Funny how some “important” things in life so quickly take a back seat when you find something you’ve always been looking for.
In the case of this particular Gentleman from India something certainly hit him hard enough to change his life completely.
This is something a few of us out there can certainly relate to.
And although he’s having a few challenges in chasing his dream I’m sure he and his lovely new family will pull through.
Because after all that’s what love really is.
Love Gets Bollywood Star Stranded In Russia
Enchanted by a Russian beauty, an Indian actor decided to trade in his Bollywood career for marrying his sweetheart and leave for her hometown, only for him to end up near-destitute.
Arman Kumar Jha’s career was on the rise in Indian film industry. He already had several commercials and soap operas behind him, and had just entered feature films, where he played charismatic villains.
That was when he met Christina, a girl from the Far Eastern Russian city of Ussuriysk. She was a dancer and enamored with Indian culture, and in Delhi she studied Indian dancing styles. Arman fell madly in love with her and started courting.
“He was running after me everywhere. Gave me flowers, sang songs and told stories. He was courting me like in a movie,” she told tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Finally the Russian beauty was won over by Arman’s charms, and the couple got married in India. Regrettably, Christina did not want to live in the Asian country all the time because she could not tolerate the hot and humid climate. During the summers she went back to Russia.
It was in Ussuriysk that she gave birth to their daughter Aria. The happy father was in India at the time trying to get his paperwork to get a permit for living in Russia. He decided to leave his promising career to be with his family.
“He was calling us every day, singing to her on the phone. Our little Aria now understands three languages: Russian, English and Hindi,” Christina says.
However, when Arman finally re-joined Christina, he found out that love did not conquer all. Barely knowing the Russian language, he had no chance to get a job at a theater as he had hoped to, while the cost of living in Russia was much higher than in India.
“In Delhi I could rent a three-room apartment for $300 a month. In Ussuriysk it’s enough for just one room,” he told a local newspaper.
Now the man earns in a month the money he would get in two days of acting back in India. Even cigarettes are a luxury for him. Cristina’s job opportunities are no better, since the city has little demand for Indian dancers.
Arman is now forced to work as a street cleaner and is saving money for a trip back to India. He hopes he’ll earn enough in his homeland to support his family from abroad.
He refuses to borrow from his parents, because he sees his perils as a disgrace and cannot tell them.
(you can read the original article here)
May 29, 2009 at 6:02 am
this guy is no star in bollywood..
secondly, its not true.. delhi is much more costly than a remote russian city..
third -> this is an exaggerated example ..
forth – > for every such example, a counter example exists -> read maria abratova’s book .. where she claims ” indian men are the best husbands”..
none of the stories above are false.. but neither of them are true.. either..
Russian women are as career oriented as are western women.. if they get a chance.. { i am a russian woman living abroad}…
PS: leaving a man because it was hOT -> doenst speak so highly of the cherished values ” russian women are family oriented” etc etc..
PS 2: Elizabeth Hurley married an Indian -somehow, she can deal with the heat…
PS 3 : there are more than 1 billion people in India.. 300 plus million in USA and only 150 million in Russia..
when trying to generalize – use statistics -> which would imply using statistics,,, averages and some sort of distribution..
ps 4 -> there are many stories of Russian women and for that matter eastern European women.. deported or restricted from entering western nations and even eastern nations -> and the causes – for those are well known – > now.. would you use that to indicate some flaws in Russian women? -> i rest my case..
May 29, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Hello Olga,
Thanks for sharing your opinions and the facts, too. I just wanted to respond to a couple of things you wrote. Number 1, if you have reviewed the many articles and anecdotes that GL has shared, you surely saw the many that featured Russian women with both careers and families. In recent posts we’ve been introduced to an internationally known super model, and a world champion aerobatics pilot. Doctors, journalists, and engineers have also been featured. Obviously, several of them chose to pursue careers and have families; just as women in Europe and the States do. Secondly, women from Russia and neighboring countries are primarily restricted from freely entering the U.S. simply because in the past many have chosen to stay illegally. Before the financial meltdown, this was becoming less of a problem because of the increasing prosperity outside of the States. Finally, no one capable of reading and writing is foolish enough to think that human beings from anywhere, including Russia, are perfect. GL has simply made the case that Russian women tend to be more health and appearance conscious, and more family oriented than Western women.
