Mangalore : Love, they say transcends all barriers and boundaries. It is such a love that has made Mangalorean youngster Adarsh tie the knot to a Chinese girl. In fact it was a book by Chethan Bhagath that blossomed love between the two.
On Thursday, April 25, Adarsh Felix of Vamanjoor tied the knot to Tyang Xio Lan(Taanya).
At the outset one may feel that there was nothing special in this wedding as this is not the first time that an Indian weds a foreigner. In reality it was the love for reading that brought both of them together.
Adarsh who initially worked for Wipro in Bangalore got an offer as senior consultant in a Chinese company at Shanghai. There whenever he had free time, Adarsh used to visit a local library to read books and this reading habit of his changed the course of his life.
It was this very same library which was frequented by Taanya in search of the books authored by Indias famous author Chethan Bhagath. They first came into contact in May 2011.As days passed by, they came close to each other and the friendship turned to love. In fact Taanya recalls how she had prayed to the Almighty during Chinese New Year that she got a good life partner, just three days before she met Adarsh for the very first time.
Newskarnataka spoke to Taanya when she said that 90 per cent of Chinese do not belong to any caste or religion and that even parents do not pressurize their children to embrace any religion. She says youngsters are independent to choose any religion of their choice in China. If most Chinese are atheists, I developed faith in God in 2010, points out Taanya.
Adarsh said he had first introduced Taanya to his family as a friend in 2011. He says he revealed to his parents who were in search of a suitable bride for him in India of his desire to marry Taanya. “My parents said it is left to my discretion and I decided to marry Taanya, says Adarsh. “There were times when Taanya was even questioned if she was a spy as her father was an officer in Chinese airforce. Now everyone has accepted her, Adarsh says and adds Taanya wants to settle either in India or China.
Taanya works as a Client Manager in KEVI Shanghai Technology. When asked about her views on India, she frankly admitted that she was under the impression that India was struck by poverty, a notion she developed after watching Slumdog Millionaire. I was also under the impression that girls are raped on roads here. But I came to know the truth on coming to India and I liked the people here and their culture, she added.
“In India children are brought up in a disciplined atmosphere, while that is not the case in China where children are left on their own. Another thing I liked about India was the way children and parents lived together. “But I find it difficult to adjust to the food habits here,” Taanya said smilingly.
