Sandhya is 10 years old and the youngest of her family. Her father works as a salesman in a shop in Orissa and her mother is housewife. The family lives in a simple brick house without basic facilities such as a toilet and water. They have a little farm on which crops are cultivated. Sandhya's family is illiterate and has been so for many generations. Sandhya is the first in her family to become educated. Sandhya: When I come home from school I often find my Grandfather sitting outside the house in a chair. He will start talking to me and give advice about my future. He wants me to be a teacher. Sometimes he also tells moral stories. Last time it was about a Lion, a monkey and a king. His stories fascinate and inspire me.

Rose Flower portrays a rose that reflects sunlight. The earth and the roots of the flower are visible. The dots on the print represent a sweet scent coming from the flower. Sandhya: I like flowers very much, that is why I made a rose. This is a special rose flower. It is for worshipping God. When the wind blows, the fragrance of this flower blows into our class- rooms. When the air is polluted, this flower makes it pure again.

Title: Rose Flower
Made by: Sandhya
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 25x32 cm (size paper)
Price: ₹ 10,000/ € 150/ $ 175

Jay Prakash (11) has three brothers and a sister. His father died in a tractor accident when Jay Prakash was a young boy. Jay Prakash is now being taken care of by his mother and grandfather, a small-scale farmer. In his youth Jay Prakash lost half of his index finger on his right hand when he was playing with an agricultural machine. This makes it difficult for him to write and draw. He enjoys art classes and has a vivid imagination, as you can see in his print and read in his thoughts below. Jay Prakash: Printmaking is a new experience for me. I like to make prints, the procedure is interesting. We learn to draw, carve, print. We use our imagination to tell a story through our prints and make the impossible come alive.

The Kite Flying Man depicts a kite flying a man. Sky and land have changed their positions. Jay Prakash: The Kite Flying Man is about a kite and man playing near the mountains. One day the kite thinks: Why am I always flying? Why does man not fly? So the kite gives it a try and starts moving very fast behind the man. The man then starts to fly far far away in the deep blue sky while the kite remains on earth. As the kite and man changed positions, so do earth and sky. The world has become opposite.

Title: The Kite Flying Man
Made by: Jai Prakash
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 25x32 cm (size paper)
Price: ₹ 10,000/ € 150/ $ 175

Om Prakash (8) loves having fun and is often said to be a born stand-up comedian. He went through some rough years in which after a long period of illness, his mother passed away. For a little while his cheerful spirit seemed faded, but recently he is 100% back. Om Prakash loves to dance, perform, draw and be in the centre of attention. Om Prakash: I live in a brick and mud house with my four sisters, my father and one brother, three hens, two buffaloes and one goat. When I am not at school or studying, I like to play hockey in the village. We make the hockey sticks ourselves from wood we find in the village. I also like swimming and often cross the Punpun with our two buffaloes to let them graze the fresh green grass on the other side of the river.

Star depicts six smiling stars. Om Prakash choose to make stars as they are believed to encourage rain. Thoughts of people in the village are often based on the premises that all life is interconnected. Om Prakash: Rain is important so that plants can grow and there will be vegetables, fruits, rice and wheat. We need them to survive. At night when I sleep on the roof I often see many stars. This inspired me to make this print.

Title: Tara (Star)
Made by: Om Prakash
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 25x32 cm (size paper)
Price: ₹ 10,000/ € 150/ $ 175

Shilpi (11) lives with her sister and two brothers in a simple unfurnished brick house in the village where Loka’s school is located. Her parents are small-scale farmers. Her mother is a warm-hearted hardworking lady who is mostly active on their small plot of land or on the land of large-scale farmers. She supports the education of her children and believes it will give them a better future as she herself has deep experience how it is to struggle to survive. Shilpi: I live in Manikpur village. Before my house was a hut, now it is made of bricks. I study at Loka International in class three. After completing my education, I want to be a Mathematics teacher at Loka and give my family and many other children a better future.

