For most, childhood passions are left behind as life takes over. For Neena Singh, it was a quiet, persistent companion that waited patiently for decades to be rediscovered.

"I was drawn to art as a child," says Singh. Drawing and painting, she recalls, suited her introverted personality perfectly. It gave her a quiet space to observe, to feel, and to express herself without the need for words. Like many young artists, she had wanted to study art. But destiny, as it often does, had other plans. In 1988, she joined the Indian Revenue Service.