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The Art of Calligraphy – Class 7 Arts Chapter 19 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 7ArtsChapter 19NCERT book: Kriti - Arts Class 7

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 19 of the NCERT Class 7 Arts book, with the official chapter PDF, flashcards, an MCQ quiz and an AI tutor for your doubts.

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Chapter 19: The Art of Calligraphy (Visual Arts)

Introduction

Scripts have the power to record people's languages and expressions. India's writing systems can be traced back to the 5000-year-old Indus-Sarasvati civilisation, while the earliest decoded inscriptions — in the Brahmi script on the Ashokan edicts — are almost 2300 years old.

The original Constitution of India was handwritten by two expert calligraphers: Prem Behari Narain Raizada wrote the English version and Vasant Krishan Vaidya wrote the Hindi version. The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, the day we observe as Republic Day. Today it officially recognises 22 languages.

Key Ideas

What is calligraphy?

  • Letters are the smallest unit of any script. Letters began as drawings, which evolved into pictograms and then into organised writing systems. That is why an unknown script looks like a string of small drawings.
  • Calligraphy is much more than writing letters to spell words — artists pour emotions into each letter, spending great effort in writing, inscribing and carving by hand.
  • Each letter style has a purpose: ancient manuscripts had decorative, flowing letters (some arranged as frames or pictures); newspapers use bold, clear letters to catch attention and help quick reading.
  • Tools and surfaces: quills, brushes, nibs, inks and paints on palm leaf, cloth, paper and more.

    • Letters in symbols and logos

  • The Indian Rupee symbol (₹) comes from the Devanagari letter र in 'Rupiah'. Its top line, the Shiro-Rekha, gives it an Indian identity; together with the second line it represents the three bands of the tricolour.
  • In the 'Incredible India' logo an exclamation mark replaces the letter 'I', making it more expressive.

    • Anatomy of letters

    Just as all humans have the same body parts yet look unique, the same letter can be written in many ways. The anatomy of letters means the different parts of a letter. To structure letters, draw a baseline, top line and middle line, plus vertical lines forming a grid to judge each letter's width and the spacing between letters.

    Writing like we speak

    We change our voice to show feeling — excitement for "Happy Birthday!", calm concern for "Get well soon". In writing, a loud voice can be big, bold letters; a soft voice, small letters. Letter shape can convey emotion.

    Calligraphy in posters

  • A lot of thought goes into titles of books, plays, films and campaigns; letter styles, types and fonts play an important role.
  • The title's style can hint at the event's mood — happy, sad or suspenseful.
  • Other information — date, time, venue, contact details, names of people or troupes — must be clear and readable, sized by importance, written using guidelines and margins.

    • Calligraphy skills are used in many careers: tattooing, graphic art, illustration and animation.

    Activities in the Chapter

  • 19.1 Looking at letters — find the letters in the ₹ symbol; discuss letter play in logos.
  • 19.2 Letter hunt — collect newspapers, invitation cards, food packaging and magazines; discuss arrangement, colour and size; cut out letters and group similar styles (decorative, bold, italic, thin, narrow) on an A3 sheet. Visit a newspaper office or print studio if possible.
  • 19.3 Similar but different — write one letter freely (even with your non-dominant hand), then on a guideline grid create five variations by changing height, width, angle and line thickness.
  • 19.4 Writing like we speak — shape words to express their meaning and emotion.
  • 19.5 Calligraphy in posters — design a poster for a play or school event.
  • Summative idea: a self-portrait with an object or word that symbolises your personality, using rendering and lettering techniques.

    • Key Terms

  • Calligraphy (सुलेख) — the art of beautiful handwriting
  • Script (लिपि)
  • Brahmi (ब्राह्मी लिपि)
  • Inscription (शिलालेख/अभिलेख)
  • Edict (राजाज्ञा)
  • Pictogram (चित्रलिपि)
  • Shiro-Rekha (शिरोरेखा) — top line in Devanagari
  • Baseline (आधार-रेखा)
  • Anatomy of letters (अक्षर-रचना)
  • Font (फ़ॉन्ट/अक्षर-शैली)
  • Nib (निब)
  • Quill (पंख-कलम)
  • Layout (अभिन्यास)

    • Connect to Your Life

    Look at shop signboards, wedding cards and food packets. Which letter styles grab your attention first, and why?

    Common Mistakes

  • Thinking calligraphy is just neat handwriting — it expresses emotion and purpose.
  • Skipping guidelines and margins, so letters wander and crowd.
  • Using decorative letters for details like date and venue that must be easy to read.
  • Forgetting the Shiro-Rekha's role in the ₹ symbol.

    • Let's Reflect

    How did you write one letter in five different ways? Which style best matched the feeling you wanted to show?

    💡 Key Learning Points

    • ✓Letters began as drawings, became pictograms and then organised writing systems
    • ✓The earliest decoded Indian inscriptions are in Brahmi on the Ashokan edicts, about 2300 years old
    • ✓The original Constitution was handwritten by calligraphers Prem Behari Narain Raizada (English) and Vasant Krishan Vaidya (Hindi)
    • ✓Guidelines (baseline, middle line, top line) and a grid help structure letters and spacing
    • ✓Letter size, weight and style can express emotions and set the mood of a poster

    👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

    • →Show the ₹ symbol large on the board and let students find र and the Shiro-Rekha
    • →Organise the letter hunt with real newspapers, invitations and packaging
    • →Ask students to write one letter with their non-dominant hand to free up their line quality
    • →Demonstrate drawing baseline, middle line, top line and a vertical grid before variations
    • →Connect to Social Science: discuss Brahmi and the Ashokan edicts
    • →Show pages of the handwritten Constitution to inspire students
    • →End with a poster project for a real school event

    📋 Assessment Questions

    1. Can the student explain how letters evolved from drawings?
    2. Can they name the calligraphers who wrote the Constitution and the languages they wrote in?
    3. Can they create five variations of one letter using guidelines?
    4. Can they explain how the ₹ symbol uses the letter र and the Shiro-Rekha?
    5. Can they design a readable poster with a title style that matches the event's mood?

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    Keep learning

    All chapters in Kriti - Arts Class 7

    1. 1. Understanding Emotions
    2. 2. Say More without Speech — Mime
    3. 3. Let’s Design — Stage Technicals 2
    4. 4. Story of India’s Storytelling Tradition
    5. 5. Making Music
    6. 6. Music, Emotions and Creativity
    7. 7. Ragas and Talas/Taal
    8. 8. The Music of the People
    9. 9. Performance
    10. 10. Dance and Sculpture
    11. 11. Dance Vocabulary and Techniques
    12. 12. Dance, You and Creativity
    13. 13. Personalities
    14. 14. Natya
    15. 15. Objects in Icons and Symbols
    16. 16. Nature’s Palette
    17. 17. How You Feel
    18. 18. Textiles and Traditions
    19. 19. The Art of Calligraphy
    20. 20. Integration of All Art Forms — Sculptures Come Alive!