Master Calligrapher Achyut Palav narrates his life journey into the fascinating world of Calligraphy

Speaker bio

Achyut R. Palav

Calligrapher & Designer

Achyut Palav is one of the foremost names in Indian calligraphy today. With his unique approach and faith in the aesthetic appeal of the art, he has made significant contribution in reviving the glory of Indian calligraphy. His mission is to bring forth traditional and modern calligraphy to masses. Through his various exhibitions and workshops in India and abroad, he has demonstrated calligraphy in Devnagari, English & other Indian languages. This calligrapher and painter, has a vision that has elevated the status of handwriting to an eloquent art form. His letters seek the hidden subtlety, energy and emotions behind words and capture their meaning in an artistic manner. He goes beyond putting pen to paper to create an expression or style. He believes that each letter is a design in itself & a letter or symbol has the potential of a becoming a piece of art, whether painted individually or as a composition.

Achyut Palav has always treated his art as worship & promoted calligraphy to be the art of the common man. Born and brought up in Mumbai, he received a Diploma in Applied Art from the Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art in 1982, specializing in lettering, typography and calligraphy. He has learnt from & worked with eminent Indian calligrapher Late Shri. R. K. Joshi, whom he considers his Guru. He also had the opportunity to work with German calligrapher Prof. Werner Schneider who has been an admirer of his art.

For Achyut Palav, calligraphy is an art that has a high commercial application & potential. He has successfully experimented in fusing calligraphy with music & dance. He has experimented fusing calligraphy with music & dance. His work demonstrates that great masterpieces can be created when the artist is inspired by the tunes, rhythms, moves of a performing artist. He has worked with Pt. Bhavani Shankar (Mridangam), Pt. Jasraj (Vocal- Indian Classical), Rahul Sharma (Santoor), Sunita Rao (Vocal- Playback Singer), Rupak Kulkarni (Flute), Arti Paranjape – Dhanipkar, Tanvi Palav (Dance) & others.

His works are the result of skillful blending of conventional & unconventional tools & mediums. His calligraphy has been used in advertising, fashion, electronic media, interiors & architectures, events and many more. Many a prominent individuals & organizations have his creations in their collection. Two series of his paintings have found a place of prominence & honour in the Stiftung Archives, Germany & most recently the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy, Moscow. His artworks are a part of the archive at Klingspor Museum, Germany. A further piece was donated to the Karlgeorg and Maria Hoefer archive at Schreibwerkstatt Klingspor, Offenbach. Most recently he has been a part of a very prestigious project in Paris, France. He has done calligraphy in Devnagari that adorns the walls of Société Générale.

His initiatives have brought Indian scripts into public interest & inspired many young artists & students to look at calligraphy in a whole new light. His vibrant & creative demonstrations are very informative. He has to his credit prestigious invites & participation in various international events. They include Fachhochschule Wiesbaden & Pentiment International Academy - Germany, National Union of Calligraphers & M.V.K. Exhibition Company, Russia, held at the Repin St. Petersburg State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture & Architecture, NID, IIT, MIT, XIN: ICOGRADA WORLD DESIGN CONGRESS 2009, Dalton Maag & the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan (London). Achyut Palav has scores of publications, exhibitions and awards to his name befitting the tremendous work he has done. His love for Indian scripts has led him to conceptualize & execute ventures like ‘Calligraphy Roadways’ & ‘Callifest’- India’s first ever festival of calligraphy. There have been 3 successful festivals so far. He has founded Achyut Palav School of Calligraphy & established Callihunt – Award for excellence in calligraphy. Both are the first of its kind in India.

He has made significant contribution to the upkeep of the traditional and modern calligraphy as well as doing his utmost to promote calligraphy in all spheres of life. It is a very difficult endeavor yet he has stuck to it and ensured that it reaches ever newer heights of glory.

My Calligraphic Journey