By: Little Traveler
Have you ever had a romantic encounter during your travels? Or maybe experienced a long-distance relationship? Maintaining such a bond likely requires a lot from both sides, but few have become world-renowned for it—except for this poor Indian lad.
An Indian painter named Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia was admitted to the New Delhi College of Art more than 40 years ago thanks to his talent. There, he met Von Schedvin, a foreign student who was a relative of the Swedish royal family. The two quickly fell in love and got married just a few months later.
However, things weren’t as perfect as they seemed. Soon after the wedding, Von Schedvin had to return to Sweden, while Mahanandia still had to finish his studies, forcing the couple to separate. Three years later, Mahanandia sold all his belongings, bought a bicycle, and embarked on a 6,400-km journey from India through Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Germany, Austria, and Denmark to find his wife. After crossing eight Eurasian countries in 4 months and 3 weeks, he finally reunited with his beloved in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Throughout the journey, despite facing hardships such as going without food and having his bicycle break down, he never gave up. Now, 40 years later, he is not only an artist but also serves as India’s cultural ambassador to Sweden. He and Von Schedvin have a son and a daughter together. Their love story has even caught the attention of Hollywood filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who plans to turn it into a movie.
Source: dailymail
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