As same-sex couples seek legal sanction for their unions, they face socio-political opposition. The ball is now in the Supreme Court of the country to find a balanced solution
date of issue: May 22, 2023 , Updates: May 13, 2023 4:43 PM IST
Left: Aditi Anand, Susan Dias | Right: Sumitro Sircar with Pardeep Rana; (Photos: Bandeep Singh, Hardik Chhabra)
DDecember 29, 2021. That was the day Surabhi Mitra, a 31-year-old psychiatrist from Nagpur, and Paromita Mukherjee, a 27-year-old operations executive, decided to embark on a life-changing journey. Wearing matching leather jackets and riding bikes, they set out for Hotel Wildernest, located on the outskirts of the city. There were lanterns floating in the sky, Mukherjee’s favorite food on the menu—white sauce pasta—and the duo’s chosen songs—Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” and Coldplay’s “Something Just Like This”—were playing in the background. After two years of dating, both women finally realized that the time was perfect for a “ring commitment ceremony”. He was accompanied by his friends and colleagues on this special day. The presence of Mitra’s father made up for the absence of Mukherjee’s parents. The following week, pictures from their ceremony went viral. Mitra said of the public’s response, “We slowly realized that there is not as much hatred in this world as we had believed it to be.”