In India, the grander the wedding, the more people apparently remember it. However, for two reasons, LGBTQ+ people can't imagine having a big lavish wedding. Firstly, because of the huge stigma against homosexuality and secondly, because it is still not legal for them to get married in the country.?
However, two gay men in love didn't really care about any of these specifics and made sure to get married in the most lavish way there is.?Fashion designer Abhishek Ray married his partner Chaitanya Sharma in Kolkata in the most lavish ceremony and broke every stereotype there is.
According to a report by Times Of India, the wedding followed all Hindu rituals including a priest chanting mantras, varmalas and vows taken by the couple around a holy fire.
However, before going forward with this wedding, Ray was pretty apprehensive. He thought people won't react very well to this wedding. Initially, he had told people that his cousin would be getting married, but when he received a positive response he revealed his plans.?
He told TOI,?¡°People live in or perform small functions at home when they want to stay together. When we decided to marry, I told Chaitanya to do it in a way that remains memorable for our friends and family,"
Since both the men are from different communities, one is Bengali and the other Marwari, the rituals of both the communities were maintained.?
The wedding even had a signboard featuring two men saying 'we do' which captured a lot of interest and got attention.?Ray and Sharma are well-aware that gay marriage is not legally recognised in India and cannot be registered, but it is not listed as a ¡°criminal offence".
The priest who solemnised the wedding was probably the most supportive of this marriage. The priest not only told them that they were ¡°torchbearers" but also explained the mantras in detail, adding how he could not utter all of them since they had a gender specification. He also hailed their wedding as an ¡°extremely progressive" move.?
The gay couple found each other on Facebook and started chatting from there on. After several video calls, Abhishek decided to meet Chaitanya and made a two-day trip plan to Kolkata. However, that got extended to two weeks. Ray travelled to Delhi soon after. On March 22 last year, they both flew to Agra and Sharma proposed in front of the Taj. The picture of the same was used in their wedding card as well.?
Such a beautiful love story.?
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