Shipra Rohatgi and Sanjana Chatlani are calligraphers exploring the art potential as entrepreneurs. He was in Thiruvananthapuram for the National Calligraphy Festival.
carrying on a legacy
Shipra Rohatgi is a fourth generation calligrapher. His great-grandfather, Riz Pal, served in the court of Bahadur Shah, the last Mughal emperor. “He was an accountant, not because he was good at maths but because he had good handwriting!” Shipra says. His grandfather, Radhe Mohan, worked for the East India Company, and his father, Rameshwar Dayal, a bank employee and a prolific calligrapher, has a client list with names such as Habib Rahman, Sonia Gandhi and Amitabh Bachchan.
Calligrapher Shipra Rohatgi at the National Calligraphy Festival in Thiruvananthapuram | Photo Credit: Ashwin VN
His first big job was to make the wedding invitations for Priyanka Gandhi’s wedding. “When Sonia Gandhi wanted my father to send an invitation to Priyanka’s wedding, she sent it to me saying I could do it better than her.”
Shipra’s calligraphy style is marked by utkarsha – the art of embellishing letters with susosh and swirls. Shipra’s studio started by her father was renamed Likhawat Designs in 2000. “My aim is to make calligraphy a part of my daily life. It is a very small art form in our country and I want it to be seen everywhere. So, apart from paper, I do it on stone, metal, canvas, walls, fabric (sarees, stoles, scarves, jackets…), ceramics, wood, cars and shoes…”
She has been associated with top fashion and luxury brands. “Among them are Mont Blanc and the Channel. I have also extended introductory invitations to Ferragamo, Dior and Todt’s when they come to India. For Tod’s, I sent out 1,000 handwritten invitations, which took me 40 days.
Calligraphy Works by Shipra Rohatgi | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The artist insists it has built its clientele mainly through word of mouth over the past three decades and includes names such as Sharmila Tagore, Bachchan and Deepika Padukone.
Apart from Hindi and English, Shipra writes in Persian, Urdu, Marathi, Bengali, Gurmukhi, Sanskrit and French. Shipra takes online calligraphy classes and also teaches in schools.
She also conducts sessions at Sri Aurobindo Society especially for senior citizens. “It’s for meditation. They practice strokes with the calligraphy instrument. A gong is struck and they keep rotating the instrument in a wave until the sound ceases. Calligraphy demands attention and concentration. . Calligraphy calms me down. It gives me that ‘aha’ moment and connects me to God.
Calligraphy work by Shipra Rohatgi | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Meanwhile, Shipra is happy that the fifth generation – her daughter Leela and son Shawaz – have also tried their hand at calligraphy. “I want to take calligraphy in various institutes in India and abroad. Also I want to enjoy life while continuing to do calligraphy.
scripting success
At the age of 24, Sanjana Chatlani quit her high-paying job with a French company to follow her passion – calligraphy. Six years later, she runs The Bombay Lettering Company, a ’boutique calligraphy, lettering and design studio’ in Mumbai with an impressive list of clients.
Calligrapher and artist Sanjana Chatlani | Photo Credit: Ashwin VN
Although she was fond of artistry since childhood, Sanjana says she never thought of making a career out of it. Initially she made products for family and friends. Once she found it “therapeutic and meditative,” she went deeper into it. She explains: “When you work with the instrument, your breathing also falls into a pattern – you inhale for every upward stroke, and exhale for a downward stroke. It always Takes me to another world where I don’t have to think about anything other than my pen, ink, nib, pen, paper, strokes… until I learned calligraphy, I was on my phone all the time Used to keep on.
She was a part-time calligrapher until one month she earned more from her art than from her corporate job. This was the moment when he decided to quit the job.
Place cards for Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ wedding by The Bombay Lettering Company by Sanjana Chatlani | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Sanjana is doing copperplate calligraphy, a type of pointed pen calligraphy developed in the UK during the 18th century. “Once you master the rules of a particular genre, you can break it by adding your own personality to it. Adding subtle nuances can make a style unique.
A fan of the Spencerian style (pointed pen calligraphy that originated in the US) and modern calligraphy, which is “more playful, bouncy and short”, she is also learning Devanagari from veteran calligrapher Achyut Palav and has been in the UK for three months to learn Was. Various styles by the famous British calligrapher Ivan Clayton.
A calligraphy work by The Bombay Lettering Company by Sanjana Chatlani | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In addition to ink on paper, she creates lettering on wood, acrylic, mirror, engraving on glass, etc. Clients push my boundaries as an artist, she says.
Among his high-profile clients is actress Deepika Padukone. “She reached out to me on my Instagram page. She wanted to make customized stationery. We did the calligraphy designs for her recently launched skincare brand.”
At Priyanka Chopra-Nick Jonas’ wedding in Jodhpur, they made place cards for the sit-down dinner. Sanjana believes that there is a huge market for wedding-related calligraphy, as calligraphy can be incorporated into invitations, signs, gift tags, thank you notes, stationery, etc.
Calligraphy done by The Bombay Lettering Company by Sanjana Chatlani for the mehendi function. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
She says it helps when a customer knows what he wants. “A company was hosting its international team in India and wanted invitations in Devanagari script for an Indian touch. On the other hand, there are brands that stick to a particular style. For example, Louis Vuitton has their standard black ink copperplate calligraphy, which is followed around the world.
She has worked with Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, The Ritz Carlton, Rolex, Moët Hennessy, Longchamp Paris, Vogue, Cartier, Google, Gucci and Ambanis.
His Copperplate Collective, launched during the pandemic-induced lockdown, has pre-recorded online calligraphy classes. “I have students aged 17 to 55 and 80% of them are women. One of the best months I’ve had in terms of profits was the peak month of COVID-19. I was busy teaching and conducting workshops for children, adults, corporates etc.