Like many women from your country you appear to be well-educated and express yourself well, so your comments are well taken. Thanks and take care.
June 7, 2009 at 7:37 pm
hi, thanks for the response.. hereis my comment:
[1] i never said Russian women are not feminine. Nor did i say that anyone said they arent ..
[2] I know most of what you are talking of -> I consider myself Russian+ Israeli + American + Indian => well.. i am like that MIXED races are not bad -> i heard they are actually Ok. would you say ?
[3] My issue – is NOT that someone mentions that Russian women are good or bad.. My problem is ..[a] generalization -> RW ARE — X YZ .. [B] caricaturization [C] sorry to use this word -> representation -> sort of like mypsace has this ” pimp my profile” -> we have agencies pimping a Russian woman’s long slender legs, buxom bodies { come on.. this is FAMILY oriented-> look at the sites – those banner ads .. } > for some reason – i dont see ANY other site – {other than those russian ‘agencies’} talking of their women userbase.. do you? -> how come match.com, eharmony.com, shaadi.com, meetic.com owners dont feel that they have to come and start describing in depth details of skirts and legs, and photographs of russian women and then do a caporae and contrast – sort of vis-a-vis with lets say . some women in the far off land? ..
do you have any idea .. how an educated russian woman is viewed as?
sorry… would those family oriented western women want their daughters to be described this way? how about their sisters?
please think and be sincere before you respond..
‘ would you want your daughter’s phoot to taken in a site and a photgrapher describe her skirt. her neck line? ”
sorry i have family values.. { i think.} and i wouldnt want this.. sort of depiction.. and yes.. i suffer – from this sort of “representation’
i am in india these days..
cheers
olga
ps; you dont have to be offended its just my opinion – that of a russian girl -> who is oppressed -> so all you guys please show those white+christian+western qualities that men have in those nations -> that no other men can afford to have..
so in short it means.. let me have my opinion.. i have suffered a LOT because of such 3 point memos:
[1] MODEL TYPE BODY -> with cruve detailed.
[2] feminine attitudes -> which somehow is tantamount to “: lipstick + skirts versus jeans + walking??
[3] family values { by the way the divorce rate in FSU nations is VERY high – check statistics when in doubt] => knitting, sewing and what? – lets see borsh?
July 9, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Hello Olga,
Due to language and cultural differences, and possibly my feeble brain, I don’t understand your comments completely. I will respond to three or more points you made that I think I comprehend, though. First, and with all due respect for your opinion, I would be delighted if I had a daughter(or relative) lucky enough to be featured on this site. Katya, for instance, who was featured in the photos at “Bewitched Russian Style” was roundly praised in tasteful fashion for her beauty and her attire. Other women that were the subjects of more extensive posts/blogs have been similarly praised for their intelligence and accomplishments. Some have argued that this is old fashioned objectification, but I respectfully disagree.
Secondly, generalizations are more often true than false, and intelligent people are well aware that there are many exceptions to them. For instance, the American Southeast is known for its hospitable people. Few would argue with that generalization, despite notable exceptions.
Finally, if the females at the many Russian dating websites are compared to their American counterparts, one can quickly conclude that far more Russian women are interested in having children, and are quick to address that desire. I don’t have the data to speak for the female population as a whole in each country, but I imagine a scientific study would find similar results.
Thanks again for writing, and take care.
May 31, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Olga it sounds like you are nit-picking for no tangible reason here.
For every case of a Russian Girl being deported I wonder how many more are travelling and exploring the world just like other international citizens without incident.
Furthermore your arguments are not relevant to this post since neither the Indian Gentleman or his Russian Wife seem to have any problems with the law.
The only issue they have is with lack of income..
May I suggest that you re-read the article more carefully before you start in with an unfocused outburst again.
June 7, 2009 at 7:08 pm
i read your article and i have gazillions of them.. they all can be summed quite succinctly: and please.. i am a russian and i have heard it as many times as any other russian would – especially one who lives – in the west …
anyway ->
here is the gits:
[a] Russian women are collectively called – rw -> they are collectively described beautiful, sexy, feminine, and traditional.
