak might seem insignificant, we've seen other tech brands such as Facebook make a big splash about similar changes. But with not a peep from YouTube on this one, we'll admit we hadn't even noticed until we spotted the threads on Reddit. The silence from the brand has led social media users to speculate on the rationale behind the change. "Pink is a neutralising and calming colour, red is (or at least can be) the opposite. If I had to hazard a guess, outside of pure corporate stupidity this is some attempt to keep toxicity/negativity down," one Redditor comments. Another simply adds, "People trying to justify their jobs." Whatever the reason, now we've seen it, we can't unsee it. And the unfavourable response online is hardly surprising – people don't tend to love changes to icons that live on their homescreens every day. We remember the response when Instagram made its logo very slightly brighter.
