MUMBAI, 1st NOVEMBER, 2023 (GPN): For his remarkable work for over 4 decqades in the field of Indian Calligraphy, noted Indian Calligrapher Achyut Palav was honoured with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the recently held Typoday (International Typography Seminar). The event was organised by Banaras Hindu University and IDC (IIT Bombay). The ceremony was attended by Prof. Ravi Poovaiah, Prof. G. V. Sreekumar of IDC, Prof. Manish Arora of BHU, Ajanta Sen and many internationally renowned Typographers and Calligraphers.

Achyut Palav’s journey in the world of scripts and calligraphy began in School in 1973 under the supervision of his art teacher, Mr. Parshuram Nabar. He was later mentored by Prof. R. K. Joshi while pursuing his degree specialising in Lettering, Typography and Calligraphyand further guided by expert of Modi script Dr. Ashok Kelkar, historian Dr. G. H. Khare and senior artist D. G. Godse for his thesis – ‘Modi Script- 15^th to 18^th Century’. During this time his perception, view towards calligraphy especially in terms of Indian Scriptsdevelop underwent a positive and constructive change.

Since then, Achyut Palav has made it his life’s mission to promote the aesthetics and commercial application of Indian scripts. He is credited with the creation of the Mukta Lipi, a style inspired by Modi and Devanagari scripts. He has presented, lectured and demonstrated at many institutes, museums, international conferences, seminars, exhibitions and calligraphy events. His work is in the collection of prestigious archives and museums and his work especially in Devanagari has been used in many projects in India and other countries. He has collaborated with calligraphers from countries like Germany, France, Russia, UK, etc to further the image and application of Indian calligraphy. He has experimented with media, tools and successfully fused it with performing arts to create some memorable masterpieces. He strived to unite Indians under the banner of calligraphy. His journey, Calligraphy Roadways across the length and breadth of our country laid the foundation for events like Callifest- A Festival of Indian Scripts and Achyut Palav School of Calligraphy an academic venture. His efforts have not only created a group of talented calligraphers in India but also inspired many students from countries like USA, The Netherlands, Russia etc to take up Devanagari Calligraphy.

Achyut Palav believes calligraphy to be the artform for the masses and is a proud Indian who believes in the beauty and magnificence of Indian scripts due to their highly evolved design and the amazing variety.  He has been an inspiration to many students, artists in India and abroad. His work in the field of calligraphy has not only created a place of honour for Devanagari but also brought many lesser-known scripts into limelight.