Three Artists: Binod Tudu, Jyotiranjan Gudia & Kahnu Ranjan Khara

Binod Tudu, Jyotiranjan Gudia and Kahnu Ranjan Khara are sitting on field of Esplanade Mahal, Rasulgard, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. 

            In 2012, I (Jyotiranjan Gudia) went to Bhubaneswar for my studies. At that time, Binod Tudu and Kahnu Ranjan Khara, who were my friends from high school, were also studying there. When I joined the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), I regularly attended vocational training classes to learn painting. Coincidentally, they too were attending the same painting classes, and that's where we met again. Since we used to sit in the same place and practice drawing every day, we gradually became very close friends. We would walk together to our classes, and during meal times, we would go together to the dining hall. Over time, even as we got busier with our academics, we never missed our painting sessions from 2 PM to 5 PM, we would sit and draw with great dedication. We stayed together through our +2 and +3 studies. When the time came for postgraduate studies, Binod chose to pursue an MBA, while I enrolled in an MA program. From that point, we started to drift apart gradually because our classes and campuses were in different locations. After my MA, I went on to do an M.Phil, and they moved ahead in their own career paths and jobs. After nearly 7 years, we finally reunited. Meeting those old friends after such a long time filled my heart with immense joy. We went out together around 4 PM and spent time at Esplanade in Bhubaneswar. We wandered around and sat in a small park nearby, reminiscing about our old memories, those golden days of friendship and creativity.

            We laughed over stories from our hostel days, remembered the smell of wet canvas, the excitement of art competitions, and the little struggles of student life. Sitting under the open sky with the same friends after so many years made me realize how precious those bonds are. Life had taken us on different paths, but the memories had kept us connected all along. It felt like time stood still for a while, and we were back to those colorful days holding brushes, sharing dreams, and painting not just canvases, but our journey of friendship.

 

Jyotiranjan Gudia standing in Esplanade Mahal, Rasulgarh, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Jyotiranjan Gudia sitting Infront of Esplanade Mahal, Rasulgarh, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.