He displays no air of ostentation. He exhibits no vainglory of prodigality either. Known as a gentle brawn with suave manners, Dr Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia conceals in himself the depth of the Pacific, be it fine arts, painting, culture or his own immortal story of love.
His paintings have been exhibited in major cities of the world and have found places in prestigious international institutions. Both Dr Mahandandia and Princess Charllote Mahanandia are Members of the Nobility, (Riderhuset), Sweden.
His life journey began from the Delhi School of Art in 1971 when he painted the portraits of Indira Gandhi, VV Giri, Fakiruddin Ali Ahmed and Valentina Tereshkova and got wide publicity in newspapers in Delhi. He was serving as the Director of Culture under the Swedish Government and was subsequently the Adviser to the department till his superannuation. At present, he is delivering lectures worldwide on Indian and Swedish culture and believes in the concept that the whole world is a family.
His love story far surpasses the story of any novel or short story. His love stories are being sold as best seller available in French, Danish, Swedish and German languages and is yet to be made available in English. Noted filmmakers are on a beeline to make a film on his real love story. In his marriage, we see the meeting of the East and the West, the coming together of minds and the union of two souls as a rare incident which has made him a living legend both in Sweden and in India. In an interview to The Pioneer, he spoke to Sugyan Choudhury.
How do you feel when you are here at your native OdishaIJ
I’m every inch an Odia. I belong to Odisha and I’m proud to be an Odia and then proud to be an Indian. Although I’m living outside and settled there yet mentally I’m in India. After all, I’m a human being. My temple is the holiness of the heart’s affection, and my kingdom, though I never possess it, is the wide open world.
How do the Swedish people look at IndiaIJ
Oh! They love India. They hold India in great esteem for its classical wisdom, culture and spirituality. India possesses spiritual wisdom, for which the whole world looks at it with wonder and awe. India is the spiritual master of the world.
We are told that people in every Swedish household know about your legendary love story. Would you please elaborate it for the benefit of the Indian readers, if no objectionIJ
Yes, my love stories have already been sold as best sellers now available in world market in Swedish, Danish, German, French. I would have loved to present you one in French which was the last copy with me I handed over to a friend yesterday. You can better talk to my wife who is here beside me (laughter).
I was a student in the Delhi School of Arts in 1971. I remember those were the years of struggle for me for survival. 1971, 72, 73 … I was leading the life of a vagabond. Sometimes, I used to sleep in railway station to pass my nights. Chill penury sealed my ways. However, I continued my studies in dire circumstances. luckily, I arrested everyone’s attention when I captured the portrait of the First Russian lady cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova.
Thereafter, I made portraits of Indira Gandhi, VV Giri, Dr Fakiruddin Ali Ahmed and got wide publicity in the Hindustan Times and other Delhi newspapers. I obtained permission to sit near Connaught Place and painted there in my leisure hours. I used to charge 10 rupees for 10 minutes and my other friends used to exhibit it. Once, while I was doing so, I remember it with nostalgia that it was 17th of December, 1975 when Charllote descended like an angel. She had blonde hair and piercing eyes. She was 19 only and had a new car licence. She drove all the way from Sweden via Denmark, Germany, Austria, Istanbul, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan then India and reached the old India Coffee House. I was painting just a hundred meters away and she came for a portrait of hers. I did the portrait in ten minutes and she offered me Rs 20. When I said, madam I want only 10 rupees and I won’t charge more, she handed me 20 rupees with an air of imperativeness, saying, “Keep this. You need it.” The next evening she appeared again, and I felt a strange sensation within me. She got a portrait again and something in me rebelled from my innermost being as if I were painting the portrait of my soul-mate.
In this connection, may I take you back here with a breakIJ My astrologer father had earlier predicted, “Son, you are a Capricorn, and we don’t have to arrange a marriage for you. Your horoscope unmistakably points out that you’ll marry a foreign girl, who would be Taurus.” That was what I was confirmed by my astrologer father. When she looked at my face for the third day, a voice took a sudden grip over my throat, my usual shyness notwithstanding. I felt as if somebody else was speaking through me. I picked up courage and asked, “Ma’am, are you a Taurus born in MayIJ” “Yes, of course,” pat came the reply. She confirmed with a lilting melodious voice of her own. I suddenly replied, “Then, it is decided in heaven that we are destined to meet.” She quickly retorted, “What is decided in heavenIJ” I began to tremble in my heart of hearts but a voice from me spoke, “It is decided that you’ll be my wife.” She stared at me. Four eyes met, and there were changes in the souls. After a brief spell of silence, she replied, “Then, what are we going to doIJ” The word ‘We’ whispered a flattering tale of hope in my ears and my joy knew no bounds. The prediction had indeed come true. I thought my words were too divine for Charllote to be retorted with a denial. Then, I asked to follow me, and we boarded the Utkal Express for Puri. I wanted to show her the best of Odisha in the Sun Temple of Konark. When I pointed out the wheel of the Sun God, that master stone carving, to her, she stood dumbfounded; tears rolled down her cheeks. I thought I was going to be arrested for I had hurt her sentiment in some way. But after a while, she confided in me that they were tears of joy since it is where the language of men has been defeated by the language of stones.
Then, we came to Bhuban, where my father was serving as the Post Master. We sought his blessings for marriage and he consented with an overwhelming heart of joy.
My father then wanted to know if she was a Taurus girl, and when I replied in the affirmative, he was satisfied. I consider Charllote as my life, love, painting, portrait and everything. later on, I came to know that she had come to explore India and about her elephant boy whom she had often seen in her dreams. This is how our dreams came true in a few heaven-sent moments, and since then we are leading a blissful life.
What would be your message to the people of IndiaIJ
They should not forget themselves, their own culture which is unique in the whole world. They should imbibe the spirituality which is their own, and the whole world pines for it. They must know that our good old earth is nothing but a spacecraft, and it is the divine love that binds all of us together. We should love beyond borders, nourish and nurture spirituality which will be the guiding principle for the people of this planet to rely upon.
To Princess Charllote: Madam, how do you like this placeIJ
Oh, fantastic. For me, our marriage is coming together of hearts, a meeting of minds, a union of souls and the merging of the Orient and the Occident. I’m proud to be an Odia daughter-in-law, and we believe in the oneness of the universe where we all have come from.