“Thari bahu nae kaho visa badhan khatir arzi dakhil kar dey. Hum uski madad kar denge (Ask your daughter-in-law to file an application for visa extension. We will help her)”. This Twitter reply in Haryanvi by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj brought cheer and relief to a family of Samain village in Fatehabad district.
Teenu Jangra , 24, married Zhanna Chalabayeva of Kazakhstan, 34, on June 2, and the couple has been seeking Zhanna’s visa extension. Her tourist visa expires on August 1, 2016.
Met in Saudi Arabia, fell in love on FB
The two met in Saudia Arabia, where Teenu was working as a welder, a year ago. Zhanna, a law graduate, and they became friendly but it was later that love blossomed. “When I returned to India, we started talking on Facebook. Eventually, we fell in love and decided to get married,” Teenu said.
On May 29, Zhanna landed in India, and the couple got married at Vishwakarma Temple in Tohana, 25 km from Fatehabad. Hindu rituals were followed.
“After the Hindu wedding The first thing we did was to get our marriage registered. We met the Fatehabad deputy commissioner and SP on July 5 and told them about my visa extension. The DC assured us that he will look into it,” said Zhanna.
{{/usCountry}}“After the Hindu wedding The first thing we did was to get our marriage registered. We met the Fatehabad deputy commissioner and SP on July 5 and told them about my visa extension. The DC assured us that he will look into it,” said Zhanna.
{{/usCountry}}Haryanvi connection
The newlyweds, however, were in for a surprise when they found the Union minister had taken up the matter. It happened after a Hindi daily published the couple’s story on July 9, and Jhangra’s friend Ravi Ranjan shared it on Twitter.
Sushma’s tweet in Haryanvi struck a chord with the family. “We are hopeful now,” Jangra said after the minister’s tweet. Sushma hails from Ambala and has studied in Chandigarh.
Zhanna is enjoying the love and hospitality at her new home. “I am happy to be here and lucky that I got an understanding husband and in-laws,” she said.
Jangra is pleased that his wife has adjusted to Haryanvi culture and follows rituals.
“She can speak six languages, including English, French and Persian besides her mother tongue. I am sure one day she will learn Haryanvi and Hindi too,” he said.