Friendship depicts a sun and moon, stars and clouds. The sun and the moon are reaching out their arms to each other, indicating their friendship. Shilpi: The sun and the moon are talking. They are playing. The moon says: I like the starts to play with the children. The Sun replies: I like to play with the clouds. All are friends. All are happy.

Title: Friendship
Made by: Shilpi
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 32x25 cm (size paper)

Dinesh (13) lives with his two elder brothers and large joint family together in a brick house in the same village where Loka’s school is located. At school Dinesh is especially interested in academics and sports. He gives his full effort in whatever he does. Dinesh is happy when he is surrounded by other people. He never wants to live alone. Dinesh: While lying on the roof before falling asleep below a roof of stars, my Grandmother tells me, my brothers and cousins stories. Interesting old stories with meaning. While listening we usually fall asleep. I rise in the morning at 4 am. First I study for 30 minutes and then I go outside to meet my friends. We run, jump and practice yoga and meditation. We do this every morning.

The Help depicts a bird in the sky dropping a leaf and an ant in the water sitting on a leaf. Dinesh: Once upon a time there was an ant drowning in the river. He thought he would die. Suddenly a bird came and saw the ant struggling in the water. The bird thought he must help, but how? He then saw a tree, plucked a leaf from it and dropped it in the river. The ant climbed on the leaf and floated safely to the shore. My print is about helping. I made this drawing because when we help, everybody is happy.

Title: The Help
Made by: Dinesh
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 32x25 cm (size paper)
Price: ₹ 10,000

Vicky (13) has two brothers and a sister. His father is a mason and his mother is a housewife. Vicky: I used to live in a mud hut, now I live in a house made of bricks. We live there with six people. Besides my parents we are 3 brothers and one sister. After school I go to the village, get changed, play some hours and then study. Before sleeping I like to watch a movie on my fathers mobile phone. I like living in the village. There are many plants and on hot days we swim in the river together. Sometimes people also fight in the village, that I do not like. After completing my education I would like to be a mathematics and sports teacher. These are my favourite subjects.

Amazing Tree depicts a tree with big fruits. Vicky: This tree is amazing because it does not give one kind of fruit, it gives five different kinds. These are: mango, guava, apple, orange and pineapple. First I made an elephant eating a cow. But found it was too difficult to cut out of the wood. Then suddenly I thought of this tree. Nobody has seen this tree before. I imagined it. And I made it.

Title: Amazing Tree
Made by: Vicky
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 25x32 cm (size paper)
Price: ₹ 10,000/ € 150/ $ 175

Nitish (10) studies together with his sister Subhanti at Loka’s school. His mother keeps Loka's school and surroundings neat & clean and both his parents help manage Loka’s organic farm. Whenever Nitish’s father is not on the farm, he pulls a cycle cart to help maintain his family. Through their dedicated work at Loka, the family was recently able to buy themselves a small plot of land, which they will use for farming. Nitish: I like to swim to the other side of the river and roam around along the river bank, catch fish and play with my baby cousin Suleka. Every morning I rise 4 am to study and then run and practice yoga with my friends.

Friendship with a Snake depicts A girl and a snake reaching out for one another, as if they are about to hug. Nitish: A girl called Vandana who visits various places meets a snake. The snake asks the girl to become friends and from then on they start playing and talking together. They are inseparable. The girl does not tell her parents about her new friendship, as they may not agree. She however does tell some of her friends and quite soon her parents find out. At first they are not happy but when her parents find out the snake has no bad intentions, they approve. The girl and snake are so very happy that their unusual friendship does not need to be hidden any longer. They approach one another blissfully and hug.

