Calligraphy: The art of handwriting

64-year-old Anil Thaman first came to Kathmandu in 1976 from Punjab as a medical representative. He was known as a father of the ‘Outdoors’ as he introduced many technologies in Nepal and also worked in the outdoor industry and events.

His journey in calligraphy began in 2019 when his daughter gifted him a pen. “I never thought I would be a calligrapher since my handwriting was very bad. But I reassured my daughter that I would improve it”, he says.

To honor the promise he made to his daughter, Thaman began to research about the art of handwriting. He came across IAMPETH, a website that allows you to read old books from around the world. “I learned through those books that many things such as placements and movements of hands play a big role in having a good handwriting”, he says.

He further lists down other important things to improve handwriting. “Mood, ambiance, and music play a vital role in improving handwriting. Music works like therapy. It is important to be calm and collected while writing for the handwriting to be beautiful”, he adds.

“Calligraphy is simply handwriting with a little bit of aesthetic,” he says. “Calligraphy writing requires one to have a sense of art, whereas in handwriting normal letterforms are used”, he adds.

Thaman says he worked hard to improve his handwriting. “I practiced for like 5-6 hours a day to make my handwriting finer”, he explains.

His hard work was well paid when he bagged the second position in the World handwriting contest of 2021 organized by the reigning diva of dancing letters Kate Gladstone.

With the award in his hand, Thaman then had a vision of passing his knowledge of handwriting to the children of Nepal. He plans to bring materials used while writing for 'penman or calligraphy'. “Different types of pen nibs are used in different forms of writing. I want every child in Nepal to have access to these materials”, he says.

When his friend Rajan Shakya asked him to write on invitation cards and certificates for the MoNA Annual Art Festival that was held on 7th October 2021, he consulted with Gopal Kalapremi, known as the master of ink. Kalapremi makes ink from plants. “We made gold ink for the MoNA Art Exhibition by mixing 24-carat gold with plant resin”, he explains.

Thaman believes that writing is the best way to express someone better. “If you write, it will touch others' hearts and they will remember your words”, he says. He also believes that good handwriting will always increase one’s morale. This is not a business for him, but a passion.

He aims to start a movement ‘Write Right’ in the near future to encourage young people to learn the art of handwriting. “Those who are interested in joining the movement are welcomed heartily”, he says.