Kuni and Ranjan's First Love

On 6th January 2012, I joined a pre-coaching center called ‘Parimarjan’ in Khairput. It was organized by the district administration under the initiative of the then District Collector Mr. Balwant Singh, to help Class 10 students do well in their exams. I studied there for three months. Meanwhile, I was called back home to get my Aadhaar card made. So, on Saturday, 25th February 2012, I returned home. After returning, my friend Mohan Goud told me that a girl named Rashmi Pangi, with whom I had studied in primary school, had given her number to talk to me. I had left my mobile at home while going to the coaching center, and my SIM card had no balance. So, I went to Kudumulugumma to recharge and took Rashmi's number from Mohan.

Jyotiranjan Gudia, 2012 at Khairaput, Malkangiri District.

That evening, around 7:15 PM, I called the number given by Mohan. A girl picked up the phone. I asked, "Are you Rashmi?" She replied, "There’s no one named Rashmi here. Why are so many kids calling our house?" I said, "A father deserves respect, a mother is sacred, and a child is life itself." When I asked who she was, she didn’t answer. Again, when I asked her name, she said, "I don’t have a name." I said jokingly, "No name? Then are you Anamika (nameless)?" At that time, I was in Class 10 and the girl I was speaking to was in Class 8. I asked her about her family. She said, "Who isn’t in our house? Just me, my younger sister, and our mother." When I asked about her father, she said, "He doesn’t stay with us." Understanding it might be a sensitive issue, I didn’t ask further. At the end, she said, "I’m Rashmi’s friend." That was our first conversation. After that, I returned home. The next day was Sunday. Around 10 PM, I called the same number again, hoping to speak to Rashmi. Again, the same girl picked up. It was the second day, and it was my first time talking to a girl over the phone. Being in my youth, I naturally felt interested and continued the conversation. We talked until 3 in the morning. Before sleeping, I told her I wouldn’t be able to talk from the next day because I had to return to the coaching center by 7 AM. I wrote her number on a piece of paper and left my mobile phone at home. After reaching the coaching center, I borrowed a friend’s phone and called her to say that I had arrived safely.

Jyotiranjan Gudia has made this sketch for Kuni Nahak for the first time in 2012.

There, my friend Balkrishna from Balimela was about to return home. I drew a rose and two leaves on a picture and titled it "My Love 2012". I gave it to Balkrishna and asked him to hand it over to a girl in Balimela. Later, I called the girl and said that I had sent her a picture. That’s when I found out her name was Kuni. As I had no phone with a camera, I borrowed one from a friend, took a photo of that picture, and uploaded it to Facebook via Gmail. Two days later, she uploaded another picture beside it.

On 19th March 2012, the board exams started and were scheduled to end on 31st March. My first paper was Odia literature, and the second was English. But the English exam got canceled due to a paper leak. On the day of the English exam, at Khairput High School, I was sitting near a window. Suddenly, someone from outside threw a torn piece of paper that landed beside my desk. A PE teacher saw it and assumed I was cheating. He deducted 15 marks from my answer sheet. Even though I pleaded that I was innocent, he didn’t listen. I was heartbroken and couldn’t write anything further. When I came out crying, I heard that the exam was canceled due to a leak in Puri district. I silently thanked God. Exams resumed on 17th April and ended on 25th April. On 26th April, I returned home. I wrote a letter and gave it to my friend Balkrishna to give to Kuni. The letter said: "Dear Kuni, sending you my heartfelt wishes and love. My exams are over. I will meet you someday. I am fine. How are you? Are your sister and mother doing well? I feel like writing more, but I can’t express everything now. Yours, Jyoti." But Balkrishna didn’t deliver the letter and kept it with him.

On 27th April, I went to visit my friend Ram. His late father, Mr. Sania Kirshani, asked me to go with Ram’s mother to Balimela to withdraw money. We all went by bike. While at the SBI Bank in Balimela, I called Kuni and informed her I was in town and wanted to meet her. She gave me directions over the phone. Following those directions, I entered a lane beside a grocery shop near the Shiva temple. I passed a girl who was standing with some children. Suddenly, someone called out from behind, "I’m Kuni, I’m Kuni!" I turned around, parked the bike, and walked towards her. She waved her hand and again said, "I’m Kuni." I told her I would first collect the letter from my friend. I found Balkrishna and took back the letter. That was my first meeting with Kuni- the girl I had only spoken to over the phone. She was wearing a pink dress. I handed her the letter I had written. She was with some children, so I couldn’t clearly see her face, but I recognized her voice. Then I said goodbye.

From that day, we used to talk daily over the phone. She often asked me to come meet her, but I couldn’t because I only had access to a bike on Fridays when my father stayed at home. Despite her requests, we couldn’t meet on any other day. So, we both decided that Friday would be our lucky day.

I passed my Class 10 exam with 304 out of 600 marks, securing second division. I was the first in my family to pass Class 10. My father distributed sweets in the village. That evening, I informed Kuni about the result. In August, it was time for college admissions. While my friends applied to different colleges, I applied for +2 Science at Govindpalli College. But my father advised me to study in the city for a better future. I approached the Didayi Development Officer in Kudumulugumma and requested help. He asked for my marks. When I told him I had 50%, he asked me to meet him at 9 AM the next day in Khairput. I went, received a recommendation letter, and traveled with my father to Bhubaneswar. We went by train and met the principal of KISS College. I submitted the letter, but the principal asked for verification. I called the officer and made him speak to the principal.

The principal asked me to come again within two days. The last date of admission was 13th August, and I had gone on 11th. We returned home, gathered all documents, but had no money. My father borrowed ₹3,000 from my uncle Rameshwar. Despite Maoist blockades at Govindpalli, I managed to reach Jeypore by bike and bus, and then traveled to Bhubaneswar by train. I finally got admitted.

Hostel admission was still pending. So, I stayed at home until 22nd November 2012. Meanwhile, I studied as a non-regular student at Kudumulugumma College for about four months with the help of my late cousin Laxman. On 19th September 2012, during Ganesh Puja, I visited Kuni along with my friend Shukra. She brought her friends Shanti, Jyoti, and her younger sister Tuni. We all joined the celebration at her school. A group photo was taken on my Samsung Duos phone.

                                   

Ganesha Chaturthi 19th, September 2012 at Girl's High School, Balimela. Standing Jyotiranjan Gudia with Tuni Nahak, Kuni Nahak and Shanti.

One day, Kuni told me about a funny incident. A frog had entered her class and sat under her feet. She screamed, and all her classmates ran away. To comfort her, I drew a cartoon where a frog and a frog-bride were getting married under a tree. I gave it to her in Balimela. That day, she also took me to her tuition class. The frog wedding picture is shown below.

This sketch has made by Jyotiranjan Gudia for Kuni Nahak in 2012.