Title: Friendship with a Snake
Made by: Mitish
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 32x25 cm (size paper)
Price: ₹ 10,000/ € 150/ $ 175

Om Prakash (10) studies with his brother Jay Prakash at Loka’s school. Om Prakash is a sincere, chaotic, authentic and playful boy. He enjoys doing hands-on work and is very passionate about sports, especially cricket and football. He tends not to talk more than necessarily needed. Om Prakash: I like my school, there are plants, trees and flowers and we learn many things from our teachers. This workshop was my first experience with printmaking. It was very interesting. I liked the procedure and was also happy with the result. (He says this showing a proud little smile and glittering eyes while observing his print.)

Mother Wood depicts a tree with caring eyes and balancing on its branches is a nest with a mother bird and her baby bird. It is a work that honours all trees as they give so much without expecting anything in return, just like a Mother. Om Prakash: This tree is happy because she is special. The trunk is like a neck, she has eyes and a nest forms her mouth. The title is Mother Wood because a tree is like a Mother to us. My mother helps me grow, work and read and trees also help us. They give us oxygen, flowers, fruits, wood and protection from the sun. Mother Wood helps us with many things.

Title: Mother Wood
Made by: Om Prakash
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 25x32 cm (size paper)
Price: ₹ 10,000/ € 150/ $ 175

Madhu (10) studies at Loka’s school together with her younger brothers Luvkush and Ramu and her little sister Shanti. Madhu and her family live in a small house made of mud and bricks in Manikpur, the village where Loka’s school is located. Her father was until recently a tractor driver at a brick factory. Earlier this year he moved to the UAE to do construction work there. Madhu: When I am not at school I study, help my aunt with cooking, my mother cutting grass and I play Ludo. The grass we cut is fed to our three buffaloes. I am happy in my village, my family and all my friends are here. And my school too, I like studying especially Mathematics.

Magic shows a fairy in the clouds holding on to the hair of a smiling boy. Madhu: One day a fairy flies in the clouds. She has special magic powers and long arms. She reaches them towards the earth where a boy is playing in a field. This boy has been an orphan for the last five years, he has nobody. The fairy catches the boy’s hair and pulls him into the clouds. There, the boy starts studying magic with the fairy. He lives happily ever after.

Title: Magic
Made by: Madhu
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 25x32 cm (size paper)
Price: ₹ 10,000/ € 150/ $ 175

Suman (14) is the oldest student at Loka’s school. Her parents were one of the first to have all three their children admitted to Loka’s school and have been very caring and cooperative towards their education. Suman’s father is a local singer and her mother is housewife. They run a small general store from a corner of their house. Suman: My hobbies are playing badminton and singing. I like to sing along with my brother while he also sings and plays the harmonium. In my house we spend a lot of time making music and learning together. I like studying at Loka. My father always encourages me to go to school, even when I have a fever! He tells me it is very important to study. He wants me to become a teacher.

The Music Loving Rabbit &Rat depicts a rabbit playing the citar and a rat playing tabla. Suman: After thinking for a long time I imagined animals playing musical instruments. They visit fairs where everybody is singing and laughing. The rat and rabbit just thought one day: Man makes music, why not we? They gave it a try. It was a great success.

Title: The Music Loving Rabbit & Rat
Made by: Sudhir
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 25x32 cm (size paper)
Price: ₹ 10,000/ € 150/ $ 175

Sudhir (12) is the son of a carpenter. From the moment Sudhir started studying at Loka’s school it was clear that he is a born artist. He is always interested in creating something and incredibly inventive. Sudhir: Before I studied at another school. It was only when I came to Loka that I learnt many things, like speaking English and drawing. I did not know what printmaking was before I participated in this workshop. Of course I knew about photocopy machines, but that we can also make prints with our own hands was new to me. I like it because it is something different, a new and fresh way for me to express my imagination.

Fish in Conversation portrays a boy, two fish and a flower in the water. Sudhir: This print was created by first making a drawing, which was then carved into wood. The white on the print shows where the wood was carved away. I made a boy and fish in the water. People mostly relate to fish by killing and eating them, but they never think of having a conversation with fish instead. This boy went into the water to talk to the fish. The fish asked the boy how he is able to understand their language. He replied that Lord Krishna gave him special powers to do so. (note: This is also reflected in the fact that the boy resembles Lord Krishna, which makes us wonder if he is actually Lord Krishna Himself!) Then the conversation between boy and fish starts. They talk about many things. The boy becomes so engrossed in conversing with the fish, that he even forgets to eat.”

