Fond of languages, he wanted to learn Spanish. She was keen on English. The two, thus, happened to meet on a language learning app four years ago and fell for each other. Transcending geographical boundaries, Niranjan, a resident of Rohtak, eventually married Danna Zahory, a Mexican woman, on April 13, amid the lockdown.
“She is very, very innocent,” stressed Niranjan, 22, when asked what he liked the most about Danna, 21.
A head waiter, Niranjan joined “Hello Talk”, a language app, in 2015 to learn a new language and the two ended up being partners. “She wanted to learn English. I was interested in Spanish. Since the app requires us to choose a learning partner, we chose each other. Gradually, we began talking and developed a liking. I spoke to her parents as well. In 2017, her family visited India and was impressed by the welcome accorded to them and the hospitality. They liked the Indian culture as well,” said Niranjan.
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Though the concept of “engagement” was alien to Danna and her family, she readily agreed when told that this way Niranjan would be “reserved” for her.
Niranjan, however, recalled that they had a tough time maintaining the long-distance relationship for almost two years because of different time zones. With the Indian Standard Time around 13 hours ahead of Mexico, the two would find it difficult to talk.
Her family finally came to Rohtak on February 11 and they applied for court marriage a week later. But as the old proverb goes, “there’s many a slip ’twixt the cup and the lip”. One of the witnesses failed to make it on the slated day, March 18, and the wedding was postponed till March 23. However, the Haryana government announced lockdown in seven districts a day before the wedding was scheduled and it was again put on hold. “We then made a special request demanding that the wedding be solemnised at the earliest since it was already postponed twice,” said Niranjan. And the administration accepted the plea.
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Saying that he did not care for what the people had to say, Niranjan said that his parents and grandparents were happy. The couple plans to settle in Mexico after spending a few months in India.