To ensure success in Islamic arts and calligraphy requires a strong interest, effort, training and getting the right teacher who is an expert in the field, said the winner of the open category of the National Level Islamic Calligraphy Competition Alomsa Nor Adzmin bin Haji Ali Omar.
In an interview with the Bulletin, Alomsa Nor Adzmin said he has been participating in competitions for over 20 years after studying the art as one of his subjects at Ma’had Islam Brunei.
Alomsa Nor Adzmin, who works at the Brunei History Centre, has participated and won several competitions organised by the Islamic Dakwah Centre (PDI) long before the Centre of Islamic Calligraphy and Arts Studies of Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (PPKKI-YSHHB) was established. He also participated in international competitions and was also invited as a judge for the ASEAN Khat event in Sabah, Malaysia in 2017.
“Participating in competitions is a good exposure for me and it’s a way for me to challenge myself to improve my art and skills. Initially I was going to rest from competing this year, but I can never say no,” said Alomsa Nor Adzmin.
Meanwhile, Education Officer at Ma’had Islam Brunei Muhammad Azizi bin Haji Mohd Jamil who secured third place in both the open and male educator categories, said his interest in the Islamic calligraphy stemmed from one of the subjects he took during his time at the Arabic school and began competing since 2015.
Muhammad Azizi, who has participated and won competitions locally and abroad, said it took him about a month to complete his art and expressed gratitude for the opportunity.
“I hope the younger generation will be interested to learn Islamic calligraphy, which is one of the oldest writings in the world,” said Muhammad Azizi.
The winner of the female educator category, Siti Norajimah binti Haji Hamdani, an Islamic Calligraphy Education Officer at Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha Girls Arabic Religious Secondary School, has been competing in Islamic calligraphy competitions when she has the opportunity.
“It’s the beauty and subtlety of calligraphy that drew my interest in calligraphy. I strive to learn more on the art and participating in competitions is a way for me to gain experience and challenge myself to meet the deadlines,” said Siti Norajimah.
For the category she participated in and won, they were given only one hour and 30 minutes to complete the task. She was able to meet the timeline.
Siti Norajimah also won third place at the Khat Kufi Fatimi event in Sabah last week.
“Being a teacher, it’s an opportunity for us to encourage our students to be interested in Islamic calligraphy. I hope through my participations, students will be motivated to join future events and I will be there to guide them,” she added.
Meanwhile, Siti Nasriah binti Yahya first joined the Islamic Calligraphy competition in 2012, organised by PDI and then participated again two years later. A religious teacher at Sungai Taring Lumut Religious School, Siti Nasriah is one of the consolation winners in the female educator category, marking her third time in joining local competitions after a long break.
“Alhamdulillah, I am happy to be selected as one of the consolation winners as I was not confident of winning based on the mistakes I made,” said Siti Nasriah. Her interest was derived from her artistic passion as well as encouragement and support from her family members. No stranger to the competition, she also represented the district at an event organised in conjunction with the Maulidur Rasul celebration.
“I had almost zero to no proper training, but I have continuously made efforts to upgrade my skills every now and then. I will keep trying to improve as much as I can, otherwise, all the courses and workshops I attended will be wasted,” she added.
The National Level Islamic Calligraphy Competition was organised by Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in conjunction with the 33rd Teacher’s Day celebration. Winners were awarded at a ceremony at the PPKKI-YSHHB yesterday. – Lyna Mohamad
