Tsuktiben Jamir
Love is the feeling of belonging. The feeling that the warmth you’ll always feel for someone won’t be completely frozen, not even by the iciest hailstorm. Love is the sensation of relaxing in a warm log cabin by the fire, with just the light of the fire and a lantern at the window, as a snowstorm sweeps through the wooded mountains beyond. Love is imagining such a situation and thinking of someone you wish to keep safe from the snow.
Love, to a lot of people, means a lot of things. What is love to you? Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia rode a bicycle for four months and three weeks to meet his lover on a different continent. He cycled around 70 km (44 miles) every day.
But how did this love blossom? PK Mahanandia and Charlotte Von Schedvin fell in love at first sight. When Schedvin, 19, learned about Mahanandia’s artwork, she undertook the magnificent journey from Sweden to India. The 22-day voyage from Sweden to India to commission the artist to paint a portrait included European, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan stops. The two initially met in Delhi on a chilly winter night in 1975.
At Delhi’s College of Art, Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia was a short-statured but talented man. As an artist, he was barely passing muster. However, he had a solid reputation in the neighbourhood newspaper as a sketch artist. According to the BBC, Schedvin was fascinated by Kumar’s confidence that he could “make a portrait in 10 minutes.” Hearing this, Charlotte came from Sweden to India to have a portrait of her made by Kumar. Kumar was, in fact, not a stranger to the media, as in the 1970s, several publications covered his artwork. To add to his reputation, he created portraits of leaders, notably BD Jatti, the interim President of India at the time.
Courtesy: BBC News.
As the story goes, as Kumar worked on her portrait, Charlotte fell in love with Kumar’s simplicity, while he fell in love with her beauty. “It was an inner voice that told me she was the one. During our first meeting, we were drawn to each other like magnets. It was love at first sight,” said Kumar to BBC.
Soon after, the two exchanged vows, but Pradyumna could not go with Charlotte when she had to return to Sweden. However, they corresponded via letters for more than a year. After a year, he finally decided to see his wife. But he soon found he lacked the funds to purchase a plane ticket. So, he sold everything he possessed to acquire a bicycle. Thus, began the journey that would solidify this love story in history.
To get to the Swedish town of Boras to his lover, Kumar rode for four months. He travelled through Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey. His cycle often malfunctioned, and he was often forced to go without meals. On January 22, 1977, Kumar set off on his voyage, and on May 28, he arrived in Europe. Every day, he used to ride for roughly 70 kilometres.
Courtesy: BBC News.
And the happily ever after did happen in the end. The couple had two children after officially marrying in Sweden. PK Mahanandia continues to make art. Beyond aesthetics and decorative items, art has way more meaning and implications. The tale of Charlotte and Kumar shows how art can unite people in the most unlikely manner.
