Lyna Mohamad
Two first prize winners of the Khat Competition (National Level) 2021 – Muhammad Nazir bin Haji Othman and Khairol Helmy bin Abdullah – received BND2,000 each during a prize presentation ceremony organised by the Islamic Calligraphy and Arts Studies Centre of Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (PPKKI-YSHHB) at the multipurpose hall of its building complex in the capital yesterday.
Muhammad Nazir won first place in the traditional category, while Khairol Helmy came in top spot of the contemporary category.
Meanwhile, in the traditional category, Muhammad Riziman bin Haji Usin came in second, followed by Mohammad Adiyusnira bin Haji Johari in third. Muhammad Azizi bin Haji Mohd Jamil and Saiful Nasri bin Haji Sabri received consolation prizes.
In the contemporary category, Haidi Sewardi bin Haji Mohidi came in second, followed by Haji Zamady bin Haji Mohammad in third. Mohammad Syafi’ie bin Shahram and Mohammad Ali Saifullah bin Haji Mohammad Alisam received consolation prizes.
The second prize winners for both categories received BND1,500 each, the third prize winners BND1,000 each and consolation at BND500 each.
Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof as the guest of honour handed over the cash prizes in his capacity as Chairman of the Yayasan Board of Directors.
Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar as Deputy Chairman of the Yayasan Board of Directors and Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Pengiran Dato Seri Paduka Haji Bahrom bin Pengiran Haji Bahar as board member and PPKKI-YSHHB Administrative Board Chairperson were also present.
The event also saw Permanent Secretary (Planning, Land Use and Environment) at the Ministry of Development Dr Nor Imtihan binti Haji Abdul Razak as Acting Managing Director of YSHHB and PPKKI-YSHHB Administrative Board Deputy Chairperson, along with administrative members and senior officers of YSHHB.
The competition, held from September 20 to November 30, saw 12 entries for the traditional category and 38 entries for the contemporary category.
The event aimed to identify and highlight local talents in calligraphy at national, regional and international levels, as well as to produce masters of the Islamic arts among Muslim youth, in line with PPKKI-YSHHB’s aim to dignify Jawi writing, particularly Islamic calligraphy.
The showcase will be available for public viewing at the lobby area of Block C, Yayasan Complex for one week, in support of the Brunei December Festival 2021 initiated by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism.
Winner Muhammad Nazir expressed his gratitude in being chosen as one of the first prize winners, owing it to his supportive instructors and family members who provided him a space to work on his artworks, which he said, was not an easy task considering the time given was only a month.
“Alhamdulillah, my wife also helped me by evaluating my work,” he said, adding that it is important to have blessings and prayers from parents, which he believed was one of the factors in winning the competition.
Meanwhile, winner Khairol Helmy said before he started on his art work, he did a lot of research including references from friends. This helped him to create an idea for his art work.
Support from his family also kept him motivated all the way.
He also expressed gratitude for the knowledge and skills gained from the workshops he attended locally and abroad.
