We Had No Gay Marriage yet 'But We Had It All} Our Love'
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Abhay Dange and Supriya Chakraborty, much celebrated couple, revealed their love story and eventual marriage with Humans of Bombay. The heartwarming story, chronicling their journey from their first coffee date to talking to their parents, has won many hearts online.
The couple has brought much hope to the GBTQ community as they had exchanged vows on December 18 last year. Photos of the beautiful ceremony supported by friends and family held in outskirts of Hyderabad had gone viral.
It started with a coffee date which later led to saying ‘I do’. “My 1st date with Abhay lasted over 7 hours! What started as a coffee date somehow ended at the salon with Abhay getting a haircut. There was comfort from the start. We went on many such dates after that; I was falling for him!” says Supriya Chakraborty. Supriya also opened up about their similar core values, as they are both family oriented. Their parents were also welcoming when Abhay told them about their relationship.
“But we are poles apart–he’s an introvert while I’m a social butterfly. But our values are aligned- we’re both family people!” adds Supriya.
When Abhay opened up about his sexual orientation to his parents earlier, they were accepting and understanding. “Till then, my parents had no idea about my sexual orientation, I thought they wouldn’t understand. But now I was in love, I wanted to tell them. So, I called Maa to Hyderabad. Once home, I sat her down and said, ‘I’m gay and Abhay is my partner.’ Maa sat still for a moment before saying, ‘You’re my son, I love you regardless.’ She then hugged us; I felt at peace. With her help, I came out to Baba and my sister! They said, ‘If you’re happy, we’re happy!’ That’s all that mattered,” reads the post.
While India struck down a colonial-era law that criminalised homosexual relationships in 2018, same-sex marriages are yet to be recognized in the country. It posed a challenge before the couple.
In April 2021, the duo tested positive for Covid. This difficult phase brought them closer to each other. “So amidst all the chaos, I proposed, ‘I want to celebrate us. I want to marry you!’ It pained me to see that while Abhay wanted to say, ‘Yes’ all he said was, ‘But how?’ I assured him, ‘Legal papers don’t matter. We have our family’s support. Let’s do this?’ He finally said ‘YES!’ And we said ‘I do’ this December in front of all our loved ones,” says Supriya.
Elaborating on the wedding, Supriya says,”…We had it all!.. The moment we said, ‘I do!’ people around us rang wedding bells; it was magical!”
“I’d never imagined having a dreamy wedding. But it happened- Abhay and I made it. Today, we share a home and now I proudly introduce him as- Abhay… my husband!” he further says.
See the post: Instagram
The post shared on January 1 has garnered over 4 lakh views. The short clip also includes glimpses of their wedding. The ‘tam-jham’ wedding, mehendi, sangeet, haldi are encapsulated in the clip. The background score of Kasoor by musician Prateek Kuhad makes it more appealing to watch. Netizens showered love for the post. “So happy for you. Love is love and you are shining a light for many,” commented a user.
Even though they cannot register their marriage under the law, Abhay Dange and Supriya Chakraborty got married in a ceremony officiated by Sophia David, a friend from Hyderabad who is also from the LGBTQ community.
Hosted on the outskirts of Hyderabad, the event was attended by close friends, family and members of the LGBTQ community. The duo decided to officially exchange rings with a ‘promising ceremony’ for acceptance, more than validation.
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