Whom did Akbar honour with the title "Zarrin qalam"?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Muhammad Husayn
Muhammad Husayn of Kashmir, one of the finest calligraphers at Akbar’s court, was honoured with the title “zarrin qalam” (golden pen) for the perfectly proportioned curvature of his letters.
Note 1: This question is taken from the chapter ‘Kings and Chronicles’ which was there in the pre-rationalised NCERT and has been deleted from subsequent editions of NCERT, including the NCERT book (2026-27).
Note 2: A same/similar question was asked in CUET (UG) in the papers below.
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| – | – | – | 27-05 S1* 30-05 S2* 22-06 S3 | – |
* A similar question.
NCERT: Themes in Indian History Part II — Chapter 9: Kings and Chronicles (Pre-rationalised)
Fig. 9.3 A folio in nastaliq, the work of Muhammad Husayn of Kashmir (c.1575-1605), one of the finest calligraphers at Akbar’s court, who was honoured with the title “zarrin qalam” (golden pen) in recognition of the perfectly proportioned curvature of his letters |
