Samrup Rachna

An example of Samrup Rachna calligraphy. "Murti" written in Nastaliq and Devanagari shown.

Samrup Rachna is a 60-piece calligraphy collection of Apni Boli, a fusion of Hindi and Urdu, created by Pakistani artist Syed Mohammed Anwer. ^{[1] [2]}

The name is derived from the Sanskrit words Samrup (समरूप), meaning "congruence" or "similar", and Rachna (रचना), meaning "creative work" or "design". ^[3] In linguistics, languages like Hindustani, written in two different scripts, are referred to as synchronic digraphia. ^[4]

The calligraphy combines the Devanagari (northern Brahmic) and Nastaliq (Perso-Arabic) scripts of Hindi-Urdu, which Anwer refers to as Apni Boli.

The work is pictographic, visually representing the meaning of each word. For example, the Hindustani word surahi (meaning "ewer" or "pitcher" in English) is written in Apni Boli calligraphy, so that it forms the picture of an ewer. ^{[5] [6]}

The artwork aims at highlighting the shared linguistic heritage of Hindi and Urdu, underlining their cultural and linguistic similarities. ^[7]

The 60-piece collection was published as a book titled "Samrup Rachna: Calligraphic Expression of Apni Boli" (Hindi–Urdu) at the Pakistan Mother Languages Literature Festival, held at the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage in 2016. ^[8]

In July 2025, the Indian Ocean Rim Area Research Project at Osaka University, Japan, included "Samrup Rachna" in its art archives. ^[9]

Calligraphic representation of "Diwali"

Dr. Syed Mohammed Anwer, the creator of the Samrup Rachna art.

Samrup Rachna Exhibitions

The inaugural exhibition of "Samrup Rachna-Art for Peace" was held in Islamabad from April 2–4, 2012. The artist, Syed Mohammed Anwer was interviewed by VOA. ^[5]

Visitors at Samrup Rachna Inaugural Exhibition, Islamabad, Pakistan

A session featuring Anwer was held at Kuch Khaas Center of Arts & Culture, Islamabad, on April 27, 2012. ^[10]

Dr Syed Mohammed Anwer giving a presentation on Samrup Rachna at Kuch Khas Art Gallery, Islamabad.

The book "Samrup Rachna: Calligraphic Expression of Apni Boli" was launched ^[11] on World Local Languages Day in 2016 at a cultural festival held at Lok Virsa, Islamabad. During an interview at the festival, Anwer discussed his journey and motivation for creating the artwork. ^[12]

Anwer's work was later featured in the exhibition titled “Cosmopolitanism and National Identities” at the University of Chicago, which ran from September 5, 2018 to December 14, 2018. ^[1]

Samrup Rachna Exhibition, RedHouse New Delhi, India

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  "Juta" (shoe) written in Samrup Rachna calligraphy
• 
  "Buddha" written in Samrup Rachna calligraphy
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  "Fatwa" written in Samrup Rachna Calligraphy
• 
  "Surahi" in Samrup Rachna Calligraphy

References

1. "Cosmopolitanism and National Identities - The World of South Asian Scripts - The University of Chicago Library". www.lib.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
2. "Pak lawyer fuses Urdu, Hindi in calligraphy". Hindustan Times. 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
3. "زبان قربتوں کا ذریعہ نا کہ دوریوں کا" [Language is a means of closeness, not of distance. Syed Muhammad Anwar Interview]. Urdu VOA.
4. Cheung, Yat-Shing (1992). "The form and meaning of digraphia: the case of Chinese". In K. Bolton and H. Kwok. Sociolinguistics Today: International Perspectives. London: Routledge.
5. "Syed Mohammad Anwar – Calligraphy Artist". Urdu VOA. 13 April 2012. Archived from the original on June 23, 2025 – via YouTube.
6. "A book of unique calligraphy | Pakistan Observer". Archived from the original on 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
7. "Unique linguistic art book launched". financspree.com. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
8. "Mother languages literature fair begins amid festivity". Archived from the original on 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
9. https://ir.library.osaka-u.ac.jp/repo/ouka/all/102324/
10. "Kuch Khaas: Calligraphic Expression of Apni-Boli by Dr. Syed Mohammed Anwer". YouTube .
11. "Dr.Syed Mohammed Anwer speaking on diversity of Languages at World Local Languages Day". YouTube . Archived from the original on September 2, 2022.
12. "SAMRUP RACHNA VOA, Art for Peace by Dr.Syed Muhammad Anwer". YouTube . Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.