About Me
LIKHAWAT
My name is Shipra Rohatgi and I’m the artist and calligrapher behind Likhawat Designs. I am a 4th generation calligrapher from India, right from my ancestors, now me- we have been dedicated to the subject and it’s revival. My great-grand father was an accountant at The Last Mughal Emperor’s court whilst my grand father supplied art in various mediums to the East India Company and local traders and my father claimed commercial success with clients like Smt Sonia Gandhi , Shri Habib Rehman, Amitabh Bachchan & more in the 1980s. I learnt under my father’s guidance as he passed on the work to me many a times because he was busy with his bank job, he is still a multitasker! Passion for calligraphy prompted me to start Likhawat in 1999 as a customised calligraphy outfit and design based products business. I named it “Likhawat Designs” because of my love for beautifully written word with illustrations and design touches; Also because Likhawat is a perfect Hindi word which means Hand-writing! As Likhawat matured, I found immense joy in teaching and learning various languages and performing calligraphy in various manuscripts — like writing poems in Indian regional languages in calligraphy with water color washes , touches & flowers.
Likhawat has given me the opportunity to personalize invitations for Bollywood weddings & other special occasions. I have also been written about in many magazines as well as newpapers and I teach calligraphy in workshops, Online & offline across the globe. I am proud to have done calligraphy on stone, metal, canvas, walls, sarees (any fabric), ceramics, wood, cars etc. My passion for teaching enabled me to publish my own practice workbooks, which guides the candidate step by step in such detail along with illustrations that one can attempt self-learning.
I live in New Delhi, India with my Father and both my children are artistically inclined performing elegant lettering, painting & drawing with a flair, so, 5th generation in the making, hopefully! My children are students, but they do help me with the assignments at times, like I used to aid my father, in his times of need. Now life has come full circle, three generations all over again, working together towards Calligraphy!! I have dedicated this life to Calligraphy which in turn has blessed me with joy & peace, ceaselessly.
My favorite things in life are calligraphy, procreate, painting with watercolours & acrylics, writing poetry, reading, cycling and running. India is beautiful and I keep exploring new destinations!
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Our work in detail
What we make at the studio, in plain language. For a fuller catalogue with images, see the portfolio or services page.
Clothing
At Likhawat we hand-calligraph on a curated range of plain garments — sarees, stoles, kurtas, jackets and shirts — turning each piece into a wearable verse. We work in nine languages: Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Bangla, Gurmukhi, English, French, Marathi and Gujarati, and we can letter the lyrics that move you, the line of poetry that has stayed with you, or words from someone you love. Bring us a garment you already own, or choose from ours. Wash-care instructions vary by fabric and paint — we share them with every order. Ideal for weddings, milestone gifts and personal commemoration. Turnaround 2–6 weeks depending on scope. Have a piece in mind? Send us a brief.
Canvas, water-colour and ready prints
Calligraphy at Likhawat is sacrosanct, therefore unique. Our canvases, water-colour artworks, ready prints and stained-glass pieces are adorned with mantras, dohas, shlokas and poetry — work that pushes the boundaries of conventional art and lends itself to official and personal spaces alike. The forms and colours carry the message in a way that lasts; the optimistic sheen they leave on a room is the point. Ideal for studies, drawing rooms, foyers and corporate lobbies. Turnaround 3–6 weeks for commissioned canvases. Have a wall in mind? Tell us about it.
Stationery
Life’s personal experiences and moments are best told through the gift of words. Our stationery — journals on request, thank-you cards, all-occasions cards, bookmarks, gift wraps, paper weights, postcards and special personalised cards — reflects your individual style, from classic-chic to whimsical. Whether you are investing in yourself as the prime example of self-care, or gifting it to someone close, these pieces will not fail to make someone smile. Ideal for wedding favours, corporate gifting and personal commemoration. Turnaround 2–4 weeks for personalised orders. Send a brief.
Accessories
Tote bags in sustainable thick canvas, copper bottles with modern calligraphy art, pure crepe-silk scarves, beach wear, masks, T-shirts, ceramic jewellery, cushion covers, hats and caps, umbrellas, cravats and canvas shoes — at Likhawat we letter on the everyday so that the everyday speaks back. Each printed piece begins as an original artwork at the studio, then transfers to the surface; commissioned pieces are hand-painted to size. Ideal for personal style statements, festive gifts and brand collaborations. Turnaround 2–5 weeks. Bring us your idea.
Corporates
Calligraphy for corporates: live calligraphy at events, calligraphy on leather goods, addressing of invitation cards, and bespoke logo design. We work with brands and teams to create tactile experiences — letterforms drawn in front of guests, monograms cut into leather, hand-addressed envelopes that arrive with weight. Ideal for product launches, milestone celebrations and customer gifting. Turnaround 1–4 weeks depending on volume. Tell us about your event.
Wedding services
Wedding services at Likhawat: invitation card design, production and personalisation; wedding monograms; and wedding return-gifts. We help couples sign the most important pages of their lives with the kind of letterform that holds. Ideal for traditional and contemporary weddings, intimate or grand. Turnaround 4–8 weeks — earlier is better. WhatsApp +91 98111 77262 or send a brief.
What's new in calligraphy
Personalised calligraphy on the unexpected — only on request. Baby quilts, cars, ceramic jewellery and pottery, wooden surfaces and wardrobes, laptops, photographs, leaves and tree bark, stainless steel lettering, wooden lettering, treated iron lettering, marble lettering, trophies, hockey sticks and bats, and visual presentations. If a surface holds ink or paint, we have probably lettered on it once already. Ideal for one-of-one gifts and out-of-the-ordinary commissions. Turnaround varies — please write to us with your idea.