At 90, this blind Kansas artist paints to help children see

WICHITA, Kan. — In a fluorescent-lit Wichita, Kansas, basement - a few feet from where beige carpet meets cold concrete - Balbir Mathur meets his purpose. 

“This is my paradise,” Mathur, covered in a paint-stained smock, said with a smile. 

Mathur, now 90, discovered this basement “paradise” later in life. Nearly every morning, he turns blank canvases into explosions of color. Each work - while different - serves a common purpose: to provide eyeglasses for children who are blind or visually impaired.  

It’s a mission close to Mathur, who spent his career as a business consultant. 

“Technically, I am blind,” Mathur sai...