ALAPPUZHA: Cupid knows no country. And when Kristina Semaskaite, 33, from Lithuania, fell in love with Alappuzha man Johnson Varghese, 34, little did she think Communism would emerge a villain in their love story.
Reason: Johnson is a DYFI leader. It took Kristina around three months to convince her parents and relatives that Communists in Kerala bear no resemblance to the Soviet-era reds. Lithuania, now a member of the European Union, was once part of the USSR, till it regained independence in 1990. Forced to be part of the Soviet Union after World War, the country saw severe crackdown and mass deportation of protesters.
As Kristina found out, fear of Communism runs deep in the country. “It took me around three months to convince my parents that I was pretty serious about starting a life with Johnson. More than caste, creed, ethnicity, or nationality, it was his political leaning that came in the way. But, I managed to convince them that he is not a Communist like those from the Soviet era. Communism in Kerala is different from that of the erstwhile USSR,” she told TNIE.
“I told them that Communists in Kerala are loving people, but my parents and friends were not ready to accept the reality easily. I convinced them after sharing my experiences when I visited the state. Finally, they gave the go-ahead for marrying from Alappuzha,” she said.
“Lithuanians are terrified of Communism and the erstwhile Soviet Union. So the independent countries, which were formerly part of the USSR, tried to prevent the move to reunite with Russia,” she said.
Pandemic played spoilsport in Transnational marriage plans
Kristina, who had been working for the ‘Light-up Life’s Foundation’ NGO in Uganda reached Alappuzha in late 2019 as part of the project to lend a helping hand to the poor and the needy across the world. She reached here along with her team and interacted with local people. It was then that she met Johnson, an animal lover. The couple fell in love at first sight.
However, Kristina had to leave the country in haste as India decided to close its borders in the wake of Covid. By December 2020, Nepal opened its boundaries to foreigners and Kristina reached Nepal to take part in a social service activity. Johnson also boarded a train to Nepal and met Kristina, their second meeting.
“We were part of a mission to reconstruct a dilapidated school building using funds raised from Lithuania and other countries. After spending more than three months in the Himalayan nation, we handed over the renovated school to the local authorities at a function. A small gathering was arranged on the occasion and I proposed to Kristina there,” said Johnson, of Alappattu, Kanjiramchira, who is also CPM Thumboly local committee member.
“We had planned to reunite by November last year, but Omicron scuppered our plans. However, she reached Alappuzha by the second week of January,” said Johnson who runs a café near Alappuzha beach. Kristina reached here in the second week of January. The couple has applied to register their marriage at Alappuzha District Registrar’s office and they are waiting for approval. Kristina’s father Juozas Semaskaa and mother Roma, both botanists, are planning to attend the wedding to be held at a church in Alappuzha after pandemic restrictions ease.