#pandemiclovestory: Howrah boy - Mexican woman's online romance ends with an off-line Bengali wedding

Love knows no boundaries. Neither does it bow down to Covid restrictions. When Arijit Bhattacharya (39) from Howrah's Bally met his Mexican wife, Leslie Delgado (36), online, little did he know that their love story would make headlines. "We met online in 2020 and were eager to meet each other in person. Two years was a long wait and finally we decided to make it happen against all odds. The travel restrictions in place due to the pandemic and strict visa rules were deterrents. With a lot of difficulties, I managed to get her a visa to India, which was easier compared to me getting one to Mexico. And she landed in Delhi on April 29," shared Arijit, who works in an MNC. The two took forward their love story from there. They travelled to Shimla and made up for all these years of being stuck with online chatting. Leslie was living with Arijit's parents until they signed for a registry marriage on Sunday, June 19. "We will also have a social marriage on July 5 and looking forward to the celebrations," Arijit said, who has plans to go to Mexico to meet Leslie's parents for the social marriage there. Leslie, who can speak broken English, is also trying to pick up Bangla from her husband and in-laws. "We were madly in love from Day 1 when we met online. And communication was never a problem. For the past around eight years, I was learning Spanish as a hobby. But when I met her and realised she can only communicate in Spanish, I brushed up my language skills. She would correct me often and now I am fluent in Spanish," smiled Arijit, who had support from his parents and sister living in the US with her husband and a kid. The newly wed are happy to be able to be together and don't look back at the struggles much. Leslie shared a post on social media in Spanish thanking her husband and his family for all the love. She said, "Arijit makes me feel at home and I never get a feeling that I am in another part of the world, far from my home. I cherish all the gifts and surprises he plans for me and hope to be by his side for the rest of the life we have together to share." Leslie has her parents, elder sister and elder brother, who are married with kids, in her immediate family. She runs her family business in Mexico. When asked where do the couple want to settle, Arijit said, "I have plans to settle with her in Mexico as of now."