Happily ever after: Mumbai same sex couple have fairytale Maharashtrian wedding

While we have seen all seen photos of same sex weddings — from the US, UK, Australia — going viral on the internet and getting much support, it is not often that we see something like that in India. However gay couple V and M (names withheld) managed to find their happy ending in the face of much opposition. [caption id=“attachment_2097485” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AFP[/caption] The Mumbai couple got married in January 2015 in their friend’s house in Jogeshwari, thanks to their supportive friends who did everything from trousseau shopping to finding a pandit (priest) who was open enough to carry out the ceremony. “A Sanskrit teacher conducted the ceremony in a traditional Marathi fashion… he researched a lot and made the necessary changes in the mantras and the ceremonies to suit a man-man union,” the happy couple told Buzzfeed in an email. The ceremony was a close-knit affair attended by only friends and relatives who were aware of their four-year-old releationship. After their wedding they attended the LGBT pride march in their wedding clothes. The couple was overwhelmed by the congratulatory messages, something they had not expected, given that same sex weddings are not something that are accepted openly in India. “We received a lot of phone calls, text messages and messages on Facebook congratulating us. There were people who were not in contact found our numbers and congratulated us; ex-colleagues, students called up and messaged as well,” they told Buzzfeed. At times when even celebrating Valentine’s Day for heterosexual couples has become subject of scrutiny, V and M say they don’t fear legal action or backlash since they have the whole LGBT community standing in unity with them. So here’s wishing them a happily ever after.