Title: Boy and Fish in Conversation
Made by: Sudhir
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 32x25 cm (size paper)
Price: ₹ 10,000/ € 150/ $ 175

Vikash (8) has one brother and three sisters. He is the youngest of his family. His mother cares for their animals and a small plot of land on which the family cultivates crops for own use. His father works at a cement factory to support the family. The parents of Vikash envision a brighter future for their children as they themselves struggle to survive. That is why they are very supportive towards their education. Vikash is an honest, gentle-hearted and determined boy. Vikash: After school I like to play hockey and cricket and study. I also feed our animals, we have three cows and three calves. I love my village because my parents and friends are there and also the Pun pun river where I swim with my friends.

Magic of the Bird is about having courage and doing things differently. The print portrays a boy on the back of a bird flying through the clouds. Vikash: One day a boy was thinking that he would love to touch the clouds. Then he jumps on a bird and flies into the sky. Other birds start to fly along and the boy stretches out his arms in sheer joy. Then he looks down and sees how high he is and suddenly feels frightened. His house looks very small! Then he looks up, touches the clouds and all his fears melt away.

Title: Magic Bird
Made by: Vikash
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 32x25 cm (size paper)
Price: ₹ 10,000/ € 150/ $ 175

Ankit (8), his older brother Sandeep and his young twin sisters Anchali and Chanchali all study at Loka’s school. Ankit’s father is a mason and his mother a housewife. Ankit is a friendly and soft-spoken boy, focussed on his study. He never misses a day at school and his bright, stable happy, hard-working and intelligent state of being indicates his strong & vibrant nature. He loves to draw and be creative. Ankit: I like to play football and cricket. And I like my school because there are many trees and I learn many things. After completing my studies I want to become a Mathematics and Science teacher and teach in many villages.

House portrays a house, a man, a snake a sun and clous. The print is about the importance of having a safe abode that provides shelter from the elements. Ankit: In my drawing everything I made is possible, there is nothing unusual about it. We all need a house for protection from the sun, the rain, from insects and animals, like the snake in my work. It is possible that everybody has such a safe place. I wish it for everybody.

Title: The House
Made by: Ankit
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 32x25 cm (size paper)
Price: ₹ 10,000/ € 150/ $ 175

Sanatan (12) loves living in his village, because of the trees, the river and farms. Sanatan: What is best about my village is that everybody helps each other. When Shankar (student of Loka) had an accident, everybody visited his house. That is the most important thing about my village. I give water to old people who are unable to walk to the hand pump themselves. Sometimes I go to the market when men are out working or visiting relatives and women, children and old people are alone at home. Together we care for each other and keep our village clean and green. My future dream is to help poor people and teach children in the village so that they and their families can live happy lives. In my free time I would like to give yoga classes to keep all people happy and healthy as some people have physical difficulties that can be prevented.

Journey to the Sun portrays a boy fairy (why can boys not be fairies? -Sanatan) holding a magic wand and a smiling sun. Sanatan: Once upon a time there was a boy fairy. He thought that everybody travels to the moon, but why not to the sun? So he started to fly towards the sun with his magic wand in his hand. He soon found that the rays of the sun are hot, but inside the sun it is actually quite cool. He landed on the sun and found that he had difficulty breathing and he got hungry. At that moment his magic wand was of great help. There were no trees and plants and everything was coloured yellow. After spending one day on the sun he returned to earth to tell his friends about his trip. As he left the sun smiled at him. He was so happy to have welcomed his first visitor ever.

Title: Journey to the Sun
Made by: Sanatan
Medium: Woodcut
Size: 32x25 cm (paper)
Price: ₹ 10,000/ € 150/ $ 175