We type. We scroll. We tap. Yet how many times have we stopped to marvel at the peaceful, elegant lines of the curve of a letter, or the art of its bold stroke? Students were invited to recapture this forgotten grace back at Parul Institute of Fine Arts in Lipikalpa 2025, the timeless eloquence of calligraphy.

“Calligraphy is the most intimate, private, and spontaneous expressive means. Like a fingerprint or voice, it is unique with every person.”

                                                                                      – Hermann Zapf

In the era of electronic text and character sets, the personal element afforded by a pen or brush has a certain nostalgia about it. Calligraphy, whose fine combination of accuracy and creativity, reminds us that letters are not only a means to transmit meanings to one another: letters are also artistic objects in their own right.

This year’s edition of Lipikalpa 2025 was a celebration of form, rhythm, and culture courtesy of Padma Shri Achyut Ramchandra Palav, one of India’s most celebrated calligraphers. 

The history of calligraphy is extensive and surpasses all civilisations. Writing has always been more than just ornamentation; it has been a cultural carrier. Examples include the graceful scrolls of ancient China, the geometric accuracy of Islamic writing, the illuminated manuscripts of medieval Europe, and the flowing shapes of Indian scripts. The Brahmi form, which evolved over the centuries to give rise to modern handwriting styles like Devanagari, is where calligraphy originated in India. Learning calligraphy is a way to explore identity, learn about history, and create art. 

Padma Shri Achyut Palav brought a flair to the festival, making it something more than a workshop; a conversation between the past and the present. He described the beauty of Devanagari or Indian scripts in his session and explained how the space and shape of any character have a cultural memory. For our students, it did not only involve a technical experience but also a reflective stance to help them understand, identify, and symbolize. 

The path of Achyut Ramchandra Palav, who was named a Padma Shri recipient in 2025, started in Mumbai. Born in 1960, Palav studied under the renowned typographer R.K. Joshi at the esteemed Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art in Mumbai, where he earned his degree in 1982. In 1984, he was awarded a research scholarship to study the Modi script, a traditional Indian script that was progressively disappearing from popular consciousness, in recognition of his commitment to conserving India's calligraphic legacy. What distinguishes Palav is not only his technical proficiency but also his creative approach; he is renowned for using unusual materials, such as toothbrushes and spatulas, to create expressive calligraphy, demonstrating that art is not limited. 

Although calligraphy can seem like an art of precision, it is also a matter of rhythm, flow, and motion. Palav has shown that an artist's hand does not merely draw letters but, in fact, infuses them with life. Such a workshop was in this way a tutelage not only in writing but also in the telling of stories, and an insight into history, discipline, and care of the arts.

Lipikalpa 2025 was a one-of-a-kind experience. Students got interested in the aesthetics of communication. Workshops and interactions like this one serve as a reminder that it is always crucial to adhere to the principles of the craft, especially in current times, when the digital environment demands that design educators become proficient in a wide range of new technologies. Every aspect of visual creation can benefit from the patience, regularity, and delicacy that calligraphy teaches.

As we look back at Lipikalpa 2025, we are left with one beautiful question: In our rush to communicate faster, what stories are we forgetting to tell with our own hands?

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