When hearing captivating stories about love, many of us sigh and say, "This is something that can only happen in movies," because the majority of great declarations of love aren't usually an everyday thing. The hero of this article proved with his beautiful and fearless act of love that there is a place for real love in this world.
Bright Side wants to share this amazing and truthful story that reveals the secret of endless love.
How it all started
The story of the love between Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia and Charlotte Von Schedvin began way before their first meeting. In India, where Pradyumna was born, families are accustomed to visiting an astrologist when a child is born. The astrologist predicted that despite tradition, the child would marry an aristocrat from a far-away country who was born under the sign of Taurus, was able to play flute, and possessed a great amount of forest land.
Their meeting
Pradyumna had a difficult childhood as he belonged to the lowest caste of untouchability of Indian society. "I was treated worse than stray dogs and cattle." Pradyumna remembers, "When I passed by a temple, people threw rocks at me."
During his youth, Pradyumna drew portraits on the streets of Delhi where he encountered Charlotte Von Schedvin, a Swedish tourist. He remembered his prediction at once and began asking her questions while drawing her portrait. What was her Zodiac sign? Taurus. Did she play the flute? Yes, flute and piano. It also turned out that her family owned forest lands. This part of the prediction also turned out to be true. "It all fits," Pradyumna said, "you are meant to be my wife."
After that, the couple became involved romantically and they soon got married in Pradyumna's village in line with local tradition.
Separation
This story wouldn't have been so beautiful if there was no separation – Charlotte had to come back to Sweden. Pradyumna promised to join her there as soon as he could.
The spouses lived separately for 16 months and wrote letters to each other. Pradyumna understood that he couldn't live without his beloved any longer. He sold all his possessions but it was still not enough to buy an air ticket. He ended up buying a used bicycle for 60 rupees, said good-bye to his family, and hit the road with 200 rupees in his pocket.
The road
His journey began on January 22, 1977. There were 5 months of traveling ahead of him. Pradyumna covered 45 miles every day. By the time he reached Sweden, he had covered over 6,000 miles.
"I was very tired. My legs ached but my desire to see Charlotte pushed me forward. My art saved me, I drew portraits of people who paid with money, food or a place to sleep at night."
During those times, many countries didn't demand visas for entrance, which made his journey easier, but when he reached Sweden, Immigration refused to let Pradyumna into the country. Authorities didn't believe his story, they thought it was too extraordinary. But as soon as they called Charlotte, they understood that his story was true and they let him pass.
Pradyumna was asked whether it was possible for migrating poor people to make the same journey during present times, he answered, "Yes. If you really want it, everything becomes possible. Of course, such a journey is more difficult now, but it is still possible. Fear and doubts are our main foes. It is them that make our life more complicated."
Reunion
Pradyumna reached Boras on May 28, 1977, and finally met Charlotte after being separated from her for 2 long years.
"We couldn't talk. We just cried in each other's embrace."
For the sake of Charlotte's happiness, her parents forgot about the rules that didn't allow nobility to marry people with dark skin. The couple married again in 1979, in accordance with Swedish laws.
40 years later
Since the moment of their reunion, more than 40 years have passed. Despite this long period of time, Pradyumna says that he still can't believe his happiness. He doubts whether he would have been capable to conquer Charlotte's heart in current times when people from all over the world can stay connected via the internet. But Pradyumna never doubts one thing: "Your fate is something that you make with your own hands."
When asked about the secret of their love, the couple says that there is no secret. The main thing is to be sincere, to understand each other, and to respect each other.
This true story of the power of love is a beautiful example of just how possible everything can be when 2 people are in love. If someone is in love and has a goal, there's no obstacle that can deter them from their path. Lack of money, distance, prejudice, and any other things that stand in the way between 2 people in love are seen only as small hurdles.
We really admired the story of this Indian artist and his beloved. What did you think was the most interesting part of this story? Do you have your own incredible love story that you'd like to share with us?
