I STARTED to study calligraphy because I was interested in different styles of lettering,u201d says Barbara Calzolari, the first woman to be awarded the title of Master Penman by the International Association of Master Penman, Engrossers, and Teachers of Handwriting. For this, she needed to be voted by all the 11 master penmen from across the globe to become their 12th.

With Sanjana Chatlani, founder, The Bombay Lettering Company, Calzolari hosted a series of calligraphy workshops in the city last week, teaching European Copperplate style of calligraphy and the American Spencerian script. The two first met during a one- week retreat in Siena, where Calzolari was teaching calligraphy. u201c I was noticing a growing demand for exploring and learning pointed pen calligraphy, which is a Western script that no one taught in India correctly. Over time, the more we spoke, Barbara encouraged me to introduce this here to grow a community of calligraphers in India,u201d says Chatlani.