from my friend KV Chai Man from Odisha - True Story
An AMAZING story... What an unusual story! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P_K_MahanandiaPK Mahanandia was born in 1949 into a poor weaver family of Odisha who were considered untouchables. PK was a gifted artist. However, his family didn't have enough money to finance his education. In 1971, he joined College of Art in New Delhi and gained popularity for making portraits. In 1975, 19-year-old Charlotte Von Sledvin, a student in London, heard about him and traveled all the way to India to get her portrait made. Love set in. Charlotte took the Indian name Charulata and they both married following traditional rituals.She asked her husband to come with her to her country.He refused to go on her money but promised to join her after earning enough money. He sold all his belongings and set out on a voyage to the Far West with a hope to reunite with his love. This was back in 1978. After 4 months and 3 weeks he finally reached Gothenburg, Sweden. *Upon reaching, he was questioned by Swedish immigration officers who were amazed to see a man from India riding a bicycle. PK told them the reason behind his visit and produced photographs of his marriage with Charlotte.* Authorities were surprised and did not believe that someone of royal blood from Europe would marry a poor Indian. The sudden revelation made even PK skeptical whether his lady love would accept him or not. Charlotte drove to Gothenburg and received her husband with unbridled happiness. *Her parents accepted Pradyumna as a part of their family by breaking a royal tradition that prohibited non-white people from residing with the nobles.* After 40 years of marriage, Dr PK Mahanandia serves as the Odiya Cultural Ambassador of India to Sweden and lives with his wife Charlotte and 2 children in Sweden. Utkal University of Culture (UUC) in Bhubaneshwar has awarded him with an honorary doctorate degree. Noted Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has expressed his desire to make a film on his life. cnu.pne -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
