In the end, love wins

From changing cities and finding love to leaving a marriage to be with their beloved, LGBTQIA+ community is full of stories that personify love is above all. To celebrate the Pride month, we bring to you heart-warming love stories of people that show love is, after all, love

Filmi wala love

While rumours about Nick and Sayantika dating had been going around in their social circle, the two didn’t even know each other yet. But in a twist of fate, they actually ended up falling in love. “I had gone to watch cricket with my friends, and Nick was also there. We didn’t get along initially, but bonded over Sulaimani chai after the match,” says Sayantika, a digital creator. After that, there was no looking back for the two. The Mumbai couple creates content to normalise LGBTQIA+ relationships and bring the community’s issues to the limelight.

Devoid of labels

Patruni Chidananda Sastry, a drag artiste, identifies as a pansexual man. However, he is married to a cisgender heterosexual woman, Raja Rajeswari Devi. For this couple from Hyderabad, labels mean nothing. “She stalked me on Instagram and liked hundreds of my pictures. We met at a family gathering, instantly bonded and kept in touch,” says Sastry, who is a software engineer by profession. “I came out to her as pansexual and all she said was, ‘Okay’,” he shares.

For the love of dance

Atulan Purohit met Divesh Tolani doing what they love — dancing. “I joined dance classes a year before Divesh. We never used to talk but then, started replying to each other’s Insta Stories. That’s how it all started,” says Purohit, who is a professional dancer from Mumbai. The couple also shares a love for travelling and runs a popular Instagram account.

Against all odds

Ankur Bhatnagar was forced by his family to marry a woman, but they separated soon. After the divorce, Bhatnagar finally proposed to the one he loved, fellow 3D animator Deepak Sharma. The Bengaluru couple has been together ever since and has made a home with their furry babies. “We also wish to adopt transgender and HIV positive kids,” Sharma says.