Patna: A love story that began in Calcutta and continued in Canada had a bitter-sweet ending in Rohtas district this month when a 65-year-old woman travelled roughly 12,000km from Toronto to bury her husband in Dehri-on-Sone where he was born.

Karen Ansari fell in love with 1952-born Deepak Ansari, then a manager of The Park hotel in Calcutta, in 1979. "I was quite young when I met him in the hotel. Two years later, we got married. After spending a few years in Calcutta, we went to Canada where he was appointed as assistant director of Coronation College of Hospitality, Toronto," recalled Karen.

Deepak died of cancer on November 9 this year. It took almost 21 days for Karen, a Canadian citizen, to complete the legal formalities and bring her husband's body to Dehri-on-Sone.

She came to Delhi from Toronto by air. She reached Calcutta from Delhi by another flight and stayed at The Park. She reached Dehri-on-Sone from Calcutta by road on December 1. Deepak was buried in Dehri's Bastipur, around 135km southwest of Patna, the same day.

"It was a long journey of over 50 hours from Toronto," said Karen, a medical scientist. "But I have no regret as I have succeeded in my mission. My husband had said before his death that he should be buried at his native place. And accordingly I reached Dehri-on-Sone from Canada with his body."

Karen and Deepak, who did not have any children, never missed an opportunity to visit Dehri-on-Sone, a sub-divisional town of Rohtas district. The couple had last visited Dehri-on-Sone in 2014 to attend the wedding of Deepak's nephew Zaid Dabbu Ansari. "The family of my husband is very cooperative. I also wish to be buried beside my husband," said Karen, who will soon return Canada to take care of her old and sick aunt.

"I am fond of Indian culture," Karen said. "I used to wear sari and other Indian dresses during my visits to Dehri-on-Sone. Deepak was a very cheerful person. For me, life is over after his death."