Calligraphy as a family inheritance — from the Mughal court to the studio in Hauz Khas.

In Shipra’s own words

“I am a 4th generation calligrapher from India — right from my ancestors, now me, we have been dedicated to the subject and its revival.”

My great-grandfather was an accountant at the last Mughal Emperor’s court. My grandfather supplied art in various mediums to the East India Company and to local traders. My father claimed commercial success with clients such as Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Shri Habib Rehman and Shri Amitabh Bachchan in the 1980s. As a youngster I learnt under my father’s guidance — he passed work on to me many a time 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 the beautifully written word with illustrations and design touches — and because likhawat is a perfect Hindi word for handwriting.

As Likhawat matured, I found immense joy in teaching and in performing calligraphy in various manuscripts — writing regional-language Indian poems with water-colour washes, flourishes and flowers. Over many decades Likhawat has personalised invitations for Bollywood weddings, Indian royal families, Indian industrialists, designers and international brands.

I have done calligraphy on stone, metal, canvas, walls, sarees (and any fabric), ceramics, wood and cars. My passion for teaching enabled me to publish my own practice workbooks, which guide a candidate step-by-step in such detail that one can attempt self-learning.

I live in New Delhi with my father, and both my children are artistically inclined — performing elegant lettering, painting and drawing with a flair. So a 5th generation is in the making. Now life has come full circle: three generations all over again, working together towards calligraphy.