Babuli Kandi is currently serving his notice period. He was working night shifts at Apollo Hospital as a waiter to fund his bachelor's degree at BK College of Arts and Crafts in Bhubaneswar. But then studying in the day, working at night and barely squeezing in time for art in between really did not go down well with the 22-year-old. So he decided to quit and focus on his priority — art.
Babuli started painting when he was in class VIII, inspired and motivated by his brother who is a state-level painter. Babuli has several feathers in his cap as well as he has been recognised by Biju Chhatra Janata Dal, Indian Contemporary Artist Association, his own college and many other organisations. His brother's advice to him always has been, 'Whatever you do, do it yourself and keep going forward. This still resonates strongly with Babuli and is something that he continues to adhere to. The artist loves acrylic painting, live sketching and we are particularly fans of how he paints everyday life on the canvas.
Talking about what he loves to paint and sketch, Babuli, who is from Dhenkanal, says, "I like to go into the internal parts of my village and sometimes, I click a picture of a scene on my phone and come back and draw or sketch it," says the youngster. He also teaches other kids in the vicinity to draw, "They actually just copy whatever I am doing when they are with me," he says with a smile. Babuli's ultimate dream is to donate 50 per cent of what he earns to orphanages so that, "Children who can't pursue art because of financial reasons can be inspired," he says. Now that's a noble thought!
Some of his work
For more on him, check out twitter.com/kandibabuli