Suhail Khan
Handwara : Whatever your dream may be, it is attainable. You don’t have to observe as another year passes and you make little progress toward your objective from the previous year. The power of social media allows you to move from where you are to where you want to be. This ability enabled a 23-year-old Handwara girl from north Kashmir to not only follow her passion but to make it a reality.
Islamic calligrapher Baseerat Shafi Khawaja, a 23-year-old medical student from the Handwara town of Kralgund, utilised Instagram as a tool to make her goal come true.
Talking to Kashmir Despatch Baseerat who is doing her Bachelors of science in Botany said, “Since I was young, I have had an interest in art, and everytime I see a painting or other piece of design, I find myself wondering how happy the creator must have felt to create such a flawless and full work of art.”
She said during the period of COVID lockdown she decided to take up the art and started posting her calligraphy work on Instagram.
“That was the turning moment for me to continue my passion and since then I haven’t looked back since when people started to admire my calligraphy and I started getting orders,” she continued.
“I thank the social media site (Instagram) for which my dream came true,” she added.
The self-taught Handwara calligrapher claimed that she did not receive any professional training in this art.
She added that although it was difficult to survive in the beginning, once you follow their passion and set out to do something and work hard, then it definitely pays off.
“Alhamdulillah, my work is now being recognised, and customers from all over the nation are ordering my calligraphy-related products,” she added.
Relevantly, Kashmir has produced a large number of artists, but the government has not taken any serious steps to protect this industry and the value it once held in the eyes of the world. On the other hand, calligraphy is currently flourishing and the younger generation is becoming more interested in it, giving the art of calligraphy a new lease on life.