[b] REAL men -> go to great extentsfor RW – because they are beautiful and desireable.. unlike american women -> colelctively called AM.
with regard to your comments:
about not being about law… indian men or russian women -> you know what -> a woman’s clothes and photographs – > is your subject -> right? -> and the target is the american women….. and examples are given -> THAT is the topic -> and *I* am deviating from the topic? the topic mostly is ->
marry Russian women .. because they are better than American women..
regarding your comment about ” i am wondering how many Russian women are deported or not allowed” etc etc..
lastly -> whatever i mentioned about this guy -> is true -> and verifiable.. if its not related to the post -> then why is it mentioned in the post>?
can you point out the relationship the post has ? { the one that started with decribing the dress of a “feminine’ russian girl -> and followed the countours.. and then went to american malls.. and finally related the post to american society and then to a STAR !! ->
right -> that is quite connected…
PS: i urge you to paint a true, honest opinion..
that is all..
regards
well.. i know Indian and Chinese women.. or Czech women.. or most other women – of other nations – east or west – dont have so many problems { when in doubt-> dont doubt – read statistics -> and data is the key -> like mean, median, average, standard deviation -> gaussian curve etc etc } -> fair enough? ->
now i take offense to the caricaturization of the eastern european women..
you have a free blog and so do many ->
you warn – AGAINST – me posting
-> hence MAY i suggest – you respect other people’s opinion { it helps those who want to migrate to the west} and also read up a LITTE bit on what web 2.0 is and how people act in that space..
PS: IF YOU dont want critique or differences of opinion -> blcok the posts or write me at lednichenkoolga at gmail dot com -> and please.. carry on with your business .. the way you like it to be..
just that i dont lie propoganda -. IT HURTS ME AND MY REPUTATION AS AN ETHNIC CLASS…
i don’t know how many requests should be made to these agencies to stop this.. way of “promotion of russian women”..
they dont stop because there is money involved.. fine.
and btw->
[1] my friend is a Chief of foreign desk at pravada
[2] my future in law is an ambassador – think embassy, visas.. yes.. i hear those conversations all the time.. in weekly digests..
May 29, 2009 at 6:55 am
1.
he is a dancer in Delhi..
This guy is not a STAR in bollywood
2.
HE isnt even in Bollywood -> Bollywood is in BOMBAY -> the B of bollywood coems from bombay ->
3.
Delhi is more expensive – well much more expensive – than this russian outpost where this Indian star cant even afford to buy cigarettes
New Delhi: The country’s financial hub, Mumbai, and New Delhi are among the world’s 10 most expensive cities for expatriates to live in, says a survey by global HR consultancy Mercer.
According to the survey on housing costs and practices for employees sent on overseas assignments, Mumbai has emerged even more expensive than New York City in the United States and China’s Capital Beijing.
Mumbai has been ranked as the world’s fourth most expensive city in terms of rental property for expatriates, while New Delhi is eighth, the survey for February 2009 said.
Mumbai has moved up by one notch from its fifth position in the September 2008 survey, while New Delhi has fallen two places from its sixth place in the previous ranking.
Russia’s Moscow has topped the list of world’s most expensive cities and is followed by Tokyo (second), Hong Kong (third), Mumbai (fourth)and New York City (fifth) as the five most expensive cities across the globe for expats to live in.
The survey highlighted that Asian cities have dominated the list of the world’s costliest locations for expats living there, with as many as six locations from the region being among the world’s top 10.
http://www.livemint.com/2009/04/02151413/Mumbai-Delhi-among-world821.html
May 29, 2009 at 12:37 pm
ei GL why dont you talk about the russian girl born in Portugal that was forced to go to Russia with her abusive and alcoolic mother?
It seems to me that you only talk about the “golden” side of russian women.
In Portugal she had a (foster)family that loved her and took care of her, she lived in a big house with sisters and brothers and now she lives in the end of the world in a small room where there is allways vodka on the table and beatings if she doesn´t behave.
