The elegant poetry of many Urdu literary stalwarts such as MirzaGhalib,
Allama Iqbal, FiraaqGorakphuri, Josh Malihabadi and JaunElia, for example, have
since a long time held in admirers. From mehfils and books,they made their way to late-night radio shows.Now, they have a niche
following on Facebook and Instagram, where their nazmsare shared by young fans on
pages/handles slotted for Urdu poetry. However, the wallpapers that form the
backdrop of the Urdu text is quite often loud and shrill, out of tune with
their subtle poetry. Their nazmsdeserve a more sober visual treatment. The refined
art of calligraphy is apt for depicting snippets of Urdu literature?In the
world of Urdu poetry art or Urdu calligraphy art, profound
nazmsof many renowned philospophersare inscribed in stylish font, often with a
sketch of the poet on the side.
Nastaliq is the calligraphic font used for penning Urdushayari.
It was developed in Persian lands in 15th centuryAD after the region
was taken over by the Arabs. In Nastaliq font, the letters tilt slightlyfrom
left to right, thus rendering an overall ‘hanging’ or ‘ta’liq’ appearance to
the script. It was initially meant for writing the Arabic script but with the
passage of time, it started being used for writing Persian, Urdu, Punjabi,
Kashmiri and Pashto and other languages identical in script. The Nastaliqfont was
used for writing court papers and official documents.
It is the main style applied in writing Urdu in the Indian
subcontinent. As a large part of the Urdu vocabulary comes Arabic, it can be also
be inscribed in other calligraphic styles such as Diwani, Tughra and Thuluth,
which are primarily used for Arabiccalligraphy
art. However, Urdu still looka best when written in Nastaliq. Or perhaps we
are conditioned to read it in Nastaliq style. Also, the script of Urdu is
Persian, not Arabic. The two scripts have a slight variance in appearance.
Nastaliqis also appropriate for writing Urdu ghazals as it
is simpler and smaller than other fonts, thus taking up lesser space vis a vis
others. Therefore, it can accommodate a full Urdu ghazal comfortably on a small
sheet of paper which you can paste on your wall.
Is it appropriate to include Urdu poetry artin Islamic calligraphy art? It depends on the
content of the text. Generally, most Urdu poetry is secular and non-religious,
and therefore, there is no particular reason to slot it in within Islamic calligraphy
art. But if an Urdu poem derives inspiration from Islamic scriptures or values,
there is no harm in including it in Islamic calligraphy art. Also, Urdu
translations of Quranic verses or the Hadith, if written in calligraphy, can be
included in Islamic calligraphy art. It must be remembered that Islamic
calligraphy art has expanded to include languages other than Arabic. For
example, one can find calligraphy English translations of the verses.
Therefore, the world of Urdu calligraphy artis large – it can be both religious and
non-religious Urdu poetry art.
