B.S.S Jassu

This man’s name is B.S.S Jassu. He is a limbless artist whom I met on the streets of Lower Tapovan, India. His movements are confined by the limitation of his body, though his mind isn’t. I wonder, what do you see in his eyes?

For half of the year, on a day-to-day basis he shuffles between two blocks where he lives and works. The other half he spends in Rajasthan. For this journey a friend helps him with his small suitcase onto the bus.

He switches pens by methodically placing one back in designated order before nudging the end of the next one downward, lifting its far end from its place so he’s able to secure it between his two stubs. By using his mouth he is able to remove the lid, slide and rotate it around and place the lid onto the back side of the pen. He spends his days stippling colourful drawings from his imagination. These drawings take him anywhere from a week to a month, depending on their complexity, and they sell for anywhere from 500-1500 rupees (5-15 US Dollars).

Unable to survive on this alone, he lives off the generosity and aid of others. I watched a lady try to give him a coin and he politely refused, explaining that he is unable to manage the coin physically. He keeps the notes of his cash donations in his shirt pocket individually folded from where local vendors are able to take what is owed for a meal.

In spending time with him I became acutely aware of the difficulties he encounters in performing even the smallest of tasks I would have previously overlooked, such as folding and storing the notes into his pocket. He accomplished every task with grace and seemed unperturbed with the comparative challenges life presents to him.

I asked him what his greatest challenge is and he didn’t hesitate—mosquitoes! This would explain why he ventures to a drier area during the monsoon time.

Meeting a person with daily challenges far beyond my wildest imagination and then discovering that each one is met with grace is a feeling I can’t describe - my words will certainly fall short here.