Subham, the artist in Nanpur, Odisha

I met this little boy Subham in a rural village in Nanpur when I was teaching there in January. He is 5 years old and had never seen a white haired woman before. He thought I was a ghost. He was terrified and utterly inconsolable. He had to be taken home from the morning school by his older sister. Gradually he lost his fear of me but it was clear he had a vivid imagination and a huge inner world. I gave him a piece chalk one morning and he drew and drew endless wheels on trucks. He was so delighted by his work he kept asking for more and more paper. I could see the makings of an artist.