BENGALURU: Tucked away in the narrow lanes of Fort area in Bengaluru, stands tall a 150-year-old European-styled building called ‘J’s La Quill’, a house and handwriting-calligraphy museum of calligraphy artist K C Janardhan.
Inaugurated last year by the Italian Ambassador to India Lorenzo Angelio, the museum is located on the top floor of the house, which is home to over 600 century-old rare pens, quills and over 1,500 nibs from the oldest companies like Wavely and Joseph Gilliot, and ink wells. Janardhan also has a large collection of rare books, manuals and journals on the art of handwriting. Besides these, one entire section is dedicated to a fine collection of handwritten Italian journals dating back to 1952.
Talking about his pen collection, Janardhan says, “There are some limited edition pens like the Classic 149 from Mont Blanc, Starwalkers and LeGrand Traveler 147R. The brand also came out with an edition commemorating singer John Lennon. Also, I have some rare and theme-based pens too, which have been collected from various parts of the world such as the US, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.”
Hailing from a family of doctors and traders, the 55-year-old has a string of qualifications to his credit, from BA degree to PG diplomas in business management. But he believes none of these formal achievements have anything to do with his passion for handwriting and calligraphy.
So when did he develop interest in this art form? At a very young age, says the self-taught artist.
But choosing it as a profession was not easy. “When I was in college my friends used to make fun of me saying my handwriting resembles a girl’s,” he recalls. “But those discouraging remarks helped me pursue my passion and finally at the age of 28 I took up calligraphy as a full-time profession,” he says.
He started off his career in the 1980s by writing certificates for software training institutes for a meagre sum of 50 paisa per certificate. Today, he charges `100 per word. Having trained professionals from all walks of life in the art, Janardhan has come a long way.
To him, calligraphy is an art form with a spiritual dimension. “It makes the heart and hand work together in harmony.
Writing builds not only your cognitive skills and hand-and-eye coordination, but also builds an emotional connect with what you write. But many people prefer texting or typing. While this saves time it lacks the personal touch,” he adds.
Janardhan is the author of ‘Write To Be Read’ and regularly conducts workshops and seminars on what he calls power handwriting and calligraphy. At present, he is working on three encyclopedias with seven elements of handwritings captured in volumes.
One message that Janardhan has for aspiring calligraphists, “Learn your basics properly. Know your strengths and abilities and don’t dilute the art form.”
Janardhan conducts Italian calligraphy classes five days a week with 10-15 students in each batch. Duration of the course ranges from three to eight years.