India, Sept. 20 -- Ever thought what peculiar thing would a customs officer's bag wouldcomprise? Well, you're sure tofind 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 when 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 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, I was not able to pursue my passion." "During my initial days in the private sector and later while preparing for the civil services, I would miss it a lot," shares Sarma, who still watches videos on the internet to learn more about art. He continues, "In 2011, I was once randomly asked, 'What's your hobby?' Though I said at that time, 'I paint,' I 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 used earlier." 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 across different cities. "I'm keen to hold a solo exhibition of my works in Delhi, but do not have enough artworks as I am able to paint only when time permits after my duty hours," he says with a smile, revealing, "I also write poetry and practise photography." Need we say: a truly talented individual!...