One of the areas of the Global Village that has been drawing appreciative visitors throughout the shopping festival, is the stall where Subodh Debnath demonstrates an art with a difference – writing and painting on grains of rice.

Live demonstrations by artists and craftspeople have been one of the major attractions in the Global Village. Of all the unique arts which have been demonstrated daily at the different pavilions, one of the most unusual is the art practiced by Debnath.

Using a single grain of rice as his canvas, he has painted the portrait of many celebrities, including former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, Indian cricketer Kapil Dev and number of cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse.

Debnath said he has to use a superfine brush to paint his portraits, But, since even the finest brush available (sable hair .000) is not thin enough he has to cut each brush to size before using it.

Painting on rice used to be a popular folk art in Bengal but it is dying out as not many people practice it now. "Because each portrait is so minute it requires tremendous concentration," said Debnath, who never uses a magnifying glass. "It takes me 10 to 15 hours of concentrated work to complete one portrait on a grain."

But painting portraits on grains of rice is just a hobby for Debnath. His true vocation is calligraphy, or the art of writing. "My record so far is 417 letters on a single grain of rice," he said.