What the mother did, beating her on tv is a crime here in Portugal, even russians and ukrainians took side supporting the foster family, the foster mother treated Alexandra like a princess, this child may have russian blood but she has a portuguese soul and was ripped of her true family and nation.
Now why don´t you mention it here on your blog?
http://www.russiatoday.ru/Top_News/2009-05-21/Russian_mother_wins_custody_of_daughter_from_Portugal.html
http://hubpages.com/hub/Alexandra-a-Russian-girl-created-by-Portuguese-couple
http://www.gopetition.com/online/28077.html
May 30, 2009 at 2:54 am
Immelmann,
It has been said that the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart. Human nature at its worst is not a pretty thing, whether it’s expressed in Russia, the United States or elsewhere. This site, in my mind, is about the good and positive aspects of Russian women. We are surrounded by negative news, the reality of the human existence one might say, so why dwell on it here? Other blogs, television and the media in general do a great job at covering the dark side, so I say let them do what they do best. Thanks for your input.
May 30, 2009 at 12:27 pm
I can´t believe you are trying to minimize this situation, a decent person cant look the other way and pretend there is nothing wrong, a child is suffering, the media can´t ignore this story because it´s to great to hide, because of what happened here in Portugal, people are starting movements and petitions to bring the child back, what freaks me out is that in your blog you are portraying things as if you were living in a fairy tale when many people, russians, ukrainians, etc(thats the reason they are leaving their contry)know that is not true, for example a russian friend to who i showed this blog told me that many of the things in this blog did not correspond to the reality in Russia, that she knows so well.
May 29, 2009 at 1:07 pm
More links
http://xaninhanossa.blogspot.com/
http://www.gopetition.com/online/28077/signatures.html
http://radulova.livejournal.com/1437153.html
ps: I wonder if you will post my commnents!
May 30, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Immelman,
I am not the owner/writer of this blog. I am simply a reader, and citizen of the United States who has an interest in the topics addressed here. The creator of this blog goes by the tags GL or Rwman, and I am not trying to speak for him or anyone other than myself. I am not trying to minimize the tragic situation you have brought to our attention by any means. I admire you for trying to influence the people who have authority to do something about the girl’s plight.
If you will review the contents of this site, you will find many stories of Russian women working to have a positive influence on their families and their fellow citizens. The supermodel I mentioned in my comments above, for instance, is building playgrounds all over Russia. She could very well spend her time in the more common hedonistic pursuits, but prefers to help others with her time and money. Another article featured a young teen who was making an effort to bring much needed basic services to her remote community.
In closing, no one is looking at this harsh world through rose-colored glasses. Horrible injustices are well-documented– kids starving in Africa, women denied basic rights in the Middle East, people of color mistreated, free speech suppressed in Russia, journalists murdered, etc. GL will have to address the intent of this blog. That’s not my job, but as a reader, I can tell you that I don’t come here for coverage of the ills of Russian society.
May 30, 2009 at 5:02 pm
To the owner/writer of this blog, GL
I ask you to write an article about the case i bring you here, if possible spread the word, try to help this child´s cause, many people here in Portugal are starting movements, petitions, opening bank accounts to help the foster family with legal expenses, etc, this child may be suffering with her abusive mother and needs her real family.
Thank you for your assistance in advance and best regards.
May 31, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Immelmann,
You are starting to “over play your hand” as far as your comments are concerned.
I allowed your comments to be posted here in order to help you bring attention to the plight of this young girl.
However your demands and challenges are wearing thin. If you wish to continue to demand attention may I suggest that you take it to another site and try your same attitude with them.
May I also suggest to you that perhaps your attitude and not this site is hurting your ability to help this young girl.
Please take this as a notice on my part to you.
June 13, 2009 at 9:33 pm
GL and Everyone,
For the past month I have come back and forth to the recent postings in this thread. As yet, I still don’t understand what point, if any, that olga-shulman-lednichenko is trying to make. Is she saying that there is some level of unfairness regarding the way Russian girls are portrayed here or is she just upset by us using abbreviations like RW, AW, or FSU? Since I grew up in the 60s and 70s when drug induced ramblings were commonplace, I can honestly say that this seems more than a cultural/language situation. If I’m wrong, please forgive me.
