Achyut Palav

Most people see a script simply as a way to write. Achyut Palav sees it as an art form. The Mumbai calligrapher has spent his life showing how beautiful, and how useful, India’s scripts can be. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of art, from Maharashtra ^[1].

From the J.J. School to the Modi script

Achyut Ramchandra Palav was born on 27 January 1960 and grew up in Mumbai. He studied at the Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art, where he later taught ^[2]. In 1984 he won a research scholarship to study the Modi script, used to write Marathi between the 15th and 17th centuries, and he went on to design “Mukta Lipi”, which blends Modi and Devanagari ^[2].

A school, a festival and a journey

To understand how calligraphy was really practised across the country, Palav set out on a nationwide tour he called Calligraphy Roadways ^[2]. He then founded the Achyut Palav School of Calligraphy, which the citation describes as India’s first institution to teach calligraphy in a systematic way ^[2]. He also started Callifest, India’s first international calligraphy festival, which has run for six editions ^[2].

His work has been shown and collected abroad, including at the Klingspor Museum and the Akademie der Künste in Germany, and at calligraphy biennales in South Korea and Sharjah ^[2]. He has published about 14 books and manuals, including Akshar Bharati, a survey of India’s scripts ^[2].

Recognition

Palav has received a national award for his book Aksharanubhava, five state awards and, in 2023, a lifetime achievement award at Typoday from IDC, IIT Bombay, and Banaras Hindu University ^[2]. Through his school and workshops, he has turned an old craft into a career path for young artists.