Students of Sanskrit and Japanese from various institutions in the city recently bonded over calligraphy, history and culture at a workshop.

The workshop was organised by Calcutta University's Manuscript Library in association with the Japanese consulate and the Nihongo Kaiwa Kyookai Society.

From tracing the history of calligraphy to knowing what a fude (the brush used in the art) is, the students started with the basics.

The guests included CU vice-chancellor Sugata Marjit, pro vice-chancellor for business affairs and finance Sonali Chakravarty Banerjee, registrar Basab Chaudhuri, Japan consul-general Kazumi Endo, vice-consul of the cultural department Maiko Morita, and a calligraphy teacher from Japan, Hiroko Nagahama.

"It is a rare privilege to witness this kind of collaboration," Marjit said of the first such calligraphy workshop. "I don't know much about calligraphy and the tradition of art history. But I have had many Japanese friends and I have visited many places in Japan.

"Both Calcutta and Tokyo boast of a large number of students opting for Phd. There is a lot of cultural similarity as well. I am interested in fostering deeper ties with Japan."

Professor Ratna Basu, the in-charge of the manuscript library, spoke of the treasures available there. Later, she and Nagahama demonstrated the art of calligraphy in Sanskrit and Japanese.

Nagahama presented the CU team with a calligraphy representation of the name of the university done on white chart paper.

"I hope CU students enjoy this workshop. This initiative will help promote each other's culture," said Endo, the consul-general of Japan in Calcutta.

Nagahama showcased her calligraphy art for the workshop participants and took them through some simple worksheets.

"This is an occasion to celebrate Indo-Japan cultural relations," said Sonali Chakravarty Banerjee. "From Budhhism to Rabindranath and Abanindranath Tagore's experiments with calligraphy, India and Japan have shared a close cultural bond...."