Also, what is the whole legal thing that Immelman is talking about? It sure doesn’t seem relevant but without following all of his links, I don’t even know how it became a part of this. I read through and all of the sudden we are fighting an extradition battle for someone.
I’m lost.
July 15, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Hello, Richard. I am convinced that Olga simply misunderstands the way the women of Russia and surrounding countries are represented here. I just read an excellent essay by Jill Carattini that illustrates the point very well. The Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky declared that “beauty will save the world”. In his book THE IDIOT, Dostoevsky uses the character Myshkin to define his concept of beauty. Quoting Jill Carattini, “Myshkin’s inclination is to help rather than to harm, to give mercy rather than malice; he forgives again and again, though surrounded by people who do not. In fact, it is this group who tirelessly labels Myshkin the “idiot” because he refuses to participate in the disparaging and destructive ugliness of their own ways, but instead takes what is cruel and repulsive in them and dispels it.”
Speaking strictly for myself, I see a strong trace of that kind of beauty in the women portrayed on this site. I am not foolish enough to think that human nature is not pervasive and that one culture of women has a lock on this form of idealized beauty, but I see some positive things here, and I choose to celebrate them. I think we all long for innocence, honesty, simplification, total comitment, trust, and a touch of unconditional love. Thankfully, women like Masha aren’t afraid to look the camera in the eye and express such desires.
July 15, 2009 at 7:48 pm
As a note on “I think we all long for innocence, honesty, simplification, total comitment, trust, and a touch of unconditional love.”
If we do, let’s start from ourselves: being innocent, honest, simple, committed and loving. =)
July 16, 2009 at 7:57 am
I tend to agree with you Sam on Olga’s misunderstanding or her disinterest in understanding the purpose of this site. I also think that the reason so many of us appreciate GL is because deep inside we all have the desire to know that kind of relationship which you’ve described.
Maybe for me, the part about innocence isn’t quite the same but that is likely because I have a slightly more traditional definition of that word. (uncorrupted, unaware, childlike) Anyone who reads my posts here or anywhere else knows how much I lean on the word ‘dignity’. My thought is that an innocent person will often be considered a fool for not engaging the self righteous one, simply because the innocent may not realize that self righteousness is wrong. The worldlier person will refuse to engage the self righteous one simply because it is undignified to do so. Basically I think the difference between innocence and dignity is maturity. It seems that most real men would vastly prefer a dignified woman over an innocent girl.
What I see in the young ladies here is a longing for traditional committed relationships combined with the warmth and passion of a romantic fantasy. Surprisingly enough, there is a point of compromise between these two ideals which will satisfy the desire for both. I have seen too many people reach this goal to ever think that it no longer exists. And as genuinewoman points out, the very best place to start searching for the positive characteristics we seek is in ourselves.
July 18, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Russian women may seem to be more beautiful than your average Indian. But, there’s no point sacrificing your good career, religion, food habits, family life and stability in India to pursue her. I had a Russian girlfriend before (actually, she was from Uzbekistan but of Russian ethnicity). We amicably split because I wasn’t prepared to undergo the same routine that this poor guy is going through now. Even though I miss her a lot. Like, for 2 years I wasn’t even interested in anyone else.
Now that I have more maturity on this subject, I’m able to rediscover the dusky charms possessed by Indian women. IMHO, some of us Indian males should quit our paranoid obsession with White skin and try to improve our self-image -brown skin can be quite beautiful too. You just need to show it the same amount of appreciation that you would for White skin.
This is not a discouraging comment at all. For those of you Indian men who really met your sweetheart in a Russian or any foreigner, I would say go for it. But, please don’t ruin your life in any wild goose chase. You have one life only. There are many more priorities one should have apart from marriage and sex.
July 22, 2009 at 1:31 am
Hello Indian Man,
Women in my region sunbathe obsessively, and are constantly lamenting the fact that they don’t have darker complexions. I understand that earlier generations of men and women considered a tan to be a vulgar thing, and dark skin a curse. Heaven knows what we crazy humans will be thinking next. I find diversity interesting, and agree that one should try to “see with the good eye” and find beauty and see the good in everybody. Take care.