Maestro’s Indelible Ink Marks!
Calling a Sitar virtuoso, a “maestro” we can understand. A cricketer, perhaps more so. But a professional calligrapher? Can someone, who has spent most of his adult life single-mindedly pursuing the art of writing with his hand and in the process has undoubtedly become one of the most celebrated exponents of this decaying art form be termed as one?
I ask this because every time I write something about Prof K C Janardhan, I hear angry voices that question the veracity of terming him as one. Admittedly, such voices are few and far between and are generally lost in the din of platitudes generated by the Professor’s many admirers, but still, they stand out – like an ascender leaning just that shade out of alignment in an otherwise beautifully scripted page.
I took the matter up with Prof K C Janardhan himself and my initial apprehension was immediately put to rest, as Prof K C Janardhan stepped out, converted what I had thought would be a yorker, into a low full toss and unceremoniously despatched the same, straight over the boundary. “It is those who have experienced me across the globe as well as the print and television media that started calling me the Maestro from the mid 1990’s. And as for my detractors who do not like it, allow me, in all humility, to point out that they have also called me the “Desi Ustad” (Indian Maestro) teaches English Dons, “Akshara Shilpi” (Kannada, meaning Sculptor of Letters) and “Aksharala Maantrikudu” (Telugu, meaning Magician of Letters). “Calligraphy Lo Veerudu” (Telugu, meaning a Champion Crusader in Calligraphy)
That the media had its own reason for going on print and air with the superlatives need not be reiterated. The very fact that such pieces have been appearing, consistently and in huge numbers, over the last three decades, is proof enough of the “Maestro” having earned the crown of thorns that he sports on his head.
But before I digress, I guess I should state two little-known facts about Prof K C Janardhan. Not many are aware that Prof Janardhan was born with Epilepsy and had to fight with the social stigma of the medical condition for decades at an end before he triumphed. His achievements therefore, are of someone who was at a painful disadvantage even as he was scaling one intellectual peak after the other. As a matter of fact, those looking up at him for inspiration and motivation for this alone are legion.
The second fact that I want to highlight is that Prof Janardhan is an autodidact: someone who is self-taught. And that is not because he did not seek the formal stamps of approval in all that he has excelled in, but because when he started, there were hardly any one good enough to certify him. He recounted as how he had approached the Oxford University for his Doctoral, which too had initially hung fire in the absence of a Calligrapher good enough to have acted as his guide and to set up a competent panel to assess his work! It is a different matter all together that the coveted Doctorate nor even the Honorary Doctorate could not come about as he could not muster the financial resources that were called for.
And that really brings us to a strange question and the answer to which eludes me still. Why are people even bothered as to what “expletives” Prof K C Janardhan is crowned with, instead of squeezing every last bit out from this man who is eagerly awaiting to pass on all that he has gained globally?
Speaking of Prof Janardhan, yes, the Maestro’s magnificence are many in form of Indelible Ink marks, here are a few High Watermarks waiting to be surpassed:
* He is a Handwriting Researcher and Trainer, who has taught Handwriting to the British and the rest of the world transforming people with bad handwriting to good and the good to admirable! Currently he trains parents and teachers to become Master Trainers in handwriting and a few disciples to become true Professional Calligraphers laced with Management skills.
* As a lettering expert and a Calligrapher he was commissioned by over 220 plus clients across the Globe and has won accolades for his quality of work and professionalism in customer service, having crossed over 85,000 plus Certificates, Citations, Invitations, Special letters, Sit-down dinner Cards etc., a world record in its own accord.
* As a Graphologist he has helped many corporates in the Human Resource Selection process as well as track criminal minded employees.
*As a Questioned Document Examiner he has been sought by Banks, Corporates, Lawyers, Law Firms and Courts to crack Forgery cases.
* As a Management Professor, he has set high standards and brought innovative methods to teach Management Subjects for MBA’s in the late 1980’s and the 1990’s, having set the syllabus for few subjects and taught over 7 different subjects.
* He was a sought-after British Culture Syllabus setter for many British Processes at a number of BPO’s and an accomplished Culture trainer for American, British, Canadian, European, Australian and Global Culture.
* His interest in Geography, Aviation and his world travels made him a sought-after Destination Trainer for Travel Companies.
* As a Faculty Development Trainer for MBA Professors as well as a Master Trainer for “Train the Trainer” Programmes in the Corporates and Academic Institutions, where he has unbelievable admirers and followers from the fraternity.
*As a Social Reformer he has been fighting against the odds of blind beliefs and various nefarious elements in his locality. He dared to bring the positive changes in the attitudes of the intellectually impoverished society, amidst murder threats and physical assault attempts on him.
* After he was selected by Rotary International as the Cultural Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 2001, he has created new levels of High Watermarks Professionally, Socially and Culturally to reach the British Houses of Parliament and the European Diplomatic Enclaves to bring about cordial relationships through his one if it’s kind Museum of Handwriting, Lettering, Calligraphy, Fountain Pens & Other Writing Instruments – J’s La Quill in Bengaluru.
* He is an Erudite Speaker, Writer and an Orator on various subjects. He has been a Chief Guest, Keynote Speaker, Chairman and a Judge at various Academic Conferences, Convocations, Seminars and Competitions.
*Numerous Awards, Recognitions and Titles have been bestowed upon him locally, nationally and Internationally.
“High watermark” says Prof Janardhan, almost snatching the word from my mouth. “It doesn’t hurt me that people make snide remarks, or say the things that they do. What hurts me is that they make no effort to surpass the watermarks, the yardsticks that I have set to achieve more. Not only will their success make me more happy than the sheer joy that I got by achieving whatever little I have, let me unequivocally state that I am always there to help them in any which way I can”.
“My friends, the world out there is in a constant state of flux. One that is full of opportunities. Come join me as I guide you to achieve the things that I could not even dream of. And guess what? I await the day when I can pass this title of being the Maestro”.
He has a point…”Even Socrates needed a Plato”.
For More information : https://jsquill.com/
The story that we had carried three years back: https://www.inkedhappiness.com/kc-janardhan-writer-of-the-lost-arc/