Art student's 6,000-mile bike ride for love

In the mid-1970s, Indian art student Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia, known as PK, fell deeply in love with a Swedish woman named Lotta in Delhi. When Lotta returned to Sweden, PK, unable to afford a flight, embarked on an epic journey. He purchased a second-hand bicycle for 60 rupees and began cycling towards Sweden in January 1977.

His odyssey spanned 133 days and nearly 6,000 miles, crossing numerous countries. PK's journey was sustained by the kindness of strangers who provided food, shelter, and financial assistance in exchange for his art. He faced unexpected challenges, including border difficulties, but persevered.

Along the way, PK's dedication and love story touched many, earning him aid from people he met in Afghanistan, Turkey, and Austria. He received a train ticket to Gothenburg from the owner of a gallery where a woman he had helped recuperated.

Finally, on May 23, 1977, PK arrived in Gothenburg, Sweden. He and Lotta, who had kept in touch through letters, were joyfully reunited. They later married in Sweden, raised two children, and built a life together in the Swedish countryside, their enduring love a testament to PK's extraordinary 1977 journey.