Khurshid Gohar Qalam ( ur, خورشيد گوۿر قلم) was a Pakistani

calligrapher Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

. He authored 18 books of calligraphy. His work is displayed in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

in London,

Ashmolean museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University of ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and a Moscow museum.

Personal life

Alam was born in

Sargodha district Sargodha District ( Punjabi and ur, ), is a district of Punjab, Pakistan. The capital of the district is Sargodha. It is an agricultural district, wheat, rice, and sugarcane along with Kinno being its main crops. The Sargodha district and re ...

in 1956 and died on 7 december 2020 in lahore. His early education took place in Sargodha. Thereafter he studied under the late calligraphy master Hafiz Muhammad Yousaf Sadidi. The title of Gohar Galam was bestowed on him by calligraphy masters late Nafees raqam, and Ghulam Nizzamuddin.

Some major works

Gohar Qalam is the only Pakistani whose work is on permanent display in the British and Ashmolean museums. His major works include a copy of the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

placed in the main state

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

known as

Faisal mosque The Faisal Mosque ( ur, , faisal masjid) is the national mosque of Pakistan, located in capital Islamabad. It is the fifth-largest mosque in the world and the largest within South Asia, located on the foothills of Margalla Hills in Pakistan's ...

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...

and includes 406 styles of calligraphy. The manuscript weighs 1600 kilograms is divided into 30 parts, placed in separate showcases. His calligraphy adorns some of the most important public places in Pakistan, such as the extension of the mosque and tomb complex of the premier saint of south Asia who is buried in Lahore and known as the Data Ganj Baksh shrine. His work is inside the dome of Hazrat Ghous-e-azam in

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

. His calligraphic work is displayed in the eastern art gallery in the Moscow museum. The government of Pakistan presented his work as a state gift to visiting heads of state.

Calligraphic skill

Gohar Qalam is a master of many styles of calligraphy, including Lahori Nastaleeq, Thuluth Kufic, Muhaqiq, Naskh, Tughra, Dewani, Ruqqaa Sumbali, Tajaweedh, Moshahy, Jaleel, Thuluth-e-Kabeer, Narjiss, Ijazaa, Thuluthian,

English Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

. He is also a master of

cubist Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

calligraphic art.

Awards

* 1991 -

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

* 1990-Special award from the governor of

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

* 1990-Special award from the

prime minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Paki ...

* 2005-Highest award from the foreign minister of Japan (33 international exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Tokyo) * 1999-Ali hejvari award from prime minister of Pakistan.

Books

* ''Jawahir-al-Galam'' * ''Ajaib-ul-Quran.'' * ''Naqash-e-Gohar.'' * ''Naqash-e-Gohar (jaded)'' * ''Naqash-e-Gohar (practical)'' * ''Nisab-e-Khatati'' * ''Ijaz-e-Khatati'' * ''Muraqa-e-Gohar'' * ''Muraqa-e-Loh o Qalam'' * ''Makhzan-e-Khatati'' * ''Tareekh-e-Khatati (old and new)'' * ''Pearls of Calligraphy'' * ''Wonders of calligraphy'' * ''Fun-e-khatati'' * ''Calligraphy Gohar Qalam'' * ''Khat-e-Sadequain''

As a writer

He is a writer of many drama serial such as Pukar, Noon-wal-Qalam, Musawir. He also wrote many stories in magazines and newspapers. Also a good poet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qalam, Khurshid Gohar 1956 births Pakistani calligraphers Living people pakistani artists