It is just a normal story of two people living together next door, but in this story there are two men, says Hyderabad-based hotel management school lecture Supriyo Chakraborty, who along with his partner Abhay Dang, will announce their wedding to be celebrated on December 18th, making it the first gay wedding in the Telugu States.
The couple have secured the approval of their parents for their union and plan to hold a celebration of their relationship without any marriage formalities, as the law still does not permit same gender marriages . Mr. Supriyo is positive about that too.
Speaking to The Hindu , the 31-year-old Mr. Supriyo said that the way queer relationships were decriminalised, marriage too will be allowed for queer couples.
When that happens, they will register their marriage, he said. As of now, they'll have a 'wedding' but not a marriage, which is to say they'll make it official with the blessings of their family and friends, but not the law.
“It all started with texting each other on a dating app back in 2012 and and since then we have been together. A few months later we moved in and started living together, which helped us understand each other better. Two years later we bought an apartment of our own,” he said with a joy filled mind. The couple also have a third member in their lives, ‘Kaju’, a puppy.
Supriyo Chakraborty and Abhay Dang
Mr. Supriyo shares that they are blessed with very understanding parents, siblings, friends, and in his case, his students too.
“Being Indian parents, initially they didn’t say yes to our relationship, and at the same time they did not object. They took a little time and just wanted to be happy in our lives in our own way,” he said, adding that it will be first gay wedding in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
When they started living together, the two weren’t out in front of everyone, but gradually they managed to make people understand that they are just like any heterosexual couple living in the neighbourhood. “Until the law was decriminalised, we were criminals,” he maintains.
While Mr. Supriyo hails from Kolkata, Mr. Abhay, who works as a software developing manager at an MNC here, is native of New Delhi, and the couple plans to have everything as in regular marriage, starting from Haldi to a few of parties, and exchanging rings in a closed and selected gathering.
“People say, both good and bad things about us. But, we tell ourselves that we are doing nothing wrong and should stand up together. This wedding will be an inspiration for many and as a teacher I have the influence of crafting the next generation,” Mr. Supriyo shares.
The couple state that their wedding is just a celebration of togetherness, “and for celebration you don’t need a law.”
