Ever thought what peculiar thing would a custom’s officer bag would comprise? Well, you’re sure to find a sketchbook if the luggage belongs to Shankar Prasad Sarma, a 2009 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer.
Currently posted at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport as Additional Commissioner of Customs, this multi-faceted personality is a vigilant officer by the day and a creative soul by the evening. Looking back at the recent years where he has diligently returned to his “first love — painting”, Sarma says, “It’s meditative for me... Being in a workspace where we see a lot of enforcement, it calms my mind when I let my thoughts flow on the canvas. Then, when I return to work the next day, I’m able to do so with more passion and focus.”
A painter at heart since his childhood, Sarma was born in Assam and currently lives in Gurugram. He fondly recounts how he won almost every competition in art when in school: “I grew up in a tea estate; where my father was a manager. Since the space was quite secluded and I would spend a lot of time alone, I took to painting. It came to me naturally and my parents also encouraged me to pursue it. But after I came to Delhi for my higher studies, there came a pause in my passion.”
“During my initial days in the private sector and later while preparing for the civil services, I would miss it (painting) a lot,” shares Sarma, who still watches videos on the internet, to learn more about art. He continues, “Then in 2011, I was once randomly asked ‘What’s your hobby?’ Though I said at that time ‘I paint’ but knew in my heart what was missing from my life. Soon, I bought new colours, paints, canvases, and returned to my first love. But this time, I found my calling in oil and acrylic instead of watercolours that I usually used earlier.”
{{/usCountry}}“During my initial days in the private sector and later while preparing for the civil services, I would miss it (painting) a lot,” shares Sarma, who still watches videos on the internet, to learn more about art. He continues, “Then in 2011, I was once randomly asked ‘What’s your hobby?’ Though I said at that time ‘I paint’ but knew in my heart what was missing from my life. Soon, I bought new colours, paints, canvases, and returned to my first love. But this time, I found my calling in oil and acrylic instead of watercolours that I usually used earlier.”
{{/usCountry}}Today, a father of a doting daughter who is learning Odissi and a son who is trying to pick up painting, this self-taught artist’s works have already been displayed in a few group exhibitions at different cities. “I’m keen to organise a solo exhibition of my works in Delhi, but do not have enough number of artworks as I paint only when time permits me after my duty hours,” he says with a smile, revealing, “I also write poetry and practise photography.” Need we say: a truly talented individual!
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