Swati, a commercial artist and designer, has been focusing on calligraphy for over 30 years. She started her brand, Swahasta, creating jewellery, wallplates, fabrics, nameplates, and wedding cards. Her products and calligraphy kits are sold worldwide, including in Europe, the USA, Dubai, Singapore, Australia, and Germany. She advises new calligraphers to focus on letterforms and hand skills, work on raising standards internationally, and be patient.

Swati Thakur is a commercial artist who specializes in calligraphy. She owns her brand, Swahasta, and focuses on creating calligraphy-based products. She also teaches calligraphy on a professional level, and she has been an artist and designer for over 30 years now.

Under her brand, Swahasta, she initially started making jewellery because it is an exceptional and unique subject. She created pendants with calligraphy, wallplates, fabrics, nameplates, wedding cards, and more. Currently, she is focusing on jewellery, wallplates, and home products to explore her creativity rather than taking on commercial projects.

Swati shares that she initially worked as a graphic designer and ran her own design studio for over 20 years, working with corporate companies. She handled branding and designing for both pharma and non-pharma companies. However, she has always had a passion for calligraphy since her college days. Eventually, she realized that her main passion was being neglected. She then dropped all the corporate work and dedicated herself to studying calligraphy for 10 years. As she practiced calligraphy seriously, she realized that the education for calligraphy in our country is lacking in many areas.

About calligraphy, Swati says that it is about letterforms. There are various scripts and styles of calligraphy. Studying the different letterforms and being able to write them with your hand is all about calligraphy. Additionally, there are a lot of design aspects that fall under this art. She elaborates that it is a type of commercial art, an applied art subject that includes architecture, textile design, fashion design, etc. Calligraphy is a profession that uses art in design. It is not just about letterforms; it is also an application. Calligraphy can be applied in various sectors in the form of designs like wedding cards, shares Swati.

Regarding her inspiration in this field, Swati says that calligraphy is one of the subjects in commercial arts, which she studied at Nirmala Niketan. Since her college days, she has had a passion and an exceptional liking for calligraphy. As she loves writing, she was naturally drawn to the art of calligraphy.

Recalling her childhood, Swati says that she belongs to Thane, Mumbai. In her childhood, she used to play a lot and enjoy outdoor activities. As a child, she loved reading, drawing, and painting, so in her school days, she decided to become an artist. She is thankful to her parents for allowing her to pursue art. She completed her twelfth grade and BCom but then realized she wanted to pursue something in the arts.

Swati considers her parents to be her role models. Her mother is her first role model, known for her artistic choice in home decoration and fashion. Her father has beautiful handwriting, so these things are imbibed in her naturally, and she became inclined towards the art field. She also admires the support of her husband and daughter, as they always try to maintain the atmosphere that is required for calligraphy.

Additionally, Swati also looks up to her guru, Param Pujya Kalavati Aai, and has been following her teaching for the last several years. Her guru’s discipline and way of living life have taught her a lot, and she has also learned to maintain her relationships from her. She is also a big fan of Madhuri Dixit and admires how she maintains her personality and has built a successful career as an Indian actress.

Swati also admires the thoughts and teachings of Sudha Murty and her daughter, Akshata Murty. In the field of calligraphy, she considers her teacher, John Stevens, as her role model, as she has been following and observing his work for the last ten years. During COVID, she had the opportunity to learn online from him and gained a lot of knowledge.

The songs from the movie Chak De! India—Kuch kariye and Badal pe paon hain—always motivate her.

Swati discusses her hardships in the art field, emphasizing the challenges of obtaining proper education and securing suitable clients in India. Despite these hurdles, she considers herself fortunate to attract good clients due to her high-quality work and effective communication skills. Swati also highlights another common challenge faced by artists: ensuring timely payment from clients. She underscores the importance of meticulous planning and clear communication of terms and conditions to manage these challenges effectively.

Swati shares her achievements in the field of calligraphy, expressing deep happiness derived from pursuing her passion. Transitioning from working at a studio to establishing her own business stands out as a significant milestone for her. She has accumulated extensive experience and created her own line of calligraphy kits. Swati takes pride in the fact that her calligraphy kits and products are now popular not only across India but also globally, reaching places like Europe, the USA, Dubai, Singapore, Australia, and Germany, marking a major accomplishment in her career.

Swati advises aspiring calligraphers to prioritize mastering letterforms and developing their hand skills. She emphasizes that proficiency in these areas will pave the way for learning various scripts effectively. Swati also stresses the importance of choosing the right place to learn, as quality education significantly impacts skill development. She encourages newcomers to consistently strive for higher standards internationally, while maintaining patience and dedication in their practice as calligraphers.

Swati advises young people to focus on self-improvement and pursue their passions. She emphasises the importance of cultivating kindness and reducing excessive use of social media. Swati encourages individuals to spend their time wisely and avoid investing too much time in unnecessary entertainment sources such as Netflix.