Kolkata: Lesbian couple unite in an intimate wedding ceremony; 'Love is love', say the newly wed

Love wins the world! A lesbian couple from Kolkata married in a traditional ceremony on Monday, painting the city in rainbow hues and serving as a light of hope for the LGBTQ community.

The couple, named Mousumi Datta and Moumita Majumder, exchanged wedding vows as per customary Bengali ceremonies such as haldi, sangeet, mehendi, and pheras. 

The happy couple finished their pheras at the Bhutnath Temple in Kolkata's Aritola neighbourhood of Shovabazar. Moumita put vermilion on Moumita's forehead, which in Hindu culture indicates the conclusion of a social marriage.

They were the third pair, following Chaitanya Sharma and Abhishek Ray, to take a step towards an inclusive society, adding another feather to the LGBT rights success story. 

'Love is Love'

In India, same-sex marriage is still regarded as 'illegal' even though homosexuality was decriminalised in 2018. Kolkata has long been a forerunner in taking progressive efforts towards building a more progressive society, and Moumita and Mousumi are two more examples.

For other LGBTQ couples looking to wed the love of their lives, their wedding will serve as a role model. In 2018, Suchandra Das and Shree Mukherjee became the city's first newlyweds.

When it comes to falling in love, gender rarely plays a factor. It all comes down to finding the perfect person and making a heart connection. "Love is love," the happy couple told India Today.

"Love conquers all," said Mousumi, a resident of Baguiati in Kolkata, who simply hopes her partner's family will embrace and support them for who they are. 

Datta and Majumder first planned to keep their wedding clandestine by marrying quietly at the stroke of midnight. They chose to announce their union on social media as a show of solidarity with the LGBTQ community.