The man who cycled from India to Europe for love

[KingKhanWC]

Indian artist PK Mahanandia met Charlotte Von Schedvin on a winter evening in Delhi in 1975 when she asked him to draw her portrait.

What eventually followed was an epic bicycle journey from India to Europe - all for love.

Ms Von Schedvin was visiting India as a tourist when she spotted Mr Mahanandia in Delhi's Connaught Place district.

He had made a name for himself as a sketch artist and enjoyed a good reputation in the local press.

Intrigued by his claim of "making a portrait in 10 minutes", she decided to give it a try.




But she wasn't impressed with the result and decided to come back the next day.


The next day sadly, proved no better.

In his defence, Mr Mahanandia says he had been preoccupied with a prediction his mother had made several years ago.

As a schoolboy growing up in a village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, he often faced discrimination from upper-caste students because he was a Dalit - considered to be at the bottom of India's caste hierarchy.

Whenever he felt sad, his mother would tell him that according to his horoscope, he would someday marry a woman "whose zodiac sign would be Taurus, she would come from a far away land, she would be musical and would own a jungle".

So when he met Ms Von Schedvin, he immediately remembered his mother's predictions and asked her if she owned a jungle.

Ms Von Schedvin, whose family comes from Swedish nobility, replied that she did own a forest and added that not only was she "musical" (she liked to play the piano) her zodiac sign was also Taurus.

"It was an inner voice that said to me that she was the one. During our first meeting we were drawn to each other like magnets. It was love at first sight," Mr Mahanandia told the BBC.

"I still don't know what made me ask her the questions and then invite her for tea. I thought she would complain to the police."

But her reaction turned out to be quite the opposite.

"I thought he was honest and wanted to know why he had asked me those questions," Ms Von Schedvin told the BBC.

After several conversations, she agreed to visit Orissa with him.

The first monument she saw there was the famous Konark temple.

"I became emotional when PK showed me the Konark. I had this image of the temple stone wheel framed in my student room back in London, but I had no idea where this place actually was. And here I was standing in front of it."

The two fell in love and returned to Delhi after spending a few days in his village.

"She wore a sari when she met my father for the first time. I still don't know how she managed. With blessings from my father and family, we got married according to tribal tradition," he said.

Ms Von Schedvin had driven to Delhi with her friends from Sweden along the famous hippie trail - crossing Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan - to reach India in 22 days.

She said goodbye to him to start her return journey, but made him promise that he would follow her to her home in the Swedish textile town of Boras.

More than a year passed and the two kept in touch through letters.

Mr Mahanandia however, did not have enough money to buy a plane ticket.

So, he sold everything he owned, bought a bicycle and followed her along the same hippie trail.

His journey started on 22 January 1977 and he would cycle for around 70km (44 miles) every day.

"Art came to my rescue. I made portraits of people and some gave me money, while others gave me food and shelter," he said.

Mr Mahanandia remembers the world as being very different in the 1970s. For instance, he did not need a visa to enter most countries.

"Afghanistan was such a different country. It was calm and beautiful. People loved arts. And vast parts of the country were not populated," he said.

He said that people understood Hindi in Afghanistan, but communication became a problem once he entered Iran.

"Again art came to my rescue. I think love is the universal language and people understand that."

"Those were different days. I think people had more free time then to entertain a wanderer like me."

But did he ever feel tired?

"Yes, very often. My legs would hurt. But the excitement of meeting Charlotte and seeing new places kept me going," he said.

He finally reached Europe on 28 May - via Istanbul and Vienna, and then travelled to Gothenburg by train.

After several cultural shocks and difficulties in impressing Ms Von Schedvin's parents, the two finally got officially married in Sweden.

"I had no idea about European culture. It was all new to me, but she supported me in every step. She is just a special person. I am still in love just as I was in 1975," he says.

The 64-year-old now lives with Charlotte and their two children in Sweden and continues to work as an artist.

But he still doesn't understand "why people think it was a big deal to cycle to Europe".

"I did what I had to, I had no money but I had to meet her. I was cycling for love, but never loved cycling. It's simple."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asi...s_source=facebook&ns_linkname=radio_and_music

Nice story, should make a Bollywood movie from this.

Anyone here has similar stories?

 

[Haroon786]

IMO, it is a futile exercise (pun not intended) rather focus on productive activities such as establishing your career and developing skills.

 

[troodon]

Just imagine if he got arrested for being illegal or the girl rejects him straight away after all that effort.

Good that his story ended well.

 

[shaz619]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asi...s_source=facebook&ns_linkname=radio_and_music

Nice story, should make a Bollywood movie from this.

Anyone here has similar stories?

A beautiful story, true love on that level is a rare breed these days

I know of a similar story but it's not on that level. A friend of mine who is no brad pit to his credit inside and out formed a relation with a rare beauty, don't know of the story of how they met exactly but am guessing it was via work. They went out as friends and she couldn't help but fall for his persistence and confidence, he'd do anything for her. Then one day while they were out, she was speaking to him in awe of a handbag which wasn't available in the UK and it couldn't be ordered online either the handbag in question was located in France, with her birthing coming up he thought it would be the ideal gift if he could just somehow get it for her.

So he searched every corner of Brum, made calls in Manchester and even paid a visit to a mystic elder in Alum Rock but all his efforts failed no matter how he tried but then it occurred to him, I shall travel to FRANCE! Now this never crossed his mind before being a student who was an employee on the minimum wage at Sainsbury's, however he did have a reputation for spending and being consumed by the can't "integrate" gene not really a bad guy well he's the bad guy according to many because he loved listening to amplifier, hiring out cars constantly and whining/dining in the finest of restaurants despite the fact that it was all beyond him he lived the P.Diddy life style to the fullest but one full of debt

Anyhow a trip to France would be monumental in terms of the amount of bags it would take him to get there but he'd not let that stop him, this guy became possessed and obsessed with the idea of getting that hand bag he'd take out a loan to pay off another loan so he could take out a loan to make the trip to France that too with no actual plan in terms of flight times, where he was going exactly, how he was going to get there etc once he got there he'd manage to find himself a taxi, forget scouting for the best deal he paid him around £400-500 to get him to the location of interest once he had landed in France then he forked out an additional £2-3K to pay for that handbag.

Once he had paid for that handbag he'd make his way to the airport so he can return to the second city but only to find that he had missed his flight, next thing you know am getting phone calls from him saying please shazzy bear borrow me x amount! with him being such a free spirit and careless soul who often would find themselves in unwanted positions repeatedly despite it being their fault I'd say you know what you're like the lad who cried wolfyy! but then he'd reveal his story and I'd burst out laughing and prepared to release a media statement so all of the boys would know of his conquest then I'd say you know what I'll help you out this one final time being the good lovable guy I am

He'd then manage to return to the second city with his handbag having spend an incredible amount of ££££ that too for a student on the minimum who was in debt to mind you! he went through all of that for love lol mind you he didn't go to France with the boys or anything like that he made his own way there it was no holiday but a journey to get what his ashique desired not that she had specifically asked him for that item but he picked up on it and had to get it no matter what, crazy what love does to a man maybe it wasn't entirely similar to the story you posted but a modern take I guess

 

[KingKhanWC]

IMO, it is a futile exercise (pun not intended) rather focus on productive activities such as establishing your career and developing skills.

Well in this case it wasn't. He has lived happily in Europe instead of staying in India.

Also why do you assume career is more important than love/happiness?

 

[KingKhanWC]

A beautiful story, true love on that level is a rare breed these days

I know of a similar story but it's not on that level. A friend of mine who is no brad pit to his credit inside and out formed a relation with a rare beauty, don't know of the story of how they met exactly but am guessing it was via work. They went out as friends and she couldn't help but fall for his persistence and confidence, he'd do anything for her. Then one day while they were out, she was speaking to him in awe of a handbag which wasn't available in the UK and it couldn't be ordered online either the handbag in question was located in France, with her birthing coming up he thought it would be the ideal gift if he could just somehow get it for her.

So he searched every corner of Brum, made calls in Manchester and even paid a visit to a mystic elder in Alum Rock but all his efforts failed no matter how he tried but then it occurred to him, I shall travel to FRANCE! Now this never crossed his mind before being a student who was an employee on the minimum wage at Sainsbury's, however he did have a reputation for spending and being consumed by the can't "integrate" gene not really a bad guy well he's the bad guy according to many because he loved listening to amplifier, hiring out cars constantly and whining/dining in the finest of restaurants despite the fact that it was all beyond him he lived the P.Diddy life style to the fullest but one full of debt

Anyhow a trip to France would be monumental in terms of the amount of bags it would take him to get there but he'd not let that stop him, this guy became possessed and obsessed with the idea of getting that hand bag he'd take out a loan to pay off another loan so he could take out a loan to make the trip to France that too with no actual plan in terms of flight times, where he was going exactly, how he was going to get there etc once he got there he'd manage to find himself a taxi, forget scouting for the best deal he paid him around £400-500 to get him to the location of interest once he had landed in France then he forked out an additional £2-3K to pay for that handbag.

Once he had paid for that handbag he'd make his way to the airport so he can return to the second city but only to find that he had missed his flight, next thing you know am getting phone calls from him saying please shazzy bear borrow me x amount! with him being such a free spirit and careless soul who often would find themselves in unwanted positions repeatedly despite it being their fault I'd say you know what you're like the lad who cried wolfyy! but then he'd reveal his story and I'd burst out laughing and prepared to release a media statement so all of the boys would know of his conquest then I'd say you know what I'll help you out this one final time being the good lovable guy I am

He'd then manage to return to the second city with his handbag having spend an incredible amount of ££££ that too for a student on the minimum who was in debt to mind you! he went through all of that for love lol mind you he didn't go to France with the boys or anything like that he made his own way there it was no holiday but a journey to get what his ashique desired not that she had specifically asked him for that item but he picked up on it and had to get it no matter what, crazy what love does to a man maybe it wasn't entirely similar to the story you posted but a modern take I guess

Haha what a guy, cycling from India is nothing compared to what this romeo went through to grab this bag for his juilet.

But you didn't tell us the happy ending? Is he married to her with 10 kids, with the odd one possibly going to be famous Warwickshire cricketer? :ali

 

[shaz619]

Haha what a guy, cycling from India is nothing compared to what this romeo went through to grab this bag for his juilet.

But you didn't tell us the happy ending? Is he married to her with 10 kids, with the odd one possibly going to be famous Warwickshire cricketer? :ali

They are getting engaged soon! A very young couple KingKhan the 10 babies record is still held by a 2nd gen uncle, am not sure it will be broken but then again I thought the same about Undertakers streak maybe I will break it one day actually no lool but bah gawd if I did I'd become immortalized in the second city, take down the matthew bolton statue and put mine up there instead

 

[KingKhanWC]

They are getting engaged soon! A very young couple KingKhan the 10 babies record is still held by a 2nd gen uncle, am not sure it will be broken but then again I thought the same about Undertakers streak maybe I will break it one day actually no lool but bah gawd if I did I'd become immortalized in the second city, take down the matthew bolton statue and put mine up there instead

Lovely to hear, hope she hasn't seen a diamond ring she likes from South Africa. You're too busy on here to break that sort of record shaz, but if you do beat the record run up the steps like Rocky to the statue.

 

[Haroon786]

Well in this case it wasn't. He has lived happily in Europe instead of staying in India.

Also why do you assume career is more important than love/happiness?

I would prioritise on a career first as it then gives the independence to pursue love. Also you're assuming that love is certain happiness, there can be unhappiness and these days it seems like unhappiness is greater than happiness associated with the concept.

I'm talking personally from I am currently placed in life - undergrad who hasn't started his career yet.

 

[shaz619]

I would prioritise on a career first as it then gives the independence to pursue love. Also you're assuming that love is certain happiness, there can be unhappiness and these days it seems like unhappiness is greater than happiness associated with the concept.

I'm talking personally from I am currently placed in life - undergrad who hasn't started his career yet.

Good lad, you've nailed your priorities in general which is great to see; hopefully it works out. With love though, I don't think it's something which can be pursued; when it truly happens you'll know because it develops organically and can catch you when you least expect it. Love has time for us even when we haven no time for Love

 

[shaz619]

Lovely to hear, hope she hasn't seen a diamond ring she likes from South Africa. You're too busy on here to break that sort of record shaz, but if you do beat the record run up the steps like Rocky to the statue.

That would make for a great tale. So true, it's amazing though I get frightened at the idea of bringing one child into this world let alone 10+ but mashaAllah many big family's have done quiet well for themselves despite being poor when they first came to the UK; me uncle worked day and night in retail, saved up and opened his own butchers, he did well for himself