What can you do for your love? Can you move mountains, cross oceans and battle ferocious beasts to unite with the love of your life. Or, can you bicycle from one continent to another to meet your better half like this guy did? Dr. Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia rode a cycle from India all the way across to Sweden just to meet his wife, Charlotte Von Schedvin.
Sounds impossible, right? But he did it, and how! But first let us go back through time and revisit their love story.
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Pradyumna Kumar who was born in 1949, belonged to the untouchables or Harijan caste in Orissa, and his family supported themselves by weaving clothes. In 1971, he joined the College Of Arts in New Delhi.
Pradyumna had always been inclined towards arts and culture, and it is this passion that led towards the creation of some of the finest portraits that the country had seen back then.
Slowly, his fame reached across the borders and it is then that a 19-year-old Swedish woman, Charlotte Von Schedvin decided to meet him for her portrait. She was studying in London at that point of time. It was 1975 then.
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It was the case of love at first sight for the couple. While Pradyumna fell in love with this Swedish beauty as he made her portrait, Charlotte found his passion for art quite attractive. The two then decided to unite in holy matrimony, and got married as per Hindu rituals.
However, Charlotte had to return to her country after a while, and asked Pradyumna to accompany her. But he being a student, refused and promised to visit her soon.
For a while, the couple kept in touch through long letters across the oceans. But, Charlotte wanted her husband to come meet her soon.
Dr. Pradyumna Kumar was a righteous man, who wanted to be with his wife in her native country by arranging for funds himself. But, it was not that easy. So, he decided to sell all his belongings in exchange of a second hand bicycle!
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So in 1978, coupled with only his paints and brushes, this lovelorn doctor went on a journey that set an example of what love can conquer in front of the whole world.
It took him four months and three weeks to reach his final destination, Sweden. But before that he had to go through places beginning from New Delhi to Amritsar, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Germany, Austria and Denmark.
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Upon reaching Sweden, Dr. Pradyumna was questioned by Swedish authorities, and they were all left speechless upon hearing his story.
Even then, the troubles for the doctor were not over. He was in two minds as to whether Charlotte would recognise him or not. But as fate would have it, as soon as Charlotte heard about him, she came round to meet him, and the husband and wife finally met again after almost four years of separation.
And that is how Dr. Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia from Orissa managed to re-unite with his wife, Charlotte Von Schedvin. The couple has been married for 40 years with two children and live in Sweden where Pradyumna is the Odiya Cultural Ambassador from India to Sweden.
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His paintings continue to earn him fame around the world, and have even made it to the UNICEF greeting cards. Rumours are also rife that a big Indian filmmaker known for building lavish sets, is planning to make a movie on their life.
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Doesn’t this story of passionate love that too back in the 70s fill you up with a warm feeling? If you also know about any such stories of love and passion, do share with us in the comments section below. Here we leave you with some more pictures from the happy lives of Dr. Pradyumna and his wife Charlotte.
Images Courtesy: Dr.P.K. Mahanandia (Facebook)