Kashmiri youth in India handwrites Holy Quran on 500-metre paper

A young man in Jammu and Kashmir's remote Bandipora district has successfully handwritten the Holy Quran on a 500-metre-long paper scroll.

Mustafa-Ibn-Jameel (26), a resident of Tulail area of Gurez in north Kashmir district, had embarked on the project last year, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

"It took me two months to arrange for the special art paper for calligraphy. I got that from a factory in Delhi as it was not available in the open market. Then I also got a special calligraphy ink for it," Jameel told PTI in Srinagar.

He said even though the project was concluded in June this year, the calligraphy part – done in Naskh font – took three more months.

"Border designing took about a month. I designed it with about 13 lakh dots. Then the whole roll was laminated," he said.

Jameel said the project was completed at a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh.

"It was my heartfelt desire to write the Quran," Jameel said adding, initially he took calligraphy to improve his handwriting.

"Then, I started writing a few chapters of the Quran and felt so happy in doing so, that it occurred to me that I should use my God-given gift to do something unique," he said.

Jameel's art has won him recognition from Chennai-based Lincoln Book of Records – an NGO initiated to promote hidden talents of the people across the globe.

"I feel so happy to have taken this task and to have completed it. I have put on paper my love for the Quran and calligraphy. You can gauge my passion from the fact that I used to spend about 18 hours a day on it," he said.

He expressed hope that his feat can inspire youths from Kashmir to take up calligraphy.