Jamia Millia Islamia,New Delhi:
An exhibition on ‘Islamic Art and Craft: Indo-Iranian Enterprise for Preservation and Promotion” organized by Premchand Arhives & Literary Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) in collaboration with Iran Culture House was inaugurated this morning at 09.30 AM at M.F. Husain Art Gallery, JMI by Dr. Najma Heptulla, Union Minister for Minority Affairs in the presence of Prof. Talat Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor, JMI and Mr. Ghulam Reza Ansari, Ambassador, Embassy of Islamic Republic of Iran. The exhibition shall be on view until August 18, 2015.
The Faculty Members and staff of JMI, along with students from the Faculties of Fine Arts, Law, the Departments of Persian, History & Culture, Arabic and the Academy of International Studies, had turned up in large numbers at the inauguration. The exhibition provides an opportunity to view the highly evolved art of calligraphy which has been employed to decorate the Arabic Aayats of the Holy Quran, which in turn have inspired the Ganga-Jamuni tehzib of India. Calligraphy became the most venerated of artistic expressions in Islamic cultures followed by abstract depictions and floral motifs. The Holy Quran, created a new prestige for the Arabic language, its written form and visual expression, since no other book could match the Quran in its holiness, being Allah’s eternal word.
Dr. Najma Heptulla, Union Minister for Minority Affairs, expressed her delight at the brilliantly curated exhibition which had been put together by Prof. Sabiha Anjum Zaidi and described it as an example of cooperation. She spent some time discussing the art of calligraphy and indigenous techniques of preservation with the Iranian Ambassador and Prof. Talat Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor, JMI. She also interacted with the students and expressed her keenness to promote calligraphy as one of the artistic skills of India.
Students of Jamia Millia Islamia will benefit greatly from this exhibition organized by Premchand Archives & Literary Centre, JMI, in collaboration with Iran Culture